Burglaries generally do not take place when residents are home. Still, most people have the fear of someone breaking in during the middle of the night which has happened in the last few months in Topeka. If this happens, police advise victims to dial 911. If the home is equipped with a security system, users are advised to hit the panic button. Both actions are good advice, but what happens when the phone line is dead?

Most homes have a service panel or box on the exterior through which the telephone company connects their service. That panel or box is accessible to anyone with a screwdriver. The burglars can loosen a couple of screws, remove a couple of wires and phone service is disconnected. The alarm central station might get a tamper signal but there's no way for them to call the user in order to verify what is happening. And you also will not be able to dial 911.

Burglars will spend no longer than 1 minute to break into a home. (National Crime Prevention Council)