Another brush with crime......

[Olddaddy]

A couple of years ago one of the local drug addicts broke into the house and stole everything of value he could lay his hands on. This time they got into my shop. We came home Friday night from taking our daughter to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party at Disney and found the back doors of my barn torn open. They didn't get much, but made a real mess inside. The really SCARY part is they must have been in the barn when we drove up the driveway! I believe this because they only managed to steal my chainsaw, and about forty gallons of gas. I think they were out in the woods behind the barn loading the gas up when we drove up, before they could load the tools piled near the door. I also believe it was done by the guy who has been picking up my scrap metal! I believe this because no one who has been in that shop could tell where my chainsaw was "hidden", but he saw it on his last visit and commented on how nice it was......and it was not something you could walk in and find othewise. So, spent the day repairing and strengthening the back doors, and hoping it won't happen again. If our property ever sells I will move out of Florida for good, not sure where, but somewhere else, maybe Idaho or Montana or Washington.

[Guest rockabillybassman]

Oh man, that is bad news.

[billwillard]

I think any one cought selling drugs should be charged with treason. The people who use drugs are tearing this country down a little more each day. If you stand by and think it will not efect you you had better think agin. Do not let me see it because I do not care who you are you belong in jail.

Just my 3 cents worth

Bill

[oldmopar]

I have motion sensor on my out side lights so if anyone comes up to my garage lights go on. Now if you have the type thief that steals during day lights won't help but a shot gun with a trip wire may.

[Norm's Coupe]

Sorry to hear about your break in. Oldmopar has the same thing I do around my house and garage, motion sensor lights. Mine aren't just lights, but nice bright spot lights that come on if anyone crosses in the path of a sensor. Plus, if we leave the house and think we won't make it home before dark, we turn on the front porch light and a spot light in the back to light the back of the house and the garage before we leave. Even when home the front porch light and the spot light in the rear of the house is turned on at dusk and not turned off until the next morning. Again, those are in addition to the spot lights hooked up to motion sensors. If I was to turn on all the spot lights in the back of the house at once, it's just like daylight out there on a sunny day.

Our neighborhood doesn't have much crime to speak of. The few times it does the criminals are usually caught within a coupe of days at most. That's because the whole neighborhood is watching each others house for them. If someone breaks into a garage or something, 99% of the time someone saw that person and either took pictures and/or got a good description of the people and their vehicle. Even if some door to door salesman is going around the neighborhood, it's posted in an email to all members of the Block Watch group and that salesperson can count on getting stopped along the way by a cop, because it's also called into the the police department right away. Last summer we had some strange kid walking through peoples back yards. Within about 10 minutes the police had him in custody because everyone kept track of his whereabouts and told them just where to look. It turned out that he was visiting someone in the neighborhood for the summer and simply got lost looking for their house. However, it shows how well our group works and how fast.

The point I was trying to make with the above is, it does no good to move. Crime is everywhere. You can move to the smallest town or into the best neighborhoods and it's always going to be there. You should not have to move simply because of it. People should stand their ground and fight it with good organized Block Watch organizations. Do that and the crime rate will drop in just a few short weeks or months. To set up a group simply call your local police department. They will help you and give you the necessary items to start it with. They will even assign a police officer to work with your group on a full time basis. That particular officer is not there to patrol your area all the time. They are there to help organize and keep the group going.

Don't let a few bad apple's chase you away from your home that you love. You chase them out and keep them out. That's the only way to get rid of crime, not run from it, because it will follow you then.

[Tony_Urwin]

One of my sidelines is installing surveillance systems. Not cheap, but very effective for deterrence and apprehension.

Only problem, some criminals are just too dumb to notice the cameras!

[James_Douglas]

Charlie,

That is too bad. I worry a lot about someone getting into my garage here in San Fancisco. Being how small it is, ask Don, I work with the door open to the street and everyone going by knows I work on old cars and can look in and see the tools.

I have an alarm on it, but that does not mean anyone will hear it if we are not around.

A well trained dog with a fenced run that goes between the house and the shop would be nice. That is one with a doog door on both ends? I have a friend in the hills with such an arrangement. The dog wears a special electronic bug that only allows it to get through the doog doors.

