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Mother’s Book Recalls Serial Killer’s ’07 Massachusetts Home Invasion

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In July of 2007 on a hot summer night a serial killer was arrested after he broke into a 15-year-old girl’s room in Chelmsford Massachusetts in the middle of the night and tried to rape her. The girl’s father heard her scream and held the masked and gloved Lane in a headlock until police arrived, authorities said.

At the victims’ home, the killer found the back door unlocked. The daughter left it that way when she came home that night, because she thought her brother was coming home later.

The Boston Globe reports the Mom, Jeannie, “has written a book about that night and its aftermath. In those adrenaline charged minutes, she says, ignorance kept her from becoming paralyzed: She did not know she was fighting a serial killer who had killed his previous victim the day before.”

Evil takes many forms. One of its forms is as Adam Leroy Lane. Lane was a truck driver from North Carolina whose route traveled up and down the east coast and attacked or murdered women in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Apparently when the urge struck, he’d veer off the highway and stalk neighborhoods and jiggle door knobs until he found one unlocked with a woman inside. In all the cases, the killer picked his victims at random and attacked them at their homes near interstate highways that he traveled.

Lane was carrying knives, a belt with Chinese throwing stars and choke wire during the attack. Police also allegedly found in the cab of his truck a copy of the movie, “Hunting Humans,” which is about a serial killer. “I study them until I’ve got their pattern and it’s easy to do the rest,” says a line from the movie Hunting Humans.

This is exactly the breed of predator I’ve been screaming about my entire life. The always has been, there is, and there always will be Adam Leroy Lane’s jiggling another door knob.

Protect yourself and family.

  • Lock your doors and windows day and night because you are smart.
  • Beef up the lighting outside your home because you are aware.
  • Install home security cameras because you want a layer of protection.
  • Be proactive with the help of ADT Pulse™, a new interactive smart home solution that goes beyond traditional home security to provide a new level of control, accessibility and connection with the home

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Maury Povich.

Traveling For Winter Vacations? Think Security

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Contrary to what some might suggest, I’ve never thought it was a good idea to place your name on a “stop mail” list at the post office. Because some crack head postal employee now has a list of opportunities.

It’s the same thing with stopping delivery of your newspaper. Once you are on that list, it is known you are away.

The best case scenario for both issues is to have a trusted friend, family member or neighbor grab your mail and newspaper for you.

Never list your vacation plans on social media. The last thing you need to be doing on Facebook is telling the world you are 2000 miles away.

Put lights on timers to give your home the “lived in look”. ADT Pulse™ does all this form you.

Do all the fundamentals like invest in a home alarm system that sends an alert to local law enforcement that your house has been broken into. Studies show as many as 25% of all American homes are equipped with a home security system. Monitoring is generally a buck a day.

Set yourself up with home security cameras. Mine can be accessed from my iPhone and online. It’s kind of addicting, and I’m always checking out the scene at the homestead when I travel.

Here are a few tips to help protect the safety of your home while you are gone:

  • If you are traveling by car make sure it’s running properly, check belts and tires and oil. Have a good spare and carry an emergency kit.
  • If you are heading overnight pack your car in your garage or late at night under the cover of darkness.
  • Use timers on indoor and outdoor lights.
  • Let a trusted neighbor and the police know you are traveling.
  • Unplug garage door openers.
  • Have a neighbor park their car in your driveway.
  • If grass is still growing where you live and if you’re gone for a bit have a landscaper mow your lawn.
  • Don’t share your travel plans on social media or on a voicemail outgoing message.
  • Lock everything of significant value in a safe.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston

Dumb Criminal Leaves Behind Charging Phone

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Fortunately not all burglars are Tom Cruise like in a scene from Mission Impossible. While some are violent, most of them are bumbling buffoons who need their next fix and just jiggle door knobs and make a quick hit and run to sell your stuff for a $10 vile.

