ENCINO, CALIFORNIA — Multiple intruders forced their way into the six-million-dollar mansion of Dorit Kemsley, a star of the “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” television reality show Wednesday night. Twenty minutes later they fled with an estimated one-million dollars’ worth of jewelry and other valuables.
Officers were called to the reported home invasion in the 17000 block of Adlon Road, according to officials. Kemsley told arriving officers that “two or three men” had smashed a rear window and came upstairs where she was in bed.
The suspects allegedly claimed to be armed and ordered her out of bed, forcing her to lead them to jewelry and other valuables throughout the house. Kemsley told officers that at least one of the intruders threatened her life.
Kemsley’s husband was out of country at the time, and her two children were asleep in the home during the invasion and robbery. There are security cameras in the area, but it was not readily known what, if anything, that they may have captured.
Neither the victim or her children were harmed, and she told officers that she did not see a vehicle. LAPD’s Robbery Homicide division, which deals with high-profile and celebrity-related cases, is now handling the investigation. Safety has been an ongoing concern for the cast of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” as so much of their wealth and where their valuables are kept have been broadcast on the popular franchise.
Co-star Kyle Richards, who came to the Kemsley home to offer her support following the incident was a victim of a robbery in her Encino home in 2017, as her home was burglarized while she and her husband were vacationing in Aspen, Colorado. The estimated value of stolen jewelry and accessories taken in that robbery was also one million, including a ring that once belonged to her mother and diamond earrings given to her by her husband on television.
That burglary was mentioned in the show’s reunion special, which was pre-taped and aired Wednesday, just hours before the Kemsley incident.
So, what can be learned from these high-profile incidents that can be applied to help protect virtually anyone’s family and home, regardless of their financial means?
Given the fact that she was totally unable to defend herself or her children, compliance may have been her best option; however, she had no guarantee that she and/or her children wouldn’t be harmed after she revealed the locations of the valuables to the intruders.
What about installing (and using) a security system that cost only a fraction of the home and its contents to alert the occupants and hopefully deter the criminals? Even an inexpensive door or motion alarm will provide some warning.
What about having a trained dog for the same reasons? Even a rescue dog can be trained to alert their master of unwanted visitors and often just their presence is enough of a deterrent to make bad guys rethink their plans.
How about having a readily accessible firearm, a decent flashlight, and at least some basic training of how to use both to defend yourself, your family, your home and personal property?
An active alarm may have kept them from entering the home. An alert dog may have made them flee the home. A firearm and flashlight in the hand of a trained occupant may have made them flee, or could have been used to keep them from harming any of the occupants.
Oh, and how about not flaunting your lifestyle and possessions for anyone in the world to see, including the location and floorplan of your home? It’s not only TV stars who do it…social media instantly gives the world full access to anyone that the user is naïve enough to share their life with.
