Would you call the police?

[Jean in Newcastle]

We are cat-sitting for our neighbors for 3 months while they are in China on business. This means that my kids go over twice a day to feed the cats, bring in the mail and clean the litter box. This morning they came running back to tell me that someone had been in the house. They knew this because someone had moved things in the kitchen and had used some cat nail clippers to cut through the cord to the toaster (don't ask me why:confused:). I told them to check all the doors and windows. They did and came to tell me that the back sliding glass door was unlocked which is not how it was yesterday. As far as they could tell nothing major was taken (t.v. and pcs were there etc.)

 

I notified the owners in China. They e-mailed back asking me to check their cars. I went over with dh tonight to do a more thorough inventory. Again - the back slider was open! (The kids assured me this morning that they had locked it.) Dh looked and saw that it had been forced. He found a way to lock it securely. I looked around and found nothing disturbed or taken that I could see. The cars were fine. I've e-mailed the owners about the forced door but haven't heard back.

 

My question - now that we know that the door was forced and that even if nothing had been taken, the place was surely cased, should we call the police? Should we ask the owner's permission to do so?

[Jen in PA]

I would definitely get their permission to contact the police ASAP. Your DC could encounter the intruder on one of their trips to take care of the cats!

[Tree House Academy]

I would wait to hear back from the owners and see what they want you to do. It may be that they know the person who came in seeing as how nothing had been taken. How creepy! I would, however, not send the kids over alone anymore. EEK!

[simka2]

Oh great now I'm scared for dd who is watching the neighbors dog :glare:! I would call, file a report, and ask them to increase nighttime patrols. You don't know what your kids could walk in to!!!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would wait to hear back from the owners and see what they want you to do. It may be that they know the person who came in seeing as how nothing had been taken. How creepy! I would, however, not send the kids over alone anymore. EEK!

 

They (and we) thought it was one of their friends who had come over to pick something up who had opened the door. That was before my dh saw that the door had been forced. One of their friends would not have forced the door.

[Mrs Mungo]

I would ask to contact police. The intruder obviously knows nobody is there, no telling what they might use the home for. I would not have my children going over there alone.

[Sophia]

I would definitely call the police.

My dc regularly take care of traveling neighbor's pets and plants, and the neighbors always tell us if we should be on the look out for visitors.

Besides, if they were expecting friends to stop by why would they ask you to check their cars?

And ditto on not letting your dc go over there alone again.

[Dobela]

I would call the police. Have them come by and ask them to do more frequent drive bys. There may be someone just casing out the place so they know what to steal when they come back.

[wendybird]

I would absolutely call the police. There are people who jump from home to home(frogging)as a game. The cut toaster cord makes me think this is no friendly acquaintance. I would not wait for permission either.

[pqr]

Let me get this straight. Someone has broken into your neighbours house?

 

Absolutely call the police, there really is no question on this one.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've e-mailed my neighbor asking permission to call the police.

[Crissy]

I would definitely get their permission to contact the police ASAP.

 

I would wait to hear back from the owners and see what they want you to do.

 

I would ask to contact police.

 

I've e-mailed my neighbor asking permission to call the police.

 

May I ask why you all would wait for permission to call the police? My son does similar house care for several of our neighbors when they are vacationing or away on business. If he encountered a situation like this we wouldn't hesitate to call the police. Is there a negative side to doing so that I haven't considered?

[Jean in Newcastle]

May I ask why you all would wait for permission to call the police? My son does similar house care for several of our neighbors when they are vacationing or away on business. If he encountered a situation like this we wouldn't hesitate to call the police. Is there a negative side to doing so that I haven't considered?

 

I guess I felt like it wouldn't be ok for me to invite the police on their property without their permission.

[Crissy]

I guess I felt like it wouldn't be ok for me to invite the police on their property without their permission.

 

Okay. I can see how that might be a concern.

Do you think you would react differently if your children weren't in a position of any sort of responsibility?