Good luck with that. Best, James

[Norm's Coupe]

One of my sidelines is installing surveillance systems. Not cheap, but very effective for deterrence and apprehension.

Only problem, some criminals are just too dumb to notice the cameras!

Tony, dumb, blind criminals are a good thing. At least you have them on film so they can be identified and caught.

Camera's are good because it records the crime, but people watching is more effective in catching them in the act. Forgot to mention one funny story about our block watch group effectiveness. About a year and a half ago as the block watch group was being organized there were about 3 garages broken into during the night. Right after that is when we really became organized. I guess the police had set up a stake out in the neighborhood area where they were taking place at the same time without us knowing it. Everyone kept reporting this strange beat up old van riding around the neighborhood and parked somewhere in the middle of the night. At our next monthly meeting we were informed by the officer that works with us that the van was actually the police on stake out and they had caught the thief's.

[JIPJOBXX]

Maybe a nice cute pit bull might solve the problem!!!

[Normspeed]

Glad your loss was not worse. Sounds like you may have figured out your suspect. Hope the local police pick up on that clue, he may be known to them already. Charlie, I'm with Norm, don't let a couple dirtbags make you think about leaving your home. Crime happens in most places. In Fla I got hit a couple times, and out here too. Nasty feeling to know someone was in your place, but life goes on.

[Olddaddy]

Thanks for the response and support. I know crime is all over, it's a sign of something bad in our culture, or in people somehow. Unfortunately, our society frowns on real punishment anymore, so criminals are overwhelming the honest folks. Personally, I like the death penalty, whatever you can say about it, it definitely eliminates repeat offenders.

I spent the entire weekend beefing up the doors, locks, and lighting. I have motion detectors all around the house and the front of the barn. The back has an all night yard light that was mysteriously unplugged, perhaps by the criminal the last time he was picking up scrap metal in my yard? Patton could not get into my shop now. And daylight reigns supreme in the barn yard.

Sadly, our faithful 100 lbs burglar alarm died last week at eleven years of age. He had cancer and after his suffering reached a point we could not bear to watch we put him to sleep. I cry every time I think about his sweet faithful life, and holding him in my lap as it ended.

I love the shotgun idea, but sadly it is against the law here.........Everything small in the shop is now locked in a strongbox which is chained to the floor.

Anything too large to go in the box is cabled to everything else close to it, and the floor. I guess cameras are next.

[PatS....]

Charlie, glad to hear the loss was minimal, glad to hear no-one got hurt.

I agree with the point about the lame punishment doled out to the convicted crooks...just a slap on the pee-pee really.

I rent a garage quite a distance from where I live and worry about it's security as well. It has a regular roll-up door which I now know is no better than rice paper as far as secure goes.

I am getting one of my nephews who is a carpenter to build a 4 panel folding door unit to place in front of the roll up door. It will add a layer of a little more secure door and also it will be insulated which the current roll-up is not. That only leaves the man-door. I think I will get a wrought iron gate made to place in front of it. That will at least make some noise breaking in to and will be one more lock to deal with.

So the only way in is to ram the big door with a vehicle, which in a residential area will attract some attention, it will be as secure as I know how to make it.

Maybe I should find a retired "trunk monkey" !!

[splat1955]

Man, I know what you feel like...especially probably knowing who the thief is! In 1994 I lost nearly $50,000 in tools and possessions to thieves, and a '55 Chevy 210 Post that I'd had since '81 and had been building that long. None of it ever recovered. Went away for about a week on a vacation and below my home I had a 4 car garage that I kept my tools and '55 in. Thieves didn't even bust into the home.....just the garage, but that's all it took to loose so much....and I thought it was secure.

Anyway, you must mean that having a shotgun connected to a trip wire is illegal in FL, right? But owning a shotgun isn't, is it? Man, I've had a gun since I was 9 years old and I guess I could be considered " just slightly over SUPER conservative, but I wouldn't live anywhere I couldn't own a gun.

Anyway Olddaddy, glad to hear you have wraps on everything, bolted down, strapped down, what ever it takes. Hey, and don't forget....a couple of 12V batterys hooked up correctly to exit/entry doors can be a great deterent.

