Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
My neighborhood is having a rash of breaking and enterings over the past few months. We have had a few issues with homes on on street getting messed with. We live next to some things that could cause issues there is a trailer park that has people with issues at any we are also next to a freeway. I would say we are having an epidemic right now. I think I’m going to either have to call the police and mayor to step on patrols through the area for awhile a show of force scares the creeps anyways for awhile.
There are two things thieves absolutely hate…….LIGHT & DOGS.
Even if you dont have dogs, put up some “beware of dogs” signs on both sides of your house & install some dusk-till-dawn LED floodlights (wired in, not solar). You will be the one house that doesnt get broken into.
I used to rekey houses for banks (foreclosures) & I can break in any lock typically faster than you can use a key. There was only one type of house I refused to break in…..ones with dogs inside…..I hear barking, not a chance. Most doors can be opened with a credit card or putty knife if the deadbolt is either not locked or not installed. A deadbolt absolutely is a necessity.
Also, Kwikset locks SUCK! I can open them with paper clips. And, if you twist the handle back and forth hard…..about 50% of them will unlock with no key.
Get some Schlage locks…..doorknob & deadbolts. Also make sure all of your windows are locked. I would say 90% of houses have at least one unlocked ground level window at all times.
I feel your pain DR. Our neighbors house got broken into on a Sunday early evening a few months back. Funny part was I was up on the roof cleaning gutters for most of the afternoon and came in just before it must of happened. Even though we think they were singled out (inside job) because of the day and time we went ahead had ADT come in and install an alarm. Two weekends ago somebody came through on a Friday night and knocked down mail boxes (ours being one of them) and stole some bikes. There is a house being built directly across the street from me it’s almost done. Last night about 11:30 I was loading something into my wifes car and she quietly says don’t turn around but somebody is by the garage across the street watching you. i said thats it and went inside got my Surefire ED2 Defender and head over to investigate. Sure enough I’m slicing the pie coming around the back of the house and I light up some fool hiding by the bushes. he takes off running like a bat out of hell obviously up to no good and didn’t belong there.
I think when it’s perseved that a neighborhood is on guard for this stuff it becomes harder for it to happen. I agree with everything said above lighting is not a ill willed persons friend.
As far as lock sets the neighbor that got broken into had a cheap one and all they did was wedge a prying tool of some sort into the gap between the door and frame and lean on it to gain access. We didn’t hear a thing and we were home all day……….
You have a gun, right?
Conductor562 wrote:
You have a gun, right?
Shouldn’t we have a lease one or 20plus
Conductor562 wrote:
You have a gun, right?
Many and a CC permit.
A gun is a mans best friend I say.
I got a gated front yard, two 85 lbs dobermans, a glock 19 by my bed, and adt security (cuz my wife made me)…. Honestly if getting some dogs is a no go, or u dont have a gated front yard, then Adt security is a good idea… You put adt signs in the front and backyard. And they give u adt stickers for each window..it will make a thief think twice before breaking in…and if they do decide to go in, then that loud alarm will scare them off and aswell as alery u..It is 40$ a month tho…
Good luck man
Locks are a good investment but, if someone wants to break in, it doesnt matter what kind of lock u got, the best thing to do is make them think twice, adt and as said above lighting.. A beware of owner sign with a picture of a gun is good too:)lol.
I agree with Dan, a DVR and camera set up is what I got. Now they have web access and can accessed through your smart phone
Dan M wrote:
DR you need a dropcam
I have been thinking about getting something like that. I just cant justify the cost of an alarm system. I have a loud dog and a single shot muzzle loader that’s about it on home defense items. I also need to get a no solicitors sign its getting really bad with the pushy scammy natural gas companies that end up costing a ton more than your local utility. Btw Dan you nearly gave me a heart attack when you mentioned how much your property tax bill is that crap is crazy!!
I know what you mean. Between the meth heads and heroin making a big comeback there’s been a surge in break ins around here lately. I put up motion lights, locks on the fence gates, and bigger locks on the garage.