One such dumb criminal took advantage of people’s homes after power outages brought on by a winter storm in Maryland. In the course of the storms about 40 homes had been broken into.

In one burglary, as reported in the Washington Post, “as the burglar was rifling through the rooms in that house, the homeowner’s son arrived and startled him. The burglar jumped out a window and fled. The son called police, who searched the house. They were stunned at what was found: a cell phone, charging in an electric socket, that didn’t belong to the homeowner. The phone led police to the burglar, who is now charged in 10 burglaries.”

Apparently, at the burglar’s home he didn’t have any power and used the homes he had broken into to charge up his mobile.

This burglar when through a window and apparently the home didn’t have an alarm.

Protect yourself:

Install signage. “Beware of Dog” and “This House is Alarmed” neon signs for $1.98. One for the front door and one for the back door.

Go to the pet store. Get 2 big dog bowls, one for the front porch and one for the back. Write “Killer” in permanent marker on it. This gives the impression you have a big dog. You can even buy a barking dog alarm.

Lock your doors and windows. Install a monitored alarm system. Consider ADT Pulse that comes with a battery backup even when the poser goes out.

Give your home that lived in look. Leave the TV on LOUD while you are gone.

Install timers on your lights both indoor and outdoor. Close the shades to prevent peeping inside.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

Snow Removal Scams Plague The Elderly

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The lowest of low life scammers generally prey upon the weaker and often the frail. And all too often that is children or elderly. In this case, snow removal scams happen when we have winters like this one where snow is piling up 6-10 feet over the course of the season.

Daily television news reports highlight roofs collapsing as a result of the heavy snow piling up and people go into panic mode and shovel off their roofs. None of this ever may sense to me especially due to the fact you are more likely to fall of the roof and break a bone than your roof being in danger of collapsing.

NECN reports “an 86-year old man who lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts was embarrassed and nervous after police say he paid an area contractor 48 hundred dollars to clear snow from his roof.”

Strangely the contractors’ last name that did the dirty deed was named “Snow”. Title should read “Scammer Snow snows senior with snow swindle” I should be a writer.

“The Snows are known to authorities throughout the area– in fact — across the country for allegedly preying on elderly people, charging them exorbitant prices for snow removal, paving and construction jobs.”

This kind of scam happens much more frequently than one would think. Before you or anyone you are a caretaker for goes and spends any money on snow removal from a roof, contact your local building department to get an idea if your property is at risk.

Otherwise when making any kind of investment in snow removal expect to pay less than $50.00 per man, per hour plus any heavy equipment charges and get an estimate of how long the project will take. Further, demand the contractor provide a certificate of insurance should something go wrong.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing scammers and thieves on The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch.

What It’s Like To Have Your Home Robbed

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Recently, I worked with a Fox News reporter in Boston on a story about home burglaries and home security systems. The victim in our story states “I see the big smashed in window, glass everywhere,” says David Barstow of Methuen.

While his family was gone for only a couple of hours, a group of teens ransacked and burglarized his home. “It’s that sick feeling in your stomach,” he said. “What if my wife and daughter ever walked in here and they were still here?”

There is a feeling of overwhelm and “what if” that comes from any intrusion such as this. Unfortunately, these feelings sometimes never go away.

David went onto say “Instead of closing your blinds and saying thank God it wasn’t me, it’s going to be you next,” says David “who managed to catch the guys who broke into his house when the crooks returned to his neighborhood to grab some of the loot they left behind. Home security at this house has become a top priority.”

Home security should be a top priority in your home too. I know David’s home security system was installed after his family’s home was burgled. Studies show many people install a system after something bad happens.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Security is about being proactive. Not reactive. Be proactive.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™   on Fox News.

Honesdale PA State Police Issue Burglary Prevention Tips

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The WayneIndependent reports that due to a higher degree of burglaries that citizens should be proactive and protect their properties.

Here is an abridged version of their safety tips with my spin:

Walking in on a burglary?

