'Don't get quiet': Crime reporter Lori Fullbright reveals how to stay safe if burglars try to break in
TULSA, OKLAHOMA: Lori Fullbright, a crime reporter for News on 6 Tulsa, went viral online for making a TikTok video explaining ways to stay safe during a break-in while one is home alone. The journalist told her followers, “Don’t get quiet, make noise,” when a burglar tries to enter their house. She said individuals should make it seem like there are many members in their house despite being alone during a burglary.
Fullbright said many people have the instinct to stay quiet during a home break-in with hopes that the action would make a burglar go away. However, she said that the move would further convince the perpetrator that the property is empty and suitable for them to commit their crime. The reporter’s video titled ‘Why you shouldn't get quiet and pretend you're not home when someone knocks’ has garnered over 1.5 million views.
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‘They want to kick in your door when you're gone’
In her viral TikTok video about dealing with burglars during break-ins when home alone, Fullbright advised, “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.” The crime reporter said that she decided to make the video from her 31 years of experience interviewing hundreds of criminals.
She shared that burglars share a technique called ‘a knock and a kick’ which is to knock on the door and kick it before entering the house. Fullbright mentioned that the majority of the burglars told her that they like to organize their crimes Monday through Friday, between 9 am and 3.30 pm. “Why? 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 in the video.
The reporter said most burglars often move to an empty house if they hear about people being home. “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,” she said. Fullbright also explained the nature of crime related to burglary and said, “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. Now you're face to face with the criminal.”
Lori Fullbright urged parents to teach children how to deal with burglars
Fullbright went on to add that she came across several cases where remaining quiet during a home invasion often brings negative results for the victim. “Someone hears someone knock, and you think, 'Oh, they'll just go away if I get quiet and hide' and bad things happen,” she said. The reporter also urged parents to teach the technique of making noise during home break-ins to their children. She said, “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.”
In the wake of sharing the viral video, Fullbright posted another clip addressing viewers who asked her advice about coming face-to-face with a burglar. “The most important thing you can do is have a plan ahead of time,' she said, comparing it to other plans families may have for house fires and natural disasters, the journalist mentioned.