SEAL Survival Guide (30 page)

Again, the typical petty burglar is there to steal whatever appears valuable and what is readily lying about in the open, such as electronics or a visible jewelry box. A majority of these types of burglaries are committed by addicts or by perpetrators under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This makes them very unpredictable; in addition, they will be dealing with their own “fight or flight” response. I don’t condone giving criminals a pass, but think about these factors:

• Do you have kids, a wife, a husband, a girlfriend, or a boyfriend in the house who could be in danger if this escalates?

• Even if you could beat the hell out of this guy, is it worth potentially getting injured or infected during a violent scuffle?

• Is your own or your family’s safety worth a few dollars?

DO NOT TURN THE BURGLAR INTO A CORNERED ANIMAL

You must attempt to
de-escalate the situation.
The best decision, in most cases, is to stand away from the most obvious exit pathway the burglar has, use your body language to indicate that you will offer them no resistance if they rightly choose to get out while they can, and then let them go. Once they exit, call the police but do not pursue the criminal on your own. For what happens when de-escalation is not possible, see “Robbery” (below), “Home Invasion” (
page 186
), and “Fighting” (
page 146
).

Robbery

In contrast, robberies are generally carried out by career criminals who have made stealing their profession, so to say. Robberies often occur at night and on weekends, when homes are more likely to be occupied. These invaders will have scouted out the target, assessing a house’s exits, types of windows, or other physical vulnerabilities. They will also target a house based on the resident who occupies the dwelling. Their
selection process may include targeting a woman living alone, a wealthy senior citizen, or an owner of a local store, for example. It is not unheard-of for a robber to follow you home based on the value of the car you are driving or the jewelry you are wearing. Some of these robbers could have been in your home before as a delivery person, installer, or repair technician. This class of criminal rarely works alone and relies on a measure of planning before they choose a target. They are also armed and willing to use their weapons to complete their crime.

YOUR RESPONSE: 911

If you hear an unfamiliar sound around your house, especially at your windows or doors, assume it is someone attempting a forced entry. Immediately call 911 and report, “Someone is breaking into my house. Send help.” If possible, call from a landline, because your address will instantly appear on the dispatcher’s display. Maintain the connection with the dispatcher until help arrives, even if you have to put the phone down.

Remember, 911 will
always
work
, even if you don’t have landline phone service (like many people who rely entirely on cell phones). Additionally, you may wish to have a cheaper, spare cell phone plugged
in and charged somewhere in your house as you may be unable to get to the phone you normally use.

If you are certain a break-in is in progress, you might not have time to wait for the police, or even have the chance to call for help. In any regard, now is the time to initiate the threat assessment:

• Am I alone, or do I have a wife, a husband, kids, a girlfriend, or a boyfriend in the home?

• Fight or flight: Should I simply leave the premises now through an exit in the opposition direction, or do I investigate?

• Do I have the ability to fight off one or more intruders? If there is one intruder, the answer might be yes. If there is a group of heavily armed men, for example, the answer will be no, or rather, not just yet.

If you are going to investigate, get something you can use as a weapon. (See “Improvised Weapons,”
page 301
.) When investigating your house, move from room to room, making as much noise as possible. Shout out that the police have been called and that authorities will arrive shortly. You should also warn the intruder that you are armed, instructing them to get out of the house now.

ENCOUNTERING THE INVADER

Regardless of whether the robbers entered through the front door by a ruse or gained access through a softer entry, such as a rear door, window, or garage, you must quickly make a threat assessment of the multiple variables present. Once you are face-to-face with your intruder, and you have determined that they will attempt to cause you harm rather than accepting the exit pathway you have provided for them, make sure your first blow is fast, without hesitation, and directed at the throat of the intruder. (For more on this, see “Fighting,”
page 146
.) However, if you see three, four, or five assailants entering, it could be better to hold back because striking out will get you killed. Being dead, obviously, makes you of no use to the rest of your family. But if the opportunity arises, remember violence of action. Hold nothing back. Time to
pull the trigger!

If during a home invasion you are overwhelmed and outnumbered, there are other techniques that will help you survive. If you are bound or corralled by weapons into submission, then in effect—even if you are in your own home—you have been kidnapped. I discuss survival methods for this situation in “Home Invasion” (
page 186
) and “Tiger Kidnapping” (
page 187
).