I took advantage of some holiday sales to buy some extra security cameras but seriously, door alarms are the best and most effective deal that I've found. At around $4 each, it seems like a no brainer to me.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TB52XCW
They are so easy to install with no hardware needed - I can install an alarm in about 2 minutes per door.
If you want to spend more, perhaps get something louder and perhaps also get window alarms that will detect vibration (glass breaking). But these work just fine, they are cheap and loud enough that I can hear the alarm all the way down the street. I like the chime setting when the door opens so I also know when the kids leave the house to play in the back yard or when my spouse gets home from work.
I don’t know specifically, but there’s an interesting new book on this topic that I recently read, and this is a constitutional rights topic. This is also an evolving area. Apparently people working for adopted people trying to find family have been using three databases for years, but LE has ruffled some feathers because people providing DNA aren’t getting informed consent that it could be used as a LE tool and is that an unconstitutional search and seizure? Some companies updated their terms of service, requiring users to specifically OPT IN for this LE purpose, but many won’t realize that and won’t do it, which is a big loss for LE. This topic almost came up in a court case for the first time but defense waived the argument so courts haven’t weighed in. Sorry I rambled but this is controversial right now
https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Witness-Genealogy-Solved-Double/dp/1524746274
Since the Moscow murders I have gotten a Ring camera. Also bought motion lights for my back and side yards. Before all of this I purchased window, gate and door sensors which I love because I can set it up so I get alerts at night if any of my doors or windows open or if someone opens my gate. It came in handy when my little neighbor girl opened my gate to pet my dogs and left it open. I came out before they escaped! So I haven't yet foiled a burgler but I did catch an 8 year old!
Here's a link to the sensors in case anyone is interested:
I bought the Master Lock Door Security Bar for my daughters' apartment and they love it. It's very strong and sturdy, more so than another door bar we tried. I wish I had know about these during their college years (in Gainesville FL no less), though fortunately they never needed it.
I dated a guy on the SWAT team for awhile, and he got me one of these
She has a recent book too! It’s really good but it was a bit difficult to get through because it is quite dark.
Well, night vision goggles definitely paint a different picture than, say, using a headlamp.
No word from LE as to the state of the lights in the house when the bodies were discovered (lights left on from night before?)
Or is there evidence that the killer never turned on any lights? If so, what he managed to do quickly in the dark is notable. It's hard to believe he would flip on the lights in the room, isn't it?
Night vision goggles are easy to buy on Amazon.
One of my theories is that the killer spent time fantasizing and planning this crime, and that he used the internet in various ways to accomplish it - which may be the trail that is his undoing, because if he did purchase special gloves online or anything else that could be part of a kill kit, that surely will be discovered by LE.
Of course, the basic stuff he needed would all have been available locally for cash (headlamp, gloves, beanie, ski mask, knife).
You know who would have access to this... a fucking CHEF!
Highly recommend door jammers - they're lightweight and compact so also perfect for travel. Have worked numerous times to stop ppl barging in on me
https://www.amazon.com/DoorJammer-DJ3-Portable-Security-Protection/dp/B07HM7X6TT
He might of wore butcher gloves to protect his own hands, if it was planned.
First, I am so sorry for what you have experienced. I'm a therapist, and while EMDR can be very helpful for some, no therapeutic modalities or inventions are "one size fits all."
At our agency, in addition to EMDR we find that Somatic Experiencing is extremely helpful for many clients with complex trauma. I'm not sure where you live or if there are any somatic therapists in your area, but it might be worth looking into. There's a great book called The Body Keeps the Score which explains a lot of the concepts behind it--all of Peter Levine's books are useful too.
We don't typically use DBT with clients suffering from PTSD--I've found it can work well for certain personality disorders. I do use ACT with clients (typically paired with somatic interventions) and it can be very helpful for some. This is a great ACT workbook but ideally you would work on it with a therapist and not alone.
I'm considering simple motion sensing flood lights. If this was a random attack/crime of opportunity (door unlocked being that opportunity), I feel like lights that clicked on as they walked by might scare them enough to push them off my property. I have a camera on my front door, but think I need one in the back as well.
Also there are simple alarms that go off when you open a door/window. Super low tech. Basically makes loud sounds if they get out of alignment with each other. That can't hurt. Neither could a sign saying that you've got security.... all these things add up to a perpetrator moving away from your property.
I've got a Blink camera up front, thinking today, on Cyber Monday, I might buy the same for the back...
Don't know if this is gonna work ok, but got these. Easy, cheap and irritatingly loud if someone forgets they're there.
If you live alone, with roomies, are in a sketchy area or have a defective door, I recommend this item. Great to carry along when staying in hotels.
I’m so sorry about your friend.
That said, I’ve read that this is relatively uncommon for dogs (source: a memoir by a pathologist). She said that even if dogs are starving, a good many of them will actually not consume a human. Cats, on the other hand, are different, it’s very common for them to — spoiler for those with sensitive stomachs — >!eat the eyes!< of their owners. The memoir in question — really gripping but also disturbing af.
Is there a window or windows where you can place dash cams? A dash cam(s) will need a power source, but you don't need wifi to use them. If you want to avoid drilling into walls or windows, you can use something like the camera holder in the link below. Sorry for the long URL, but I'm not on my laptop and I don't have the link thing. Also, I've found B & H Photo to be a reasonably priced source for camera stuff and their chat salespeople seem to know their stuff. They're based in New York, but they ship. URL is : https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
I used this to hang a camera in my window to see my front stairs: https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Bracket-Attach-Wherever-Without/dp/B07ZF6LMKH/ref=dp_prsubs_2?pd_rd_w=2o8ZK&content-id=amzn1.sym.ec3cee7c-6bd8-496a-8166-4fdb6d51cad1&pf_rd_p=ec3cee7c-6bd8-496a-8166-4fdb6d51cad1&pf_rd_r=D9XQJJW3M0C2QJWK...
I think I found it on Amazon. It even comes with a white base for the black “bulb” part like the one on the neighbs house. I had never heard of this brand but from what I can tell it looks like it uses the app “Tuya Smart” and rather than being like a ring this brand is more like a CCTV! So it constantly records but will send you alerts for motion, person, or sound outside your house. So it might be more of a case of how much storage space they have linked to the camera, but if it had recordings stored far back enough that it caught K & M getting home I would think there’s a good chance they’d have continuous footage of the rest of the night/morning!