My saturday project

[40plyrod]

Sorry guys just need to vent, it was not a good day today. I was hoping to have worked on my 40 today and update my thread but I was given a different job to do today by some a-holes that wanted the stuff out of my shop more than me. I know that bars on the windows and changing the locks after the thieves have already robbed you is like closing the barn doors after the cows have gotten out but it makes me feel better...not as good as if they were hanging by their grapes from the backhoe in the back forty..but better. thanks for letting me vent

[Todd B]

I just had a discussion with a customer of how much money is spent to keep the crooked people out.  I was brought up old school and my dad and teachers would have beat me until I stopped.  Today the world protects those little dicks so they are given a green light to keep stealing.    I work to hard for what I have and I get very upset when this happens. 

[mrwrstory]

Damn!!!!!!!!!!!     Sorry to hear that.  That happened to another friend recently also.  That's crappy and there is no one you can grab by the throat.  Totally frustrating.  Maybe time to get a really big mean dog.  Hope they catch the low lifes.  Language edited by request   Now I'm going to wash my mouth out with Lifeboy   

I gotta do something.  Been thinkin about the guys drivin by when I'm workin in the garage open to the street.

Edited April 28, 2014 by mrwrstory

[Dodgeb4ya]

I had a similar experience years ago also. I'd kill the bastards if I caught them stealing personal belongings. Of course the authorities cannot and will not do too much to catch these losers. There are more and more of them every day stealing as they know they will probably not get caught or do much time.

I have tall fences, alarms and cameras beacuse of it. I hate the fact that it is a absolute necessity these days.

I am sorry to hear of this happening to you. Violation of your space and property is something you never forget about.

Bob

[pflaming]

40, now that really hurts. Losing something to a thief to me is personal. I lost a bit by fire, but fire, while devastating is not personal. Very sobering to know a fellow forum member is hurting. Take care because we care!

 

Paul 

[40plyrod]

They didn't take that much really only what they could carry easily. They got my plasma cutter, auto darkening welding helmet and my dirt bike helmet and it looks like the were lining up to steal my dirt bike and portable compressor. They also broke into where I keep my hotrods and tried to steal gas out of one of them with a 8' chunk of my garden hose. I think they may have underestimated how much air it takes to pull gas through a 3/4" garden hose that long. Losing the stuff isn't as bad as knowing somebody uninvited was crawling around in your stuff or the worry that they now know what you have and are planning to come back. That's why I upgraded all the locks and put bars on the windows, it won't keep someone who is really determined out but I refuse to make it easy for them. Police only took my statement over the phone and said they didn't have much faith that they would find my stuff or be able to catch the crooks, which is disappointing. Next step is dealing with insurance and I'm not holding my breath there either. Live and learn there are still good people in the world.

[Bobacuda]

Might want to set up a game camera or two.  They are inexpensive, work on motion and would provide you with photos of the A-Holes (if they return) to give the cops.  Of course, you might have to armor them to keep the turds from taking them, too.

[mrwrstory]

. Live and learn there are still good people in the world.

And a lot more of them.  For every experience like yours, there are more "good" ones.  I've tried to loose my wallet many times and it keeps coming back.  

[Plymouthy Adams]

it is such a shame the law enforcement takes such a n"oh well" attitude at petty theft.. but say they hit 4 people a night..now that volume is up to major crime levels...it is so much easier to write a traffic ticket it seems...they have you hostage there..pay or lose the license...so its guaranteed income with minimum effort..

[pflaming]

My new building will be 3' off the alley, grandfather clause in my favor. I'm going to put a sliding chain link gate across that end as a double feature: (1) alley rats cannot see into my garage when I have the door open and (2) they have to attack the gate before thy can get to the alley garage ( 12 x 10 ) door.  New building scheduled for 2nd week of May. 

[Young Ed]

This is why its important to have serial numbers written down. I have the serials for all 4 pieces of my toolbox written down plus a photo of the contents of each drawer. Doesn't stop the thieves but might help recover the stuff if they try to pawn it.
 

[ggdad1951]

I was robbed right after college, they caught the guy in the act and his driver thanks to a neighbor I had never met.  BUT of course the driver got off with nothing as he was "unaware" his buddy was robbing a place....  

 

Meanwhile he dropped my 29" TV and ran for it...with a police German shepherd on his heels (too bad it never got to bite him).  He tried to climb down the Mississippi river bank only to find out it turns into a 40 foot cliff and had to be rescued by the cops.  He was caught with my HS class ring on him (which my ex-wife ended up stealing in the divorce) and some of my credit cards.  He was convicted for his 8th B&E and robbery for that...he had been out for only 1 month from his last stint and for my robbery was only in for 6 months....sometimes a bullet is WAY cheaper when you know they are incorrigible.  Our penal system is a joke.

 

My next place (I'm hoping to get into some land here soon) will have bars on the shed windows and some mighty fine locks on them as well.  I don't know if I want to have to deal with owning a dog.  But I hear they are the BEST deterrent!

Edited April 29, 2014 by ggdad1951

[pflaming]

In open territory geese are better than dogs. Can't shoot half a dozen ganders and not wake someone, and most would rather be bit by a dog than pinched multilple time by geese. 

 

What we need patroling the alleys at night are drones with cameras, programmed to constantly fly over the alleys with the cameras on. Don't have to feed a drone nor provide retirement, nor medical care, etc. 1st drone finds the problem the 2nd drone comes in shooting.

 

JMHO

[RobertKB]

Sorry to hear of this and I agree the people who do this are losers. I know it is a violation of you and your property but things can be replaced. Keep it in perspective, however, as there are worse things that can happen to you in this world.

