Would be thieves scoping out my apartment

[zymurgist70.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to give a heads up that my neighbor noticed my bulkhead was opened a few nights ago. Looks like either someone scoping out my place for weak points of entry or (hopefully) just some stupid kids screwing around.

My apartment is close to the Somerville Theater.

Sucks. I hate feeling like this.

Comments

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It's extremely unlikely that your house was being cased for a break-in. Odds are much better it was idiot children.

Criminals are generally idiots, and 99% of the break-ins around here that I read about seem to be crimes of opportunity instead of planning. Your best defense is to not panic, keep your locks tight, and your renter's insurance paid up.

[colorgarden.livejournal.com]

Or maybe it was even someone lookin gto duck into a space just to get out of the rain. (Let's hope.)

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I think if thieves see something they want, they will keep coming back until they get it. Several years ago, I noticed a small round hole in a window screen on my front porch. A few days later, there was another small, round hole on the other side of the same screen. A few days later, someone pushed in an air conditioner on the side of the house, ran to the front window, and stole a laptop that was visible through the window from the outside.

I’d make sure your curtains are drawn and nothing valuable is visible to passersby.

[zymurgist70.livejournal.com]

Curtains are drawn all the time. The house I live in gets a lot of foot traffic. Dunno if that's good (more people to witness and possibly thwart crime) or bad (more potential criminals checking out my place).

Thanks.

[divasue.livejournal.com]

Sorry to be naive. But what's a bulkhead?

Bulkhead

[zymurgist70.livejournal.com]

Must be a Boston/New England thing because quite a few people have asked. ;)

I've always called the slanted doors that lead from the outside of a house down a short set of stairs and into the basement "the bulkhead"

Fortunately my bulkhead doors lead to a deadbolted second door so they aren't getting in that way (at least not easily).

Re: Bulkhead

[divasue.livejournal.com]

Ah. Ok thanks! I'm from the midwest and I guess if I had to call it anything it would be a root cellar. Or more specifically "door to the root cellar."

Re: Bulkhead

[empressov.livejournal.com]

Ditto. It sounded like something on a ship to me.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

I lived on Dover right near Somerville Theater and my apartment and the one next to me were broken into this time of year 2 summers ago. I figured that since I was so close to the square and that there was so much car and foot traffic that there wouldn't be a much crime. The police told me that they like the locations close to the T. There was a rash of break ins at the time on Orchard, Dover etc, that area. They like to break in during the day when people are at work and many of them are junkies and just walk around until they find places to hit. I'd guess they tried to get in via the bulkhead but had no luck, perhaps you are safer because they already tried?