Thanks for the response and support. I know crime is all over, it's a sign of something bad in our culture, or in people somehow. Unfortunately, our society frowns on real punishment anymore, so criminals are overwhelming the honest folks. Personally, I like the death penalty, whatever you can say about it, it definitely eliminates repeat offenders.

I spent the entire weekend beefing up the doors, locks, and lighting. I have motion detectors all around the house and the front of the barn. The back has an all night yard light that was mysteriously unplugged, perhaps by the criminal the last time he was picking up scrap metal in my yard? Patton could not get into my shop now. And daylight reigns supreme in the barn yard.

Sadly, our faithful 100 lbs burglar alarm died last week at eleven years of age. He had cancer and after his suffering reached a point we could not bear to watch we put him to sleep. I cry every time I think about his sweet faithful life, and holding him in my lap as it ended.

I love the shotgun idea, but sadly it is against the law here.........Everything small in the shop is now locked in a strongbox which is chained to the floor.

Anything too large to go in the box is cabled to everything else close to it, and the floor. I guess cameras are next.

[1just4don]

...I realize thinking is dangerous for me. I think I would put another motion detection device ON the back of the barn where they entered last, and one on the front. THEN wire it to a lamp or bedroom light that is sure to attract there attention too. Seeing a light flash on INSIDE a house has to scare the peejebbers out of outdoor theives. it ALSO alerts you to possible intrusion IF its placed so cats and dogs and other vermin dont kick it off,just head tall,,,and NOT where limbs wave in the background either. if nothing else wire it into a noisy alarm deal too,,,that is sure to attract their dismay!!

[Niel Hoback]

Something I learned in high school; nothing is as scary as hearing someone pump a shotgun.

[Plymouthy Adams]

heard one of them once..four of us were attempting to put a park bench over a fence one Halloween...my best year yet for trick..we'd be in jail today for the stuff we did way back when in the country...3 out of 4 of us cleared the fence..poor Mary...always wondered what happened to her...

[PatS....]

"poor Mary...always wondered what happened to her..."

There's that overly sensitive/concern for others side showing, Tim!!!

[Norm's Coupe]

I don't think Charlie meant it's illegal to own a shotgun in Florida. Think what he was referring to was the idea of setting up a trip wire for the gun to go off when you open the door. That would be illegal anywhere. To shoot a thief they have to be a threat to your own life. Can't shoot them if they are running away with your stuff no matter how much you'd like to.

[John Burke]

You catch somone takin' yer stuff.....you shoot 'em....then drag them in to the house and shoot 'em again.....then call the police...I think we call it home intrusion....jb

[woodscavenger]

I was selling a used washer and dryer and when the man was on his way over my wife (she's the smart one of the family) told me to drag it out of my shop so some stranger wouldn't get a peek inside my shop. I thought that was a great idea.

[Reg Evans]

Hey..hook a tape recorder up to the motion detector with this sound bite playing from an outdoor woofer tucked under a bush in the dark.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6843440760794951947&q=growling+dog&total=867&start=60&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2

[PatS....]

Wow, I think if MY dog growled at ME like that for ANY reason, there would be an appointment with the vet to have my boot removed from his a$$.

Guess who thinks he is the alpha dog!!!

The deterrent idea would sure work with that sound "bite", though.

[greg g]

Hope you shared your suspision regarding who the peputrator might be. If he thought the saw was really neat he probably wasn't taking it to sell and still might have it in his possesion. We had one of these recently in this area where a group of teens were breaking into their friends parents house when they were on vacation. Had a similar deal where a certain item was hidden and know only to a couple of people. Was found in a garage witha lot of other stuff. three or four were arrested, and as a follow up couple arrest were made for purchasing stolen goods.

[Normspeed]

A house on my street was burglarized in broad daylight yesterday. Only the second break in during the ten years I've been in the neighborhood. We're thinking it may be connected with the trick or treaters from the night before. We're seeing more and more cases where a van pulls onto the street and a whole vanload of trick or treaters piles out and works the neighborhood, then they split for the next promising area.

[48mirage]

In reference to the shotgun idea. I believe it would only be illegal if you were trying to explain the body. Where I live it's been known for a long time that the best way to take care of a dog problem is with a good gun and a tight lip.