[Bobacuda]

This reminds me of a conversation my step-father (a Texas-German rancher) had with my extremely liberal grandmother (Mom's side) after her house in San Antonio (old part of town) had been broken into and her TV (color TV's were new technology and expensive) stolen for the 4th time in the '60's.   Grandma had seen the burglars in her house 3 times.  When he brought my grandmother a new TV, he also brought a single shot, shotgun with buckshot and went over the basics of how to use it.  The conversation went something like this,

 

     "Lenore, this thing is loaded.  Pull back the hammer, point it at the person that breaks in your house and pull the trigger.  The gun will do the rest, and there will be a mess. This is

      how you reload.  Make sure he can't get up and go after anyone with him still in the house."

 

     "You're telling me to shoot them?  Do you really think that some young man's life is worth a TV set?"

 

     "I don't know what his life is worth... but apparently whoever is breakining in your house thinks that's what their life is worth."

 

She wouldn't take the shotgun, lost her new TV about a month later and my folks told her that they would not replace it.  My mom was afraid that the burglars would just kept coming back for TV sets and eventually hurt my Grandmother.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Bobacuda

[40plyrod]

It's a lesson learned, I found out that I wasn't as protected as I thought. I live about 300' from the house I grew up in. I've lived here all my life (I'll be 40 at the end of May) My family has farmed here since 1904 and my neighbors haven't changed as far back as I can remember, you get it in your mind that it's the same as it was in the 1950's your dad tells you about where you could leave your keys in your truck with your power saw in the back and they would still be there in the morning. Times have changed a little, and I was taught that but I'm not going to let it jade me. I'm just going to take better precautions with upgrades to locks and writing down serial numbers and engraving some of the other tools and hopefully I'll never need to think of it again.  

[RobertKB]

It's a lesson learned, I found out that I wasn't as protected as I thought. I live about 300' from the house I grew up in. I've lived here all my life (I'll be 40 at the end of May) My family has farmed here since 1904 and my neighbors haven't changed as far back as I can remember, you get it in your mind that it's the same as it was in the 1950's your dad tells you about where you could leave your keys in your truck with your power saw in the back and they would still be there in the morning. Times have changed a little, and I was taught that but I'm not going to let it jade me. I'm just going to take better precautions with upgrades to locks and writing down serial numbers and engraving some of the other tools and hopefully I'll never need to think of it again.  

 

Yes, times have unfortunately changed but as they say "change is the one constant in life". You are taking the right approach and dealing with the theft appropriately. You are absolutely right to say you will not let it jade you. If you let it jade you, then the baddies have not only taken your tools but some of you as well. Happy 40th birthday at the end of May and have a blast. I was 40 once.....................a quarter century ago.

Edited May 1, 2014 by RobertKB

[48Dodger]

Sorry that happened to you 40plyrod.....

 

Most of you know my story...in 85'  when I was 21 I had bought my dream stereo for my truck. It was stolen, and the idiots left the screw driver they used behind. 29 years later my son asks why I still have it....I said "Cuz I'm gonna stab those bastards when I find them!"

 

He refers to it not as a screwdriver...but the "shank"

 

48D     

[Lumpy]

I had an antique motorcycle stolen from me many years ago. I've had two failed attempts on other ones that I've had over the years. This last year I just built another one (one more before I croak!)(a 1937) and to say I'm a bit paranoid would be correct. I put a baby-monitor in my garage, which I turn on at night. Also hooking up some motion detectors which will turn on a radio in the bedroom, in case I sleep through any noise coming from the monitor. Radio goes on...battle stations! 

 

Not sure of what to do when I'm not home. Plan to get some cameras that I can access through any computer, such as when I'm at work. They are not too expensive, but I know so little about electronics and computer stuff that I'm having trouble figuring out which unit/set-up to get.

 

Cameras are not a bad idea, but it's after the fact, and probably won't get your stuff back. One idea I like, and would like to have, is a system that floods the garage (or house) with CS gas when a door or window is breached. However, I believe those systems are expensive.

 

As attractive that it seems to eliminate these people from the gene pool, you don't want to wind up in prison for protecting your stuff. However, you can put someone on the ground, and sure make them THINK you are going to shoot them. Act crazy, very crazy. If you do have to shoot, make very sure it's a frontal shot, otherwise things may not go well in court. Forensics are very good these days, and the person really needs to be coming at you if you fire.

 

Just some thoughts.

 

ken

Edited April 30, 2014 by Lumpy

[ggdad1951]

Thats thing the criminal has more rights than you. You cannot booby trap anything. ... you are liable for any personal injury to the criminal. ...odd isn't it?

[Lumpy]

It's odd but true...so we just need to have more smarts. And close the barn doors before they get in.

 

k.

[Lumpy]

Thanks to this thread, rigged up some baby-monitors yesterday, one next to the bed, close to my head, and one in the garage. The cool thing is that you don't get any static if there's no noise over a certain level...also has a setting where if it hears a noise over whatever "sensitivity level" you set it on, it gives a tone. That's good because some slight noise might not wake me up...but a beep will for sure.

 

So, I feel a little better, but of course not much help when I'm not home.

 

k.

[Niel Hoback]

   That's something at least.  My neighbor has a good alarm also, the prettiest German shepherd I've seen with a bark that will shake the trees. It works whether anyone is at home or not.

[Lumpy]

That works until you throw the dog a nice big round steak. Last night it rained pretty hard, and the pitter-patter of the rain came through the monitor...didn't bother me, but the wife claimed she couldn't sleep and made me turn it off. !!! So now what...I'm safe at night unless it rains? do'h!

 

I still like the idea of a motion detector rigged up to big can of CS gas.

 

k.

Edited May 9, 2014 by Lumpy

[Grdpa's 50 Dodge]

sorry I am so slow.  What is CS gas?? Type slow for us old slower thinkin guys.