| Author |
Message |
    
Rob Cole
Citizen
Username: Rbcole123
Post Number: 1
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 1:36 pm: | 
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Our house was robbed around July 8 when we were away on vacation. Has anyone else heard of SO robberies around that time. The police have basically closed the case with no clues and we lost many valuable items. This is very unsettling -- we moved here a year ago from NYC, where in 12 years we never once had a problem. Any thoughts on crime in South Orange? |
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1813
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 2:02 pm: |
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I had an attempted break in this Spring. The moron burglar(s) broke the window on my back door but couldnt get past the lock. If they had my alarm system would have sounded.
Do you have an alarm? If not get one.
What neighborhood are you in? |
RBC
Citizen
Username: Rbcole123
Post Number: 2
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 2:45 pm: |
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Live between Ridgewood and Wyoming -- very nice street. We are getting an alarm system now -- after thousands of dollars of stuff was taken. |
combustion
Citizen
Username: Spontaneous
Post Number: 371
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 3:29 pm: |
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Gee? Crime in beautiful South Orange? And to think people thought I was just paranoid and had no faith in human nature. Go figure. |
Josh Holtz
Citizen
Username: Jholtz
Post Number: 574
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 4:02 pm: |
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Welcome to Essex County. Unfortunately burglaries happen frequently in towns such as Maplewood, Montclair, Short Hills and South Orange. All of these towns, and others, have nice housing stock and pretty cars out front. Also, burglars have easy access from/to the shadier areas of the County. |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 1270
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
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Rob, I'm so sorry, it must be very distressing.
We have been in SO 11 years now, east of Ridgewood near Floods Hill, and as far as we know, no attempts have been made to steal from the house, though some bikes and tools were taken from the garage once a while back. Many people in the area (though not our immediate neighbors) do have alarm systems, especially valuable IMO if your neighbors are not close, whether physically or mentally.
I hope this will be your last "incident"!
MC
Does anyone know whether the SOPD will keep an eye out if informed that a house will be empty for a while?
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Kibbegirl
Citizen
Username: Kibbegirl
Post Number: 691
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
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I agree with Hoops - invest in an alarm system pronto and get to know your neighbors. Tell them when you will be away for a long period of time and give them phone info just in case of emergencies and you guys do the same for when they are away. It's like having a second pair of eyes and it's reassuring. |
Stevie
Citizen
Username: Rodman
Post Number: 40
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 5:29 pm: |
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Josh is right, we had burgalries both in Montclair and Bloomfield many years ago and invested in an alarm system. We put one in our South Orange house before we moved in three years ago. Well worth the investment. |
cmontyburns
Citizen
Username: Cmontyburns
Post Number: 1936
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 5:35 pm: |
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(For those wondering, there were 24,000 burglaries in New York City last year.)
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1165
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 5:53 pm: |
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B&H Security (908) 277-0070
Hi Rob,
I'm so sorry to hear the value of your loss!
We installed our hard-wired alarm years ago when the spouse began international travel and have been very happy with it. American Central installed it, but that was sold to B&H after the owner died suddenly. The guys were fantastic re: installation. Clean, and I could NOT tell where they had opened the ceilings and walls, the touch up was that good! We have hard-wired motion detectors, contact points at the doors, some sort of wire protecting the basement windows and hardwired smoke alarms as well as heat/cold detectors in the basement and garage since it's attached. We also have a back-up battery for power outages. The alarm is basically a recording of someone yelling either "Fire, fire, leave the house immediately" or "Burglary, burglary and then something else I can't remember (thankfully it hasn't gone off from an actual burglary!) Oh, and we don't have it alarmed for outside broadcasting, which I think does nothing but annoy the neighborhood when you accidently trip the alarm.
I think B&H is as good as American Central - their techs have always seemed very thorough when they've come to do a cleaning or service, or to take down the keypads and motions so we can paint, etc.
We've never had a false alarm or system malfunction and our central station monitoring company is very good. The fee for monitoring is about $27/month.
Anyway, regarding theft in general, I've never had trouble with our backyard shed, or our garage when it's been left open for a long period without us paying much attention, and we've never experienced a break-in or any car trouble on our property.
I think an alarm system is a good deterent - a burglar will just move on to an easier target. Good neighbors are as well, and maybe you could enlist some of your new neighbors to help your house look occupied next time you go away. (You don't have to give a key, they could simply park one of their cars in your driveway overnight and make sure mail doesn't collect in any obvious way, and just keep an eye on things in general.)
Again, I'm so sorry your family had such a negative experience shortly after moving to S.Orange! Here's wishing you many, many more positive experiences to help you put this behind you!
Oh, and welcome to MOL!  |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1166
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 5:56 pm: |
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PS, I'm pretty sure you can get a discount on your home-owners insurance for having an alarm. Worth checking what they might require to qualify before you install a system. |
Politicalmon
Citizen
Username: Politicalmon
Post Number: 231
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 12:26 pm: |
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We've been in SO for 12 years and live in Montrose 4 blocks from the Newark border. We inherited the alarm system from the pervious owners which is monitored by Supreme Security. Although our house has never been entered their has been activity in the neighborhood. A long time SO resident once told me that the burglars will notice whether you have an alarm system before they hit a home. He himself did not have an alarm but from the street you would have the impressions that he did. The decals are on the doors, the signs on the lawn and the actual metal box which enclosed the horn for the pseudo alarm is placed for all to see. He also has never had a problem but different from us, he doesn't have the monthly bills either.
