Seattle Police responded Sunday morning after a caller reported being robbed inside his newly purchased Madison Valley townhouse. The man told police that he interrupted two men kicking in his door around 6:30 AM. The man said one of the men pointed a gun at him as they robbed him of his wallet and cash before fleeing in a vehicle the man said he could hear leaving the scene but could not provide a description of.
UPDATE 10/11/2010 10:35 AM: We confirmed the basic details of the incident with SPD and have learned more about the break-in. According to the SPD, the two suspects attempted to pry the door of the house open before finally busting the door in to gain access. Once inside, the victim said that the men came upstairs to his bedroom, walked over to his bed and put a gun to his head, demanding money. The victim said he waited upstairs after they took his wallet and cash until he heard them leave in a car after about five minutes. END OF UPDATE.
The man told police the suspects were two black males in their 20s, one wearing a black jacket and blue jeans, the other in a grey jacket and blue jeans. The man called police about 15 minutes after the incident around 6:45 AM. Officers searched the area for the men but no immediate arrests were made.
According to King County property records, the townhouse was purchased at the end of August.
Get an enforced jamb plate for the deadbolt and use 3 inch security strength screws to connect it to the 2×4 behind the jamb. This will give you time to react to this type of break-in; if not keep them out completely.
Would we be able to do this through a hardware store visit or is this better left to a locksmith?
You will need a sharp 3/4″ chisel, a hammer, drill with drill bit to pre-drill the 3 inch long screws (always best to provide maximum strength), and the reinforced strike plate kit. These strike plates are included in any Schlage commercial B-series deadbolt that can be bought at Lowes for around $70.
There are after market reinforcement kits which get installed behind the finish plates and those that replace the finish plate but I prefer the hidden ones like these that include a blackout cup that goes between the finish deadbolt plate and this one and give a nice finish.
If you are going to do this I would say spend the money and get the better quality deadbolt than the common home deadbolts (Kwickset and the lower end Schlage) as you get a much beefier bolt with a longer throw (1 inch) and the frame that holds the bolt is much beefier. Deadbolt have 1 3/8″ and 1 3/4″ back sets so if you do upgrade, choose the right one for your door.
On the positive note you can try walking into many local locksmith shops and ask if they sell or will give you a reinforcing plate and screws. They often do not put them in as they add a 1/2 hour time to the install and they throw them into a big box of parts when they get back to the shop. If you don’t have any luck it looks like you can get them on Amazon for cheap ($2.60) and the picture shows the screws and security plate.
http://www.amazon.com/SCHLG-DBLT-STRK-STN-NKL/dp/B003R2P5WG/
Oh yeah, I offer this install for free to any Central District news member. You just need to pick up the parts. I have professional finish carpentry skills – it will look much better than the one i did in a hurry on my rear entry door :).