A veteran crime reporter has a message for homeowners that could save lives if a stranger comes knocking on your door.
Lori Fullbright, a crime reporter at News on 6 Tulsa, says she has 31 years of experience and has spoken with enough burglars to know what kind of homes they like to target.
"The vast majority of them tell me that they want to hit a house that's empty. They want to kick in your door when you're gone, take all your stuff and leave. And it's terrible. If you come home and all your stuff is gone, people go, 'Oh, it's a property crime.' It's not. It's very personal, but it's way worse if you kick in that door and there you are inside pretending you're not there," she said in a viral TikTok video that has amassed more than 1.5 million views.
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"Now you're face to face with the criminal. So the vast majority of these burglars tell me they like to hit Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Why? Because they think you're gone. And that's really what most of them want is for you to be gone. They want an empty house, but they're not sure you're gone. So what do they do? They knock. They listen. No footsteps, no voices, no TV, no radio. So what do you think? The house is empty and boom, they kick it," she explained.
Fullbright shared burglars like to use a technique called "a knock and a kick" but revealed one key tip about why you shouldn’t be quiet and pretend no one is home.
"The next time somebody knocks, don't get quiet, make noise, go talk through the door. 'Can I help you? I'm not interested. Move along.' They now know someone's inside. If you want, lie, for safety and say, 'Honey, get out of the shower. Somebody is at the door. Honey, stop loading the shotgun and feed the pit bulls.' I mean, whatever you want to say to let them know someone's in that house," she said.
The crime reporter added that you should make it seem like there are multiple people in the house.
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"Blast the TV, stomp around, bang your pots and pans together. But let them know somebody is in that house. Because the burglars that I interview say once they realize someone's inside, the vast majority of them, again, will go find another house. They'll go look for an empty house," Fullbright said.
"So I see so many cases, you guys, where it doesn't turn out well or someone hears someone knock, and you think, 'Oh, they'll just go away If I get quiet and hide' and bad things happen. And I see this a lot with kids. So I would definitely encourage you to teach your kids if someone knocks, don't get quiet, pretend they're not there, make a ruckus, because again, the vast majority of burglars won't come in if they know somebody's home."