What if you knew a neighbor was out of town but you had no way to contact them. If you believed their house had been broken into would you call the police?

 

I hope this isn't feeling rude and pushy to you, Jean, because I certainly don't mean it that way.

The whole situation must feel terrible.

 

:grouphug: to all of you!

[Cindyg]

Another vote for --

 

1. Call the police.

2. You don't need permission to call the police. They aren't company.

3. Don't send the kids over there again before the police do a look-see.

[justasque]

I guess I felt like it wouldn't be ok for me to invite the police on their property without their permission.

 

I think, if it was me, I would have assumed that it was part of what I was being asked to do initially - water the plants, take in the mail, feed the pets, and "keep an eye out for things". Which I would take to mean call the police if someone broke in to the house. Did they leave you with the phone numbers of nearby (or at least in-country) relatives you could call in case of emergency (flood, fire, burglary)? You are in part protecting their house/things/pets, but you are also protecting your neighborhood. Potential criminal activity at one house isn't good for anyone in the area.

 

Usually, the police will ask you NOT to go in to investigate, if there may have been a break-in. It's a normal thing for people to call the police if they get home and see that someone has broken in; they will do a sweep of the house to make sure all is OK before the homeowners enter. You don't want to interrupt the burglars, if there are any still there.

 

(Of course, it could have been a family member borrowing something, though you'd think they'd have a key if that was the case.)

 

And please, please, don't let your dc over there alone until the mystery is cleared up.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Okay. I can see how that might be a concern.

Do you think you would react differently if your children weren't in a position of any sort of responsibility?

What if you knew a neighbor was out of town but you had no way to contact them. If you believed their house had been broken into would you call the police?

 

I hope this isn't feeling rude and pushy to you, Jean, because I certainly don't mean it that way.

The whole situation must feel terrible.

 

:grouphug: to all of you!

 

Well, this morning I was concerned, but since I knew that a couple of her friends had been to the house and there wasn't anything missing as far as I could see, I wasn't ready to call the police because it could be just someone forgetting to close the door (though the cord thing was weird). I contacted her then though because I felt like she should know.

 

This evening when we went over and it was clear that the door had been forced, it put it in a whole different category. Now it's pretty clear that it couldn't be one of their friends (unless she e-mails me back that the door had been forced in the past which I think is unlikely). But I had already contacted her so now I feel somehow that I need to wait for her instructions. But I am looking over at the house every few minutes checking to see if there is any movement in there.

 

I may go ahead and call the police because it is starting to drive me crazy!

[Pippen]

I agree with the others--this isn't a situation that needs permission. Call and don't let the kids go back to the house alone.

[Night Elf]

Let me get this straight. Someone has broken into your neighbours house?

 

Absolutely call the police, there really is no question on this one.

 

:iagree: I'm not sure why she needs the owner's permission based on the facts she's given to us. And what about the possibility that this (or these) thief is casing out other houses in the neighborhood? And what if it is the OPs home? I'd be phoning about any suspicious activity, not only for the safety of the neighbors where I see it happening, but for the safety of my own family!

[Joker]

I would be worried about something happening in that house and then forever second guessing myself. There was a situation in my own "nice" neighborhood a few weeks ago where someone wishes they had called police. I would not wait for permission from the owner if I thought someone had been in the home uninvited and would call police ASAP. I feel it is better to be safe than sorry!

[Tap]

Call the police. Make sure they fingerprint the doors or anywhere else that you know for certain they touched. If they say the door is too dirty, clean it and if they come back, insist it be done then.

 

If you or your dh are handy, install a light switch or two with a motion detector on it.

 

Another thought is that it could be a vagrant, just sleeping in the house or using it for bathing. I would strategically place items around the home to see if you can tell what part of the house they are visiting

[Jean in Newcastle]

Ok - I've called the police. They are sending out an officer. I'm to keep watch and go out when I see him.