Guys, I am a huge propenent of the right to keep and bear arms. Kind of funny cause I dont own any. I am also a huge proponent of a man being as safe as a king in his castle when he (or she) is in his (or her) home. I have my 2012 Charger outside and an M4, a Remington 870 and a S&W M&P45 for work tools and feel relatively safe but when I retire I will own some firearms. I will remind everyone, as I do when I FTO a new guy or when I teach at the academy or WHENEVER I go to a call that there is ALWAYS a firearm at that call. Unfortunately cops get killed by their own firearms everyear during struggles. We are trained and it happens so….if you keep a gun at the house for home defense, train with it and know you local laws. Sorry, I just see bad things happen sometimes and I may not be a finish carpenter (YET) but I am familiar with what a firearm can do to somebody. So if you get guns, keep them safe. More often than not those are the first things stolen and used to commit crimes. Also make sure it is properly secured. Many people dont know that if you leave your gun in your car or house unsecured you can and often will be civilly liable for criminal actions taken by the thief!
Also, I am a huge fan pf prevention…motion lights work. Keep your car locked (youd be surprised how many dont). Most of these theives are junkies looking for a quick score and if it looks like the owner is aware, they normally go to the next house. Cameras are great too. That and my welcome sign I have…a pistol and the caption “We Dont Dial 911 Here” 🙂
RedSionnach wrote:
I know what you mean. Between the meth heads and heroin making a big comeback there’s been a surge in break ins around here lately. I put up motion lights, locks on the fence gates, and bigger locks on the garage.
Heroin is the problem drug in this area.
ChrisK1970 wrote:
Guys, I am a huge propenent of the right to keep and bear arms. Kind of funny cause I dont own any. I am also a huge proponent of a man being as safe as a king in his castle when he (or she) is in his (or her) home. I have my 2012 Charger outside and an M4, a Remington 870 and a S&W M&P45 for work tools and feel relatively safe but when I retire I will own some firearms. I will remind everyone, as I do when I FTO a new guy or when I teach at the academy or WHENEVER I go to a call that there is ALWAYS a firearm at that call. Unfortunately cops get killed by their own firearms everyear during struggles. We are trained and it happens so….if you keep a gun at the house for home defense, train with it and know you local laws. Sorry, I just see bad things happen sometimes and I may not be a finish carpenter (YET) but I am familiar with what a firearm can do to somebody. So if you get guns, keep them safe. More often than not those are the first things stolen and used to commit crimes. Also make sure it is properly secured. Many people dont know that if you leave your gun in your car or house unsecured you can and often will be civilly liable for criminal actions taken by the thief!
I don’t have an issue with owning a firearm for hunting or just as a shooting hobby I used to do that occasionally. The thing that kind of freaks me out is the possibility of taking someones life. I have a friend who’s house got broken in and he went and got the whole 9 yards expensive alarm system, some hand guns, and a video surveillance system. He’s in the mind set that he’s going to take out anyone he even suspects of robbing his house, and I’m always warning him you know you can’t just light a guy up if he’s on property if he starts running away you can’t shoot him in the back a guy was convicted because of that. Same thing with a CCW I’m sure you saw the video of the guy shooting the robbers in the casino in Florida. I would be pissed at someone like that for escalating a situation, but then again you don’t know their intention, but i think most robbers don’t want to hurt or kill anyone, they just want quick easy cash. I just hope I never have to deal with a situation like that.
Check out this pic I took in a bad neighborhood the sign that says go ahead.
That is yet another reason I love NH 😉
I would never put a sign saying I own gun in front of my place!!! Right there is a huge reason to break in and steal them lol
Some guy had three fire arms stolen at once cause that kinda stuff… One was an AR-15 lookout people lol
This is on my chair rail in the dining room 🙂
good vigilant neighbors is the best way to keep theft at bay, or to at least catch the perp.
Dan was just talking about a Drop cam look at this bullshit it captured. I think stores shouldn’t be allowed to only have one worker if they are open to the public retail. http://static.dropcam.com/1e467fbd696b404f8cab57680f71f7f4.mp4 Watching something like that does make me rage. Hope they get the guy he is on the front page of Reddit now and lord knows how many other webpages.
Unfortunately people like this exist. Thankfully if you believe I. It, this scumbag has some payment coming.
I wonder what sort of prison time he is looking at. That’s one thing that concerned me in the State of Michigan they have closed so many prisons where did these people go? I’m personally of the opinion its really dumb to jail a non violent drug offender, do counseling probation all of that, but putting them in jail where they lose their job seems counter productive. The one thing that surprised me in the video the girl was 35 she still looked really young though late teens early 20’s.
In NH that would be Felony Robbery and at a minimum 2nd degree felony assault. But say he won out at ten years, a violent attack like that will victimize that poor girl for the rest of her life.