DO NOT ENTER — a trapped burglar is dangerous. DON’T try to capture him yourself.

Call the police immediately. Always protect the scene — vital evidence may be destroyed needlessly.

If the burglar is caught, testify against him.

Doors/Windows

Lock your windows and restrict the opening to a maximum of four inches. Make sure your basement windows are outfitted so entry through them is prevented.

Equip your exterior doors with good locks. If you don’t have a solid core door install a double-cylinder, dead-bolt lock which requires a key both inside and out. Make sure this is allowed by fire officials.

DON’T leave door keys in mail chutes, under doormats or on top of door frames

While gone for and extended time

Stop deliveries and have a dependable neighbor clear your porch of all items.

Arrange to have your immediate neighbor watch your house while you are away. Leave a key with them and a telephone number where you can be reached in an emergency.

Garages

Keep your garage locked. Remove the keys from your garaged automobiles. Close your garage door each time you leave, even though you may be gone for only a short time.

Consider unplugging the electric opener.

Lighting

Install approved, automatic timers. These can be set to turn on a light in your home at a time when are expected to be on. It will also turn off the light at your normal retirement hour.

A constant light in a room which cannot be looked into from the outside, such as a bathroom, is a good idea.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

Being Proactive Isn’t Living In Fear — Smart Home Solution

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Occasionally, I’m chided by naysayers who accuse of promoting the FUD: fear uncertainty and doubt. They rattle off statistics that point to the chances of something bad happening is slim and one should not be concerned about such issues.

They are right, the stats are correct, and they are wrong, you should be concerned, but not overly. Regardless, directives towards belittling an issue I speak of is generally aimed at their own insecurity they fear addressing.

In their minds they know it’s something they need to deal with but one they’d prefer not because it’s easier to chastise me and minimize the event than it is to address it head on and be proactive in that manner.

The underlying excuses I’ve heard over and over again point to 2 cop-out procrastinating terms including “it can’t happen to me” and “I don’t want to be paranoid.”

To dispel “it can’t happen to me”

Unless you live in a bubble that protects from gamma rays, it can happen. While chances might be slim of any crime occurring, there is still enough of a chance that it will. For evidence just look in your regional or local police blotter and see how many it happens within a 5 miles radius of your home.

To dispel “I don’t want to be paranoid.”

Heck, I don’t want to be paranoid either. And I don’t wish you to be.

To define paranoia: “Paranoid personality disorder is a psychiatric condition in which a person has a long-term distrust and suspicion of others. People with paranoid personality disorder are highly suspicious of other people. As a result, people with this condition severely limit their social lives. They often feel that they are in danger, and look for evidence to support their suspicions. People with this disorder have trouble seeing that their distrustfulness is out of proportion to their environment”

Paranoia is a loss of control and persistent overwhelm. Taking control of one’s personal security is the complete opposite of paranoia. It’s a balanced perspective knowing that yes, these things do happen, chances are slim they will happen to me, and I’m going to be proactive and do my best to prevent it.

No sense in living in fear. But being proactive, that should be common sense.

Be proactive with the help of ADT Pulse™, a new interactive smart home solution that goes beyond traditional home security to provide a new level of control, accessibility and connection with the home.

Connectivity and interactivity are driving the way people live and manage their smart homes. ADT Pulse™ provides customers with anywhere, anytime access to their home via smart phones or personal computers, including an iPhone application to:

• Arm and disarm their home security system.

• Get notified of alarms and selected events via email and text messages as well as video clips.

• View their home through cameras and watch secure real-time video or stored video clips of events from monitored areas of the home.

• Access lights and appliances or set schedules to automate them.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

Fake Cops Home Invasion — Respecting Vs. Trusting

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We live in a society that has many rules. We need rules because without rule, we’d devolve into chaos. Those rules are often broken by those who believe they are above them or are simply so desperate that they need to break them to get their next fix.