[Skadi]

If I were on vacation, I absolutely would want you to ask permission before calling the police. The police must ask permission before entering a private home (unless they have a warrant), and "I'm babysitting their cats" doesn't really enumerate you the right to do that... And what if the owner has some information that you do not, e.g. a relative "needed" to get something from inside the house? The owners would probably want to contact their family members first before having the cops come out to investigate (it's highly inappropriate but not unheard of for brothers, uncles, etc. to do something like that -- and while the owners may give them an ear-full, they probably don't want to involve the police in that case).

 

Having the cops come into your house is a big deal. Especially when you're not there. All sorts of unintended consequences could happen, and not because the owners are knowingly breaking the law -- a really tragic situation comes to mind where parents had taken some photos of their kids swimming naked (completely innocent in nature) but the authorities saw it and they had to fight a battle with child services for the next year and a half because of it. Maybe this family feels comfortable consenting to a house search by the police, but then again, maybe they don't. I would feel totally violated if my neighbor found what you did and then invited the police in without my knowledge, so I think you did the right thing by contacting them first to make sure that calling the cops is the next step they want to take. It's their house and their call.

[sacgw]

I would definitely call the police, and let you neighbors know that you did so. As all the other people have stated, do not let your dc go over there alone. If it were me, I would only have my husband go over to feed. I also would ask the police what they think you should do about feeding the cat when someone has been there twice already.

[Crissy]

If I were on vacation, I absolutely would want you to ask permission before calling the police. The police must ask permission before entering a private home (unless they have a warrant), and "I'm babysitting their cats" doesn't really enumerate you the right to do that... And what if the owner has some information that you do not, e.g. a relative "needed" to get something from inside the house? The owners would probably want to contact their family members first before having the cops come out to investigate (it's highly inappropriate but not unheard of for brothers, uncles, etc. to do something like that -- and while the owners may give them an ear-full, they probably don't want to involve the police in that case).

 

Having the cops come into your house is a big deal. Especially when you're not there. All sorts of unintended consequences could happen, and not because the owners are knowingly breaking the law -- a really tragic situation comes to mind where parents had taken some photos of their kids swimming naked (completely innocent in nature) but the authorities saw it and they had to fight a battle with child services for the next year and a half because of it. Maybe this family feels comfortable consenting to a house search by the police, but then again, maybe they don't. I would feel totally violated if my neighbor found what you did and then invited the police in without my knowledge, so I think you did the right thing by contacting them first to make sure that calling the cops is the next step they want to take. It's their house and their call.

 

Interesting. Some of this never would have occured to me.

 

I'm curious what you would want a neighbor to do if they didn't have your contact information. If someone was breaking into your house but couldn't reach you for permission, would you prefer they didn't call the police?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

May I ask why you all would wait for permission to call the police? My son does similar house care for several of our neighbors when they are vacationing or away on business. If he encountered a situation like this we wouldn't hesitate to call the police. Is there a negative side to doing so that I haven't considered?

 

I would think that one of the things your neighbors are expecting is that you are keeping an eye on things other than just the cats. You have had two different indications that someone has been in the house without permission, has forced their way in AND has done damage.

 

It is time to call the police. Now, not when the neighbors have a chance to get back to you.

[Barb_]

They knew this because someone had moved things in the kitchen and had used some cat nail clippers to cut through the cord to the toaster (don't ask me why:confused:). ...As far as they could tell nothing major was taken (t.v. and pcs were there etc.)

 

Arson??

 

The whole thing is creeping me out.

 

Barb

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Years ago we had a break in. We'd only been in the house a few months. DH was at work and I was at school. My neighbor saw a couple teens jump the fence and go into our porch area. She called the police right away.

 

They still had time to break into a locked closet and steal some of the contents, before fleeing over the back fence when the police showed up. But that was all the had time for. Our computers, private papers, jewelry, etc. were not taken.

 

Our neighbor was the ultimate little old lady. But she was one of our favorite neighbors after this.

 

The very real possibility that much will be stolen from the house, in my mind, outweighs the possibility that police might stumble onto something they misinterpret.

