Wednesday, May 6, 2009

I got GOT!!



The thought never crossed my mind that I would come back from my relaxing Easter vacation and my apartment would be unlocked and completely ransacked. But, yes, I got GOT.

The door was unlocked (I'm super OCD about locking it, so that can be discounted as a root cause) and my lights were on, but it didn't even register at first. Then I saw my brand new flat screen was gone...panic starts...my bedroom drawers are open and things are thrown all over my bed...panic, tears, fear.

After a couple of terrific friends rushed over, I calmed down a bit to notice that my Wii and all of my sentimental jewelry was gone. Unbelievable. The cops didn't seem to care much, and since it was unforced entry they kept asking if someone had my key or was mad at me. Uh...no. No fingerprinting was done...no investigation until I had an HPD friend set me up with an investigator who has yet to do anything. Who was this that completely violated my personal sanctuary and where did they take my jewelry?

Unfortunately I don't think I will ever know who they were or how I could possibly get my class ring and other keepsakes back....but I'll always wonder. All I can say is thank goodness for Renters Insurance. The crazy thing is that I have not had it in over a year because I never thought I would need it, and JUST got it two weeks before the break-in. So at least I am getting reimbursed for my losses. If you are a renter, get it. Don't question it....it's only about $100 a year, you'll probably get a discount on your car insurance, and you won't have to worry about replacing your things if something unfortunate does happen to you.

I wanted to share my learnings with everyone so that you can be better prepared than I was.

  • GET RENTER'S INSURANCE!!
  • Document the serial number of all of your electronics and keep inventory, pictures, booklets, etc....in a safe place.
  • Hide your jewelry
  • If you can, set up an intrusion alarm. Even if it's not monitored, it could still deter burglars
  • Make friends with your neighbors
  • Don't live somewhere with closed hallways, check the surveillance camera situation
  • Ask about the break-in history before moving into a complex

Turns out that there were multiple break-ins in my area that were identical to mine and some suspects were caught, but the wonderful HPD has not kept me informed on if they were tied to my case or not.

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