The front, back and bedroom doors were wide open.

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The Fannings had been away from their Kessler Park home only briefly. When they returned, it was a familiar scene at their home — a break-in, and missing television and computer, valued at more than $1,000.

“When we got back to the house, the bedroom door was open, the back door was open, and the front door was open,” says Joe Fanning, a retired long-haul truck driver.

The Fannings have lived at the home for 36 years, and burglars have broken into their house three times. It’s maddening and frustrating each time it happens.

“It makes me feel terrible,” Fanning says. “The suckers are too lazy to work, and they take advantage of people who have worked their whole lives. I feel real bad about it.”

“It’s very disgusting,” Lois Fanning says. “You feel like people just invade your home and take what they want.”

Joe Fanning isn’t sure how burglars entered the house without a key. He did not see signs the lock had been picked or that the door had been kicked or pried open.

Dallas Police Lt. Bill Humphrey with the Southwest Patrol Division says many similar crimes involve residents accidentally leaving a door or window unlocked, leaving easy entry points for crooks.

“If there’s no sign of force, then it is more plausible that a door was left unlocked,” he says. “Sometimes doors aren’t simply pulled to all the way. Make sure your door is really locked and secure.”

Humphrey recommends residents make sure all doors, windows, garage doors and their locks are secure and functioning properly. Residents should also make sure their homes are well lit, and report any suspicious people in their neighborhoods to police.