According to the FBI, a burglary happens in the United States every 15 seconds. If you’ve been a victim of burglary, you’re not alone.
Imagine opening a business. Let’s say that business was a barber shop. You find a small location in a nice neighborhood. The shop had been a barber shop for over thirty years. You fix up the place putting in new floors, sinks and dry wall. To finish the makeover you hang some art work and sports photos, put in a nice big screen TV and lastly for all to see you hang a recently acquired barbers license.
The sign on the door flips from closed to open. The first week is kind of slow, just friends and family, but soon picks up from walk ins and word of mouth. Business is steadily increasing. Your baby is off the ground and doing as good as one could expect. This sounds great right?
Now imagine a month goes by and everything is on the up and up. One morning, pulling up to work, you notice your back door ajar. Upon further inspection you see the door had been kicked in and your stuff is missing. Stolen…
That’s exactly what had happen to a Lincoln barber only a few months ago. He was burglarized in the middle of the night and had no idea who could have done it.
They left all his clippers and hair cutting supplies, which he thought was strange because he had nice equipment. “Thank God.” He said. “They must have known about my TV and that’s all they wanted. They stole his big screen TV, some DVD’s and a video game system.
After notifying the police and fixing his door he was still worried someone was going to break in and steal from him. He took out anything that was worth any money.
“I just want to get my things back.” He said. “I didn’t expect to have this problem. I hope the police catch whoever did this. I don’t know what kind of punishment this person should receive as long as he leans not to steal. I want whoever stole my stuff to know how hard I work for everything I have.”
Getting back to work was harder then he thought. He had to take a day off to talk with the police go get supplies to fix the door. “I was mad at everything.” He said. “I was thinking someone whose hair I cut could have done it. Everyone was a suspect.”
The worry he felt, after the crime, subsided as the weeks went by. He still doesn’t leave any items worth money in his shop overnight. He did replace the TV with a heavier, cheaper one. The new bolts on the door help ease his mine a little.
After becoming a burglary victim, he became hyper-aware of each point of vulnerability to his business. He checks each door and window lock all the time, especially right before opening or closing.
So, if you never been robbed or burglarized, imagine this happened to you. You’re probably feeling fear, frustration, anger, and especially helplessness.
Remember, you’re not alone.