I'm terrified!

[shirleyb]

I can honestly say it has never occurred to me to call 911 when someone has knocked on my door, or maybe even sorta knocked at my door.

 

[2girlsmom]

We had a similiar experience the other day, OP, ended up being my neighbor offering some tomatoes and cucumbers from her garden, but I still can't figure out what possessed her to come after 9pm when the house was dark and knock on the door not ring the doorbell! In our case I was in my pj's so called for my dh to answer the door and he got concerned about the lateness and went to get his handgun before going out our walkout basement door to see who was there. When he saw it was the neighbor he put that hand behind his back, but we have had reports in our area too, of people knocking on doors then breaking in to rob, and he said he wasn't taking any chances.

 

[onelilspark]

I have a light that's on a timer near my one window. Because of the way my drapes are when the light goes on, you can't see inside, but you can tell there's a light on. Usually light on=someone's home. A very low-cost "security" measure (it's really just a trick. Be sneaky!)

 

[java]

Jess are you ok this morning? I missed this last night. I do hope it was just a telemarketer and nobody knocked.
I'm with you on the better safe than sorry.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have had lots of those 'don't leave a message' calls. They seem to be from telemarketers. You may want to get caller ID on your land line...that way you can tell.
I would also get motion detector lights for around your home. Get one over the garage, one by the front door and one out back if at all possible.
If you can get a lower peekhole installed, do it.
I always have certain lights on that come on automatically each day..usually late afternoon, and go off at preset times late at night....one around midnight, the other at 2amish. They do this every single day, whether or not I'm home. If I go away, I leave a radio on, with a timer, in a room that has drapes.
My dog also is a very good barker...it's the bark and not the actual dog that deters crime. Criminals hate loud noises, so they will leave rapidly if they hear a dog barking inside.

I hope you find some security with all your improvements. It's an awful thing to not feel safe in your own home. Try to not overreact though. Noises happen..you could have been a little spooked by the hangup, and thought you heard a knock on the door.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I do think you overreacted, but I don't blame you. I get nervous when I'm alone in the house really late (sometimes, my roommate and the dogs don't get home until 10 or 11 at night and I wait up for the dog since he sleeps with me.) I don't think I'd ever call 911 but I do notice every little noise. At least I'm not as bad as his ex-girlfriend who used to live here. She wouldn't stay alone in the house when he went out of town...even with 85 pound and 110 pound dogs here and we're not even in a bad area.
And to the PP who mentioned that you get telemarketing calls as late as 9:30, they're breaking the law when they call that late. They're supposed to stop at 9.

 

[lillygator]

I am confused. You called 911 and said "Help, someone just knocked on my door, I think"?

What did they SAY to that?

I understand being scared home alone-- I used to feel that way all the time when I was single and had my own place. But I would never have called 911 for that.

I am a bit curious to this as well...mayeb she explained about the phone call too?

 

[Tina]

I am recently single and live alone. While unexpected noises sometimes startle me, I certainly wouldn't call 911. Not even for a knock (or possible knock) at the door. If its too late, I just don't answer it. I suggest getting an alarm system, or at the very least, one of the yard signs alarm companies distribute to customers. I got my alarm installed about 6 months after moving into this place. I sleep better and am much less jumpy about noises and unexpected visitors.

 

[pixiewings71]

911 is there if someone feels scared or threatened, the OP lives in a new place by herself, it was late and she had a random unexplained phone call coupled with a sound that was close to a knock on the door. Whether or not the dogs barked she felt scared and threatened. I think you guys should cut her some slack here.

OP I hope you get your new security measures soon, the lower peep holes are great, we had one in our old door that I couldn't see out at all, heck my 6 foot tall DBF could hardly see thru it! LOL Check in soon, otherwise we will all be worried about you.

 

[Va-bear]

We have had neighbors (ones we didnt know at all...) ring our bell at 9pm collecting for charities...and other similar things.

I think the reason people are commenting on their surpise in your calling the police is that this, for many of us, would not be considered an emergency. Non-emergencies take up a lot of valuable time for officers (who, as others pointed out, will never criticize you for calling and by standard procedure, will often send two squad cars). If you live in a small town this may not be a big deal... but around here they wont even come out if your car was broken into (or, they wouldnt for me - said they were too busy and, really, that's ok. I'd rather they go after the 'big' crimes, not my broken into car).

I have dealt w/ night time fears for years - DH worked night shift for decades. One really good piece of advice a police officer friend gave me was "make some friends - phone friends you can call to calm you down, and a neighbor-man [as he put it] to come over and look around." That way you aren't taking away from police time, but can get reassurance. I also found coming up w/ a 'plan' very helpful (for me this meant sleeping w/ mace, a flashlight [to blind the intruder!], and sunglasses [to protect my eyes from the mace] by the bed and a great hiding place - a closet w/ locks and window I could use to escape from). Knowing you have a plan is very empowering.