[Miss Sherry]

Call the police. Make sure they fingerprint the doors or anywhere else that you know for certain they touched. If they say the door is too dirty, clean it and if they come back, insist it be done then.

 

If you or your dh are handy, install a light switch or two with a motion detector on it.

 

Another thought is that it could be a vagrant, just sleeping in the house or using it for bathing. I would strategically place items around the home to see if you can tell what part of the house they are visiting

You said to have the police fingerprint the door. Don't you think that cleaning the door, if the police would be taking fingerprints, could remove fingerprints. :001_huh:

[Tap]

You said to have the police fingerprint the door. Don't you think that cleaning the door, if the police would be taking fingerprints, could remove fingerprints. :001_huh:

 

Sorry, maybe this will make more sense. Ask them to fingerprint. If the police say it is too dirty to get fingerprints....(after asking the police's permission so you are not 'destroying evidence') clean the door. If the perpetrator comes back again and tries the door another night, there will now be a clean surface to get prints off of.

[Miss Sherry]

Sorry, maybe this will make more sense. Ask them to fingerprint. If the police say it is too dirty to get fingerprints....(after asking the police's permission so you are not 'destroying evidence') clean the door. If the perpetrator comes back again and tries the door another night, there will now be a clean surface to get prints off of.

Oh, I see, that makes sense. :001_smile:

[Jean in Newcastle]

The police officer thinks my 8 year old did it. He strongly requested that I wake up my 13 year old at 11 pm so that he could question him. I drew the line at waking up my 8 year old at that hour. He believed the 13 year old when he said that he knew nothing about it. He wants me to question my 8 year old tomorrow. The main reason he was stuck on it being the 8 year old is because the toaster oven cord was cut and that was the only damage to the house. He couldn't tell if the jimmied door was fresh or not (the lock still works). He does not want me to call him if she did do anything - he said that would be for us to deal with as parents if it was the case.

 

I did get him to write up a "suspicious circumstance" report but he did not want to write it as a burglary attempt and did not want to dust for prints etc. Because it was not my house and I did not have direct knowledge what might have been taken, I didn't have as much clout. He asked me to contact them by e-mail about certain details and told me that if they discovered things missing later that they could call it in and add to the report. He told me how to fill out a request for a "vacation check" on the house so that an officer would drive by and check the house once in a while.

[Barb_]

The police officer thinks my 8 year old did it. He strongly requested that I wake up my 13 year old at 11 pm so that he could question him. I drew the line at waking up my 8 year old at that hour. He believed the 13 year old when he said that he knew nothing about it. He wants me to question my 8 year old tomorrow. The main reason he was stuck on it being the 8 year old is because the toaster oven cord was cut and that was the only damage to the house.

 

Wow. Just...really? I suppose that would be the simplest explanation and that's what he's paid for, but I really didn't see that one coming.

 

Barb

[Mom0012]

If I were on vacation, I absolutely would want you to ask permission before calling the police. The police must ask permission before entering a private home (unless they have a warrant), and "I'm babysitting their cats" doesn't really enumerate you the right to do that... And what if the owner has some information that you do not, e.g. a relative "needed" to get something from inside the house? The owners would probably want to contact their family members first before having the cops come out to investigate (it's highly inappropriate but not unheard of for brothers, uncles, etc. to do something like that -- and while the owners may give them an ear-full, they probably don't want to involve the police in that case).

 

Having the cops come into your house is a big deal. Especially when you're not there. All sorts of unintended consequences could happen, and not because the owners are knowingly breaking the law -- a really tragic situation comes to mind where parents had taken some photos of their kids swimming naked (completely innocent in nature) but the authorities saw it and they had to fight a battle with child services for the next year and a half because of it. Maybe this family feels comfortable consenting to a house search by the police, but then again, maybe they don't. I would feel totally violated if my neighbor found what you did and then invited the police in without my knowledge, so I think you did the right thing by contacting them first to make sure that calling the cops is the next step they want to take. It's their house and their call.

