Home Security · Emergency

Home security emergencies

If you come home to signs of forced entry, do not go inside. Leave, get to a safe distance, and call the police from there. If your alarm activates while you are home, get to a room with a lock and a phone and call the police yourself rather than assuming the monitoring center already has. Preserve the scene for the report and the claim.

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Do not verify a possible break-in yourself. Broken glass, a forced door, an open window you left closed — those are reasons to leave, not to look. The ASU research characterizes most burglars as driven by "the need — sometimes desperate — to get quick cash," and confrontation is the outcome nobody wants. Property is replaceable and insured.

Do not assume monitoring has dispatched. The center follows a call procedure, and in jurisdictions with verified response, police may not be dispatched on an unverified signal at all. Given that 94 to 98 percent of alarm activations are false, an unverified signal does not always get treated as an emergency. Call the police directly and tell them what you actually observed.

Once police clear the scene, document before you clean. Photograph the entry point, damage and disturbed areas widely and closely. Make a list of what is missing with model numbers and any receipts you can find. Get the police report number — most insurers require it — and open your claim promptly.

Then act on the repeat risk immediately. ASU's review reports previously targeted homes are "up to four times more likely to be burglarized" with any subsequent burglary "most likely to occur within six weeks." Repair and reinforce the entry point, change locks and codes, and add lighting in that window. This is the moment when hardening genuinely pays.

How to choose

Do not enter a home you think was broken into: Leave, distance yourself, and call police from a safe spot. Nothing inside is worth an encounter.
Call the police yourself: Do not assume the monitoring center dispatched. In verified-response jurisdictions, an unverified signal may not generate a dispatch at all.
Photograph before you clean up: Entry point, damage, disturbed rooms. Wide shots and close shots. The claim depends on it.
Get the police report number: Most insurers require it for a theft claim. Ask for it before the officers leave.
Harden within six weeks: Repeat risk is up to four times higher and concentrated in that window. Fix the entry point, change locks and codes, add light.

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FAQ

Home Security emergency — common questions

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My alarm went off. What should I do?

If you are outside, stay outside and call the police. If you are inside, get to a room you can secure, keep the phone with you, and call the police yourself rather than relying on the monitoring center's call sequence. Then disarm and reset only after the scene is confirmed safe.

Should I check the house myself?

No. Signs of forced entry mean leave and call from a safe distance. Confrontation with someone who broke in for quick cash is the one outcome the whole system exists to avoid.

What do I need for a burglary insurance claim?

A police report number, photographs of the entry point and damage, and an itemized list of missing property with model numbers and receipts where possible. A pre-existing photo inventory makes all of this dramatically easier.

Am I at risk of being burgled again?

Yes, and disproportionately so. ASU's review of burglary research finds previously targeted homes are up to four times more likely to be burglarized, with any subsequent burglary most likely within six weeks. Reinforce the entry point and change locks and codes immediately.

Sources

Where these figures come from

ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing — Burglary of Single-Family Houses · retrieved 2026-07-26
ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing — False Burglar Alarms · retrieved 2026-07-26