Some of these rules are more “guidelines” than they are law. One rule that makes it difficult for us to see the truth sometimes is “respect authority”. Authority is generally granted to those in a trusted position and comes in many forms such as a teacher, coach, politician, priest and law enforcement.

Unfortunately, those given the responsibility of authority are human, and humans are flawed, and too often when put in a position of power and authority they abuse it or simply can’t’ handle it.

In the past 24 hours in the news, I’ve seen a teacher who fought a kid, a cop who lost his badge, a politician so full of himself he sent semi-clad pictures of himself to a woman not his wife, and a confession by clergy to stop abuse.

This brings me to my point:

Home invasion by three men dressed as cops: “The trio turned up at a house dressed as police officers and claiming to have a search warrant, all black clothing with bullet-proof vests, even pulled up to the home in a vehicle that had a red flashing light and a siren, police said. Once inside, they used plastic ties to handcuff the six occupants and locked them in a room in the basement, police said. The fake cops then ransacked the home in search of cash. Several hours later, when the bandits had fled, the victims managed to free themselves and set of a house alarm.”

It is important to respect the position of the title. Everyone deserves some respect until they don’t. But, to blindly trust the person behind the title/uniform/badge etc, can get you hurt.

To question authority is not to revolt, but to decide for yourself if they should be trusted. And if your home alarm is on all day while you are home as it should be, and someone knocks on the door for any reason, contact a supervisor to confirm the legitimacy of the visit.

Don’t just trust. Trust needs to be earned.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show.

Home Security Isn’t Conformity

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In a recent post I discussed an opportunity I had working with a TV journalist on home security. When we discussed “signage” as a layer of protection I recommended he install some in addition to the existing home alarm that he has. A “Beware of Dog” sign is a favorite of mine.

He responded by saying he lived on a cul-de-sac and it’s really nice and there isn’t a lot of traffic or crime there. He further said he’d be the only one in the neighborhood with the sign and it wouldn’t look right.

I responded by saying “That’s the point. You don’t want to conform. You want to stick out like a sore thumb and say “YOU DON’T WANT TO ROB ME BECAUSE IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT AND YOU WILL GET CAUGHT OR POSSIBLY HURT!”

A home alarm, signage, security cameras, a dog, spiky fencing, etc, are all deterrents. And, when the bad guys come down your cul-de-sac, and they will, and they see 10 houses that are all nice and manicured and one of them sticks out like that sore thumb and says “FORGET THE DOG, BEWARE OF OWNER”, then they choose your neighbor instead of you.

Unfortunately, there always has been, there is, and there always will be bad guys looking for another target. You don’t need to be that target if you put systems in place to deter the bad guy.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston.

Personal Security Signage Adds Layers Of Protection

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Recently I had the pleasure of working with a journalist in the Boston area who is also a family man. We did a story on home security and the different options consumers have to protect themselves. I see him on TV all the time reporting on issues of crime, violence and death. Unquestionably he is on the front lines of what’s happening in our world.

In the course of our interaction we discussed many different aspects of personal security, all stuff he knows better than most.  When doing a story like this the journalist asks questions so the answerers will benefit the audience, but like many others personal security isn’t his vocation so some questions he really wanted to know the answers to.

It always surprises me that some people don’t know what I know, even if they deal with blood guts on a daily basis.

Anyway at one point we were discussing “layers of protection” and the subject of “signage” came up. I’ve always believed the more layers you put in place the more secure you’ll be. Signage is one small deterrent that can make a big difference. A sign saying your home is alarmed is one layer. Another saying “Beware of Dog” defiantly puts doubt in the mind of a bad guy.

He asked me if that really is a deterrent and I used a simple example like a NO PARKING sign. If you see a no parking sign, you are much less likely to park there because you fear of a ticket. If a bad guy sees an alarm sign, he may fear getting caught or when a “Beware of Dog” sign is posted, he may fear getting bit.

Depending on the dog, getting bit by a dog is worse than getting arrested. It’s all about layers.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing self defense on Fox Boston.