 

:iagree: It would be one thing if you had no way to contact the neighbors, but since you've already e-mailed them and they haven't asked you to call the police, I wouldn't until they responded.

Edited September 30, 2010 by LisaTheresa

[JFSinIL]

I 'd post a large note on the INSIDE of the glass door that was forced open, facing out, in English and Spanish, noting that 'This house is now under surveillance by Neighborhood Watch and police have been notified that there has been a break in. I'd run away, fast, if I were you."

[Harriet Vane]

I would ask to contact police. The intruder obviously knows nobody is there, no telling what they might use the home for. I would not have my children going over there alone.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Trish]

I would absolutely call the police. There are people who jump from home to home(frogging)as a game. The cut toaster cord makes me think this is no friendly acquaintance. I would not wait for permission either.

 

WHAT would a cut toaster cord mean? I can't imagine the significance of that.

[Paige]

That's weird. My son just turned 9 and there's no way he'd have the skills or opportunity to break into anyone's house at night. Is there some other reason he's blaming your kids? I would be angry if I called the police and they started pointing fingers at my children with nothing more than a cut toaster cord. I'd still be concerned about letting my kids over there when you don't know who is going into the house. Have you checked the bedrooms? My thought is that it is neighborhood teens who need a spot to hook up and know your neighbors are gone.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I agree with the others--this isn't a situation that needs permission. Call and don't let the kids go back to the house alone.

 

See, everyone says to call police but I saw a man peering in a neighbor's windows last year and was going to call the police but then he came home. I ran over to tell him the man had even gone in the backyard! He said his alarm had gone off....he assumes it was police looking around and laughed at me when I said I was going to call the police! I said if people were looking in my windows I hope he would call the police. He looked at me crazy like :tongue_smilie:

 

so I get the opinion of NOT calling....some people wouldn't want that attention. AND it shows up on police reports for neighborhoods......if you google my address the police reports from the teen's next door make my street look bad.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would definitely get their permission to contact the police ASAP. Your DC could encounter the intruder on one of their trips to take care of the cats!

 

:iagree::grouphug:

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would be beyond livid. I can't believe that! We pay these people right????

 

:iagree::grouphug:

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Was the toaster plugged in? If an 8yo were going to 'play' with a toaster and cat nail clippers would that 8yo have the foresight to unplug the toaster? How many kids would unplug it, cut the cord and then plug it back in?

[AuntieM]

Haven't read all the replies, but I would definitely call the police and then I would go over and make it look like someone was home. Maybe park one of your cars in the driveway. Turn on different lights and a tv or radio when you go over to care for the pets. Do they have any electronics on timers that may need to be reset to new (unpredictable) schedules?

 

I would also not send my kids over alone, I'd be going with them.

 

Now when I go back and read all the posts I will probably see that the mystery has already been solved....

[PiCO]

I think you are handling this perfectly. Want to watch my house when I'm gone? ;)

[Brilliant]

... Have you checked the bedrooms? My thought is that it is neighborhood teens who need a spot to hook up and know your neighbors are gone.

 

This makes sense to me. Teens do stupid things - I can imagine a couple of teens using the house and then doing something like cut the toaster cord as a little "I was here" gesture.

[Gooblink]

FWIW, I can't imagine traveling to China, arranging for neighbors to care for my home, and not discussing a plan for emergencies. I think, under the circumstances, you did the right thing calling the police.

 

Also, it may not look like anything is missing, but someone could have come in and rifled through drawers, closets, etc., looking for small valuables and leaving little trace of their activity.

 

As for the toaster oven. What a wierd one! My first response when reading was that it sounds like something a younger kid might do, not to be malicious, but out of curiosity...maybe? He/she sees a pair of cat nail clippers, is curious about how they work, tries them on the nearest cutable item...oops! They work...better not tell anybody.... You know, maybe it's just my kids, but they've done stuff like that. :)

 

I hope all is well, sorry you have to go through that hassle.

[Pink Fairy]

Please update us if anything else happens. Such a weird situation.