She was so nice to the guy smile laughed a little. It seems to be his mo he did a similar robbery he targets women that are alone and punches them in the face. The other victim required Reconstruction surgery. I just don’t think prison is enough of a punishment now for some of these career criminals. I have heard horror stories about the 3 strikes law in California a Judge admitted that guy should have fled the country because he though the punishment didn’t fit the crime and it was all fairly minor meth possession charges if I remember right. That blew my mind that it came out of a Judges mouth but his hands were tied by the law he had to serve life in prison.
I’m not really familiar with the three strike rule other than rumors but if it is for drug possession etc. not a big fan it costs taxpayers tons of money for a etc. but when you look at the underlying problem that is caused by the dealer…..well that is a discussion that is just going to tick people off. But when it comes to brutal attacks like this they perp needs to be put away….forever. And stop with the useless dribble these people get. Work them. Sure they can be paid but they should work. Let them contribute back to society while being reformed. I know I know yet another discussion with people on both sides of the fences. Kind of like Obama Care…… 😀
DR99 wrote:
I don’t have an issue with owning a firearm for hunting or just as a shooting hobby I used to do that occasionally. The thing that kind of freaks me out is the possibility of taking someones life. I have a friend who’s house got broken in and he went and got the whole 9 yards expensive alarm system, some hand guns, and a video surveillance system. He’s in the mind set that he’s going to take out anyone he even suspects of robbing his house, and I’m always warning him you know you can’t just light a guy up if he’s on property if he starts running away you can’t shoot him in the back a guy was convicted because of that. Same thing with a CCW I’m sure you saw the video of the guy shooting the robbers in the casino in Florida. I would be pissed at someone like that for escalating a situation, but then again you don’t know their intention, but i think most robbers don’t want to hurt or kill anyone, they just want quick easy cash. I just hope I never have to deal with a situation like that.
I couldn’t agree more Dr. A lot of people still have the incorrect thought of “I’ll shoot him outside and drag him back in” I’ve spent a large amount of money on training too ensure I have the right mentality for the responsibility of using a firearm as one of the tools to protect my families lives. In today’s advanced world of forensics as I’m sure Chris k can attest too you need to know without a doubt what’s legal and what’s not. None of the many firearms I own have anything to do with hunting, I have no interest in that. I have no problem with hunting, just not my thing. One of the biggest mistakes a person can make is buy a firearm go to the range a few times a year and think your prepared to react to a life and death situation. Threat of deadly force without being able to follow through with it will probably result in your firearm being taken from you buy the bad guy and used against you or you loved ones. This is something I think lots of people do not think about.
If you intend to protect your family with a firearm I recommend seeking out as much training as you can both actual tactical training and legality traing. Things like how properly take a corner(slicing the pie), avoiding the “fatal funnel”, over penetration, weapons retention, tactical reloads are all things that you should be familiar with. A gun is literally just a tool, you are what’s going to make the difference in surviving a life threatening situation.
mustang347 wrote:
I couldn’t agree more Dr. A lot of people still have the incorrect thought of “I’ll shoot him outside and drag him back in” I’ve spent a large amount of money on training too ensure I have the right mentality for the responsibility of using a firearm as one of the tools to protect my families lives. In today’s advanced world of forensics as I’m sure Chris k can attest too you need to know without a doubt what’s legal and what’s not. None of the many firearms I own have anything to do with hunting, I have no interest in that. I have no problem with hunting, just not my thing. One of the biggest mistakes a person can make is buy a firearm go to the range a few times a year and think your prepared to react to a life and death situation. Threat of deadly force without being able to follow through with it will probably result in your firearm being taken from you buy the bad guy and used against you or you loved ones. This is something I think lots of people do not think about.
If you intend to protect your family with a firearm I recommend seeking out as much training as you can both actual tactical training and legality traing. Things like how properly take a corner(slicing the pie), avoiding the “fatal funnel”, over penetration, weapons retention, tactical reloads are all things that you should be familiar with. A gun is literally just a tool, you are what’s going to make the difference in surviving a life threatening situation.
I told him that him and his gf need to have serious range time learn how to do a proper cleaning an all that stuff required. Its going to be really embarrassing if you end up shooting yourself when you draw your weapon, or have a misfire because of lack of proper care. He just took the required one day Michigan CCW class. He also went with a revolver personally I would have gone with a compact single stack like the M&P shield.