Of course, like others, if you are that nervous do call, just most folks would need more unexplained circumstances to feel the need to call. You said you didnt ask for advice, but I think many were trying to help by pointing out that they might not consider this an emergency - but we still care. Hope you are feeling better today and tonight.

 

[luvmy3]

911 is there if someone feels scared or threatened, the OP lives in a new place by herself, it was late and she had a random unexplained phone call coupled with a sound that was close to a knock on the door. Whether or not the dogs barked she felt scared and threatened. I think you guys should cut her some slack here.

OP I hope you get your new security measures soon, the lower peep holes are great, we had one in our old door that I couldn't see out at all, heck my 6 foot tall DBF could hardly see thru it! LOL Check in soon, otherwise we will all be worried about you.

Thats not quite accurate. 911 is there for someone who is being threatened, not someone who just feels scared. I'm not going to give the OP heat about it but calling 911 because you get scared when you get a hang up on your answering machine and you thought somebody knocks on your door is an over-reaction.

 

[crazee4mickey]

I am slightly confused as I don't really know what was serious enough that it prompted a 911 call

I realize you live alone (as I have in the past as well) but just because you hear a bump in the night, I don't know if that really warrants using 911 to calm your worries.

I'm not trying to be mean or undermine your fears but you "thought" you heard a knock and were not sure if it really was a knock, and someone called and didn't say anything on your answering machine so you called 911.
In response the police sent over two cruisers! That seems a tad extreme for reporting a phone call where the person hung up instead of speaking to your answering machine and maybe "thinking" you heard a knock.

You agreed at the beginning of this thread with a previous poster in your second post that it may have been a wrong number and someone just hung up when they realized it was a wrong number----things happen like that all the time, at work or home, some people don't like talking to machines.

With all of the safety measures you are going to take are you sure living in a house is the best choice? Maybe an apartment complex where you know there are others close by would be better? A security system will hopefully give you peace of mind-----

Just seemed like a fairly extreme response to two incidents that could be absolutely nothing at all but coincidence--I just can't believe the police sent two cruisers to a "someone didn't talk on my answering machine" and "I thought I heard a knock?"

 

[flying_babyb]

im getting creap phone calls on my cell from some guy disusing his voice saing i love u with country music in he backround

 

[edandcolleen1995]

911 is there if someone feels scared or threatened, )

Hardly.. After 22 years of EMS, 911 it is not there for a knock on the door like the OP admits she might not even have had..

While those cops are coming to handle that, they are not there for real emergencies...

Almost as bad as pulling a fire alarm and no fire..

 

[Liberty Belle]

You called 911 because you thought you heard a knock at your door?

My friend did that once. The 911 operator said, "Uh, did you ask who it was?" My friend told her no, went over and asked and it ended up being a friend of hers.

 

[FayeW]

My first thought when I opened this thread was that you majorly overreacted...then I remembered being a young bride in a rural community. My husband was in the navy and was away on exercise. One night our dog woke me up barking, and frantically jumping at the bedroom window. I was terrified. I did call the police, although not 911. I just told them what happened and that I was alone and scared. The dog always slept with us and had never done it before. I felt silly, but they did come and look around, and promised to come back around in the night. It did make me feel better and I was able to sleep.

In the morning I when I went out and got in the car, I could see little footprints on the hood, so there was definitely something out there, just nothing I needed to be afraid of.

 

[Serena]

She freaked out and called 911. It's done already. Too many women do not call when they are scared and end up in very bad situations. They are afraid of exactly what is happening here. Tuesday morning quarterbacks are telling her what she should have done and how she should have felt and telling her she was a fool. That's not right.

OP, it is always better to be safe than sorry. I think your plan to enhance the security in your house is a very good one. Especially if you are going to be alone on a regular basis.

It is something you have to get used to. The noises that really never bother you in daylight with another adult with you, can really get to you when you're alone. I found having the tv on in another room, or the radio, anything to mask the noises that would otherwise bother me. I have dogs and I am grateful they bark at strange noises. I also have relatives that think nothing of walking into my home, so I try to keep my doors locked at all times.
You do whatever you need to do to feel safe and as you get used to it, it won't seem so scary.

 

[RitaZ.]

OP, high security locks and alarms are good, but one of the best things that you can do is to get to know your neighbors. My neighbors call me and I call them if there is anything odd or suspicious going on. Alarms can't make judgment calls. Good neighbors do.

 

[aprilgail2]

I can honestly say it has never occurred to me to call 911 when someone has knocked on my door, or maybe even sorta knocked at my door.

seriously! The cops would be very busy on halloween if everyone called for a knock on their door at 9pm.
OP-if you get so freaked so easily perhaps it would be better to get a room mate, this way you won't be alone in the house.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Maybe you could get a dog? A really big, really loud dog.


edited to add: oops, looks like someone said you do have dogs... don't they make you feel safer?