 

Btw, do you think there's any chance that your 8yo did such a thing? Forced the door, cut the toaster cord, etc.? I'm guessing no, since I find it difficult to imagine that a typical 8yo girl could pull that off, let alone pull it off without giving herself away.

 

Hopefully there is an innocent explanation for everything. :grouphug: The idea of creepy intruders is so, um, creepy. :(

[justasque]

FWIW, I can't imagine traveling to China, arranging for neighbors to care for my home, and not discussing a plan for emergencies. I think, under the circumstances, you did the right thing calling the police.

 

I have to agree. These folks aren't just gone for the weekend, they're gone for THREE MONTHS! And they aren't just a few hours away, they're in CHINA! Ideally, they should have given you a list of in-country contact people (adult children, or parents, or siblings, or whatever), and if they had concerns about first responders on their property they should have discussed that up-front.

 

There are so many things that could come up - fire, pipe bursting, etc. - and not all of these can wait until emails can be exchanged. I was away once and the natural gas company had to go in to my home and replace/fix something-or-other, as one of the houses in my development had exploded due to a faulty whatever-it-was. Stuff comes up when you're away that long, and when lacking specific instructions, you've just got to do for their home what you would have done for yours, unless you know their wishes otherwise.

 

I assume it will all have a simple explanation in the end, but better safe than sorry.

 

(And yes, I could see a kid "testing" the cat clippers, so you might want to gently point out that no one would be in big trouble for admitting having done so. And I'd very clearly point out the danger in messing with electrical cords with metal objects, as a general "teachable moment" situation, regardless of who may or may not have done it.)

[Jean in Wisc]

Jean,

 

Is this a sliding glass patio door? We always cut a 1" dowel to size and place it in the track so that no one can break the latch and open the door (IOW the door cannot slide backwards because the dowel is in the way)--they'd have to break the glass to get in. We considered it part of the door lock and never left home without it in place.

 

It wouldn't cost much to get one if this is the type of door I am thinking it is.

 

Jean

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have talked to dd8 this morning. She insists that she did not cut the cord. She used the cat scissors once to open a bag of catfood because she could not find the regular scissors, but did not use it on the cord. She has not been 100% truthful in her life (have any of us?) but I believe her this time. As I told the police officer, if she had done it, she would have hidden the cord behind the toaster and not told anyone about the cut cord. She certainly would not have made it look like someone entered the sliding glass door.

 

I will be going to the house with the kids.

 

The owners are not mad but have told me that they trust my judgment 100%. They have also told me that they are very grateful for what I've done. They left me with their e-mail addresses (which I used) and the names and telephone numbers of a number of people who could help out with cat emergencies (vet, a back-up person if we had to go out of town etc). But the cat back-up people were not people that I felt that I could call about something like this.

 

The police officer was very nice but was, frankly, lazy. He was quite overweight (which surprised me, actually) and did not want to bend down to open the lock we put on the slider's track. I had to open it for him. He blamed my kids because my kids were there and were the ones to discover the problem. Even my 8 year old knows that no alarm would have been sounded if she hadn't been the one to tell us that things had been moved in the kitchen or even that the cord had been cut. It isn't obvious and it would not have been discovered for months if not for her observant eyes. He wanted to be satisfied that it was her, mainly so that he didn't have to open a burglary case and dust for fingerprints etc. At this point, I'm ok with him just opening a case for "suspicious circumstances." The main reason I called the police was to alert them to a possible problem and to get them to drive by the house on occasion. I also wanted the police presence to be noted in the neighborhood so that whoever did it is put on notice.

 

My personal opinion (which I told the officer) is that it was kids - teens in the neighborhood. We've had weird little things happen - remember the whackadoodle that pulled up my plants?, cars were broken into all down the street (coincidentally during the time that teens walk to the school bus) and all that was taken were sunglasses even though IPods were there etc. So the fact that the house wasn't trashed and there was a strange "calling card" left isn't totally out of the question.