Home Invasion Prevention and Best Home Security System Everyone's Input Appreciated (Brentwood: renting, crime)

[NadoChick]

i am a female
who has been living in LaLa Land..officially known as Coronado,CA.
for the past decade..
and i am returning to live in Green Hills next year..

i was born and raised in Nashville..living in the Belle Meade..Oak Hill..
and then Green Hills area..i have a house in Green Hills currently..
but have not lived in it for the past decade..except for all of the year 2006....

when i was home in 06..
i was shocked at the crime in the news and how much More of it Exists in my old stomping grounds..
from 99 to 06 it seemed crime really increased
in the areas i had once considered safe..
most likely some of it was my personal perspective and some of it fact..
nevertheless..
the safe feeling i used to have living in all three of these areas...
does not exist anymore for me..
and with the Economic situation
and Other Factors (which will remain nameless )..
i dont see it getting better any time soon...

i have always been heads up cautious when in East Nashville..
where both sets of grandparents are from..
but never felt unsafe in the three neighborhoods i have lived in..
unfortunately ..i do now

i am not accustomed to the higher level of crime..
especially since i have been living in a place
where i walk the streets Alone..at any hour of the night
and i really dont feel a need to lock my doors here..although i do..
i basically live in a Resort with low risk ..
less than 60 rapes in a decade
and also in the past decade..
only one murder i know of.. and the victim Knew the murderer..
Big Difference..
considering recently ..
if i am not mistaken..a female victim was shot
blocks away from my Green Hills home..
i am guessing this type of thing is not abnormal these days??

my home does not currently have a security system..
which i am now thinking ..
is very irresponsible of me not to have one..
the only time that particular house has been targeted by crime..
involved only stealing from the unlocked garage..
and my neighbors had credit cards stolen
from their vehicle that same day..
otherwise..nothing so far..Thank Goodness..
possessions can be replaced..
but lives cannot ..
nor is it easy to mentally and emotionally "Get Over" a Home Invasion ..
even more so if rape is involved..

Events in the 2008 news..have caused me concern..
specifically..
the rapist in Brentwood(apparently he broke in to Several homes on Otter Creek..a street i used to live on)
and the random home invasion and kidnapping.. in Belle Meade..
a neighborhood i used to live in..
these recent events cause me to think i Do need a security system in that house to Deter and prevent crime..

a couple of retirees live on my street
and at least one other neighbor works at home
so i also have some possibilities with that situation ..
neighbors At Home in the Day..
Cars in driveways all day,etc..
what use can i make of that situation?
As far as i know..
we do Not have a neighborhood watch on our Street..
nor do i know how to start one..
but we do all know each other and have known each other for years..
how can we better look out for each other in a conscious organized way?

i will be homeschooling for family members in my home when i return..
which also causes me to think as pro active as possible..
i am wondering..
what should be taught to children about the possibility of home invasion?
and at what age?
we teach them about the possibilities of fire ..tornadoes and floods
and what the plan is..how to react..
but..what about Home Invasion?

although i support everyone's rights..
i am not personally interested in owning a gun/guns
and doubt i ever will be..
so thats not an option i would consider..
but any Other ideas on how to prevent home invasion ..
i am all ears for!!

i would Especially like to know what other Nashvillians experience with Home Security companies has been...
The internet info i located advises trying to find a local company run by ethical people..
i would prefer to find one that has one year contracts..
and does Not Automatically Renew my contract ..
in case i decide to up and move to Disney World or something
i would also like to deal with a company that others have experienced as reliable and get the job done..
as well as having a Caring and Concerned customer service department..

Input Anyone?

[Kevin south of Nashville]

Teaching children about home invasion sounds ambitious. I’m not sure I know enough about it to jump into that… but as a new parent – I’d love to hear what you arrive at for your family.

Local alarm company that a trusted business associate of mine recommended early this year: National Certified Alarms (NCA) www.nca-alarms.com (615) 627-9617, Ray Lane. They have been good to work with and very reasonably priced.

[Wmsn4Life]

So many ellipses ...

OK, I think the answer is simple.

Stop obsessing on crime statistics. The rapist you referred to was caught and is in prison. It was a very rare instance. As far as home invasions, the ones that happen here usually involved drugs, so unless you tick off a dealer after you move here, you should be OK.

Don't freak your kids out by drilling them on what to do when the bad guys burst through the door. You're the adult, and it's your job to take responsibility for home safety issues. Just take common-sense precautions and don't open the door if you don't know the people. NEVER.

The areas you mention will be target areas for burglars because smart burglars will go where the stuff is worth stealing. But it's not an epidemic by any means. Keep using your "heads up" approach.
Of course you should get a security system. I recommend this one:
NCA $9.95 Monthly Monitoring (http://www.nca-alarms.com/about.html - broken link)

If you want to take on organizing a neighborhood watch group, contact your local police precinct. But you should talk to your neighbors first to find out what's really been happening in your neighborhood before you go in with (figurative) guns blazing. Chances are they'll tell you to settle down.

[Kevin south of Nashville]

Wmsn4Life - a few contributers here this morning seem to have you in rare form :-)

[Wmsn4Life]

Too much coffee, I think!!!

[NadoChick]

Originally Posted by Kevin south of Nashville

Teaching children about home invasion sounds ambitious. I’m not sure I know enough about it to jump into that… but as a new parent – I’d love to hear what you arrive at for your family.

Local alarm company that a trusted business associate of mine recommended early this year: National Certified Alarms (NCA) www.nca-alarms.com (615) 627-9617, Ray Lane. They have been good to work with and very reasonably priced.

Took a look at this link and i think that might fit the bill..
Cant tell you how much i appreciate this info ..
Thank you Very Much

[JMT]

Originally Posted by NadoChick

Took a look at this link and i think that might fit the bill..
Cant tell you how much i appreciate this info ..
Thank you Very Much

And that's a good way to end this thread. The rest of the questions posed by the OP should be posted in the Parenting forum, not the Nashville forum:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/parenting/