Okay, today, for the third time in less than a year, my home/ vehicle has been vandalized. The first was no real problem, some clown just spray painted a stripe down the side of my car and truck. The paint came off with a little elbow grease, I filed a report. The second, said clown (I am only assuming it was the same idiot) shot out both my driver side windows in the daily driver- $254 to replace ($500 deductible), now I'm quite upset. Today wife calls me at work and tells me that some wonder boy threw a brick through my garage window. All three acts have been rep[orted to the police. As far as I know, I haven't made any threats or upset any body. I live in a quiet neighborhood (I have walked, without fear, in my hood at all times of the day and night). Did somebody just find an easy target? I am really afraid that if I ever catch the moron in the act, that I'll be the one going to jail. What can I do? I don't have alot of money to install an expensive system, and I work some pretty long hours, so camping out in the yard isn't really an option. I don't own a gun (probably a good thing, right now). This is frustrating. Maybe a sign that says,
"YOU ARE BEING WATCHED!!!"

I don't know, but I need to do something. HEEEEEEELLLLLP!!!

 

Put up a security camera, and security lights that are trained so they come on when ANY car goes by your house. Make sure you video tape the driveway every night, this way you will have something to give police.

 

Ya, your typical electronics store will have mini video cameras for exactlyu this sort of thing real cheap.

 

i wanna setup a motion dectection system that starts the camera rolling when it's troipped

 

I would give some kid a few bucks to sit out and see who exactly does this, get a good description, then go confront them!

 

you can also setup network cameras from D-lYnk , they are in the 78 dollars and a bit more for each and all u need is cat 5 cable and router to hook them up. they work by IP. So u can be anywhere and just go to ur browser login password to ur camera and boom u see whats going on ....not sure if it records but i think is live feed......

 

If it's live feed it can be setup to be recoreded. If you have enough hard disk space that is.

 

awsome so there goes the answer, good job pfogle! ..just dont have much experience with network cams...

 

I'd set it up to record the live feed to a VCR, but that's just me. The network cams are nice but I'd be worried about quality.

 

This particular act of idiocy happened between 2-3pm. Also, it's been months between acts, so hiring a kid to watch would be costly. I'm thinking of setting up some kind of motion sensor that triggers the sound of a large dog growling/ snarling.

I got home, got the brick and walked around the neighborhood, looking at all the houses with similar looking bricks- it was broken at an angle, so I thought I'd try a little sleuthing. Didn't come up with much, but, hopefully, someone saw me and knows I'm looking.

I'm just beside myself over this. I can't really afford the video system described above, nor do I have the experience to hook it up. I don't know what I'd do if they did something to my truck...

 

I'd arrange to park my vehicles at a friends place, and get a ride back to the house - bringing a camera and whatever self defence means I felt were warranted with me.

Also a cell phone...

The plan being to see if they invade or attempt to - and phone in a B&E to the police while watching it all.

A few stalwart friends might be helpful as co watchers as well - but be advised: It is best not to make your presence known until
1) A definite prosecutable crime has been committed.
2) The chance of grabbing one of the perps without undo violence is highly in your favor.
3) The risk of personal injury or death is minimal.

This is called "Setting Up a Killing Ground" in terms of Sun Tsu. It would be a "Baited Field" in hunting. In police applicable terms - it would be considered in some ways to be what is called "Entrapment".

Fortunately - YOU ARE A CIVILIAN.

You can always claim you were having a quiet night with your buddies, playing cards (which can be the truth).

Avoid alcohol that day. It will help your testimony...

You would have to be unseen all day. It would be helpful to spread a story that you would be out of town, and no one was available to watch your place. The lights in the front rooms should be left on, period. This way lights do not go on and off, which would be a "TELL" that the place had someone in it.

Shades would be down on the windows, to prevent "PEEKING IN". But the absence of vehicles or activety should convince a scumbag that it was ripe and ready...

Can you do it? Is it worth it to you to spend a whole weekend confined if necessary without showing yourself in order to catch these people?

VISUALISE IT. Plan everything required, and what you will do if the scenario begins to go to pieces.

What if they break in and have weapons?

How do you manage the COWARD/PUNK scenario - where they just throw bricks and run away? (difficult one. The cameras would be the only way to prove evidence. You can only react to that one, not be pre-emptive))

What if they successfully sneak in, and one of you is spotted?

What if they set fire to your place?

What if there are too many of them?

If ALL F.H. breaks loose - and every man has to cut and bail; where is the RE-GROUP assembly point? (RGAP)

Where is the ALTERNATE RGAP?

If there are friends nearby that would not commit/or could not be trusted until all hades fell - how can you call them in quickly?

Etc...

If this reads kind of like a SPECWAR manual, oh well oops.

That is what I see.

In the best of all possiblities I can think of - YOU IDENTIFY ONE OF THEM, and follow them back to the source.

"Best the Devil you know"

REALITY CHECK: You have to find out who they are.

That can be done by various means, not a full hidden assault force.

GET INFO

 

ive seen solar powerd motion lights onsale around here for a while, just a couple of screws aim the solar panel twards the sun and your ready to go. i cant speak for the cheaper ones but my grandma got one mounted on the side of her house it throws light on the driveway whenever some one pulls in. i would favor my paintball gun over my shotgun as the weapon of choice for this situation, camp out behind a fence or bush or hide in the back of a truck. and let the ***** fly if anything goes down.

 

Again, I would love to camp out in the yard, but the perps don't show up on a regular basis. It's been about three months since they busted out my car windows. If they were showing up daily- or even weekly- I'd wait for them. But as it stands, if I start doing the ambush thing (which I would really love to do, as I am about mad enough to chew nails), I might have to do it for months. I still have to go to work (pretty early, too), and maintain my job performance.

I do have a buddy that sells equipment (electronic, combat, clothing, etc.) to all the military installations around here. I'll look him up and see if he can find me some surveillance stuff cheap... You never know.

Oh, btw, I don't think I'd use a pintball gun on the dumba$$es. I have a copper pipe with ******* written all over it (and just enough security training to be dangerous)!!

 

lol that past post looked like a military combat stimulation lol ...security camera's is what i would do at the moment since they dont show up untill later times...save and get some cheap ones.

goodluck man, i put myself in your shoes...i know how it feels.

 

Sounds to me like these punks live in your neighborhood and just like picking on your house for whatever reason. They probably walk by your house everyday...