Over the years there have been times that perps have walked onto the property and looked into the windows of the carriage house - our neighbors observed this activity and called the police. He as caught and when they canvassed the area they found items taken from other garages in the area that he had squirreled away for a later pickup. I've considered canceling my contract with Supreme and installing an IP based multiple video camera / hard disk recording system. They have come down in price over the years. I saw one at Costco for $499 including 4 cameras and the digital recording device. As technology advances this will definitely be in the cards for us, just have to determine a way to sync this system with a triggering device that would contact me when an intrusion occurs - the Costco system only records activity so it will document but not notify you when the intrusion occurs.
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Josh Holtz
Citizen
Username: Jholtz
Post Number: 578
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 12:44 pm: |
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We use B&H as well. Good people. |
DReese
Citizen
Username: Dreese
Post Number: 26
Registered: 6-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 1:14 pm: |
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hi,
just moved also and some neighbors have it and some don't. we have a sunroom out back which has glass doors which sort of makes me uneasy at times.
besides the company above, any other recommendations on alarm installation companies?
plus what kind of estimate cost is installation of a system?
thanks. |
Josh Holtz
Citizen
Username: Jholtz
Post Number: 579
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 3:19 pm: |
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DReese: Welcome to SO.
Your question might be better suited for the Home Fix It section but maybe I can help.
You can use smaller companies like B&H or larger ones like ADT and Sloman's. It really depends on the overall cost of installation plus monitoring. Installation cost will be based upon many factors, most importantly hard wiring vs motion sensors. Most people do a combination of both - such as hard wiring the front and back doors (and very accessible windows) and placing motion sensors in larger areas like hallways and entryways or multi-window rooms like your sunroom.
Ideally you would want a fully hard wired house but it can get to be very costly. Also, if you have a large dog who wanders the house a sensor system will be less effective. |
cmontyburns
Citizen
Username: Cmontyburns
Post Number: 1939
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 3:31 pm: |
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Slomins, ADT, Brinks, etc., will all generally install a system for "free" if you sign a contract with them for monthly monitoring. We have Slomins, and the installer did a rather stunning job.... I was very worried about disturbing the woodwork in our house.
Do keep in mind that even with an alarm system, you can still be robbed. The conventional wisdom is that a thief will abandon your house once the siren goes off, but that doesn't mean they won't do some damage and grab a few things on the way out.
For the best protection against burglars, I recommend a dog. |
SOrising
Citizen
Username: Sorising
Post Number: 617
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 8:28 pm: |
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Welcome to SO and MOL, Rob. Sorry to hear about your initiation by theft. I believe the police department will do a security inspection of your house and identify weak points, if you request one. However, they sometimes can be unresponsive and never provided a list to a neighborhood group who asked for a list of burglaries in the area during the last few years. People who have had the security walk-through have found it helpful, however. There seems to be a pattern about robberies which are more frequent during holidays.
Motion sensitive outside floodlights may help, timed lighting when you are away, neighbors who collect mail (or having the PO hold it) and newspapers, etc., and watch your house, can all help. Vigilance deters; things disappear from open garages here for those who don't watch theirs. A neighbor home during the day foiled an attempted burglary by calling the police when she saw an unknown character hanging around a neighbor's house. The police have said don't hesitate to call them if you see strangers lurking in your neighborhood, unknown parked vehicles, etc.
A high percentage of burglars enter houses through basement windows. Electronic alarm systems usually do get a discount on home owner's insurance.
Its disturbing the police have closed the case on your robbery if they have no suspects. I have no idea if obtaining the services of a private investigator could help you, but depending on the loss, I might think about it.
I hope your other experiences in South Orange are better than this one. Your neighbors may be quite helpful in giving histories and occurrences of other problems, as well as looking out for you. |
connied76
Citizen
Username: Connied76
Post Number: 61
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 9:34 pm: |
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I have wanted to look into this for a while and this might prompt me to get on the ball. With a reasonable monthly maint sounds doable. If I might ask, though, how much does it cost to set a good system up like the B&H security pdg describes above? |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5859
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 10:02 pm: |
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Another thought is to make sure to also alarm your second floor windows; especially if you keep them open when the weather is nice. There was a recent segment on Dateline, or Primetime that reported an increasing amount of homes are being entered through the second floor windows because people don't think of alarming them.
Many alarm companies have motion detectors that will not detect a pet, but will detect a human.
We've been burglarized three different times. The first about 25 years ago. My parents pulled the fake alarm trick. Put up window decals, lawn sign and even told all of us there was an alarm. The second time was about fifteen years ago. That's when I had an alarm installed. A few months after it was installed, someone climbed in one of the windows without a sensor. After that I had sensors put on every window in the house!
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1176
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 7:14 pm: |
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connied76 - I pulled our installation contract and back in Feb 1999, our hard-wired system cost $2,500. This included the following:
1 NAPCO 3200 Control panel
1 NAPCO Siren Driver
1 12 volt battery (backup)
1 RJ31X phone jack
1 620 panel
3 keypads
3 doors (contact points)
4 motion detectors (2 upstairs, 2 downstairs - non on 3rd floor)
6 smoke detectors
2 heat detectors
1 low temp detector
Since then we've added another keypad and one more smoke detector. This also doesn't seem to include the basement window we had wired. Your installation will depend on what you choose. For instance, we decided against window contacts for every window. The reason is that if a thief wants to get in a window, they could just break the glass and not disturb the contact and then the motion detector will be what catches them anyway. A small savings for practical purposes in our opinion.
It's a lot of money , but the cost of a system might have paid for itself in Rob's burglary. Like I said, our alarm screams at the intruder to leave because the police have been called. It is hard to concentrate when our alarm goes off and I imagine an already nervous burglar would have trouble focusing on a worthwhile grab of goodies before wanting to just run away. Maybe if every house in S.Orange had an alarm the burglars would risk it, but the stickers in the windows and seeing the keypad blinking "armed" from the front door is a good deterrent in my opinion. |
