Home Security...what to do?

[97gts]

So my neighborhood has been a target of some car thefts and vandalism lately. I live in a very nice culdesac neighborhood and have never had any issues like these the past 7 years that I've lived here. I've had stuff stolen from my front yard and last week someone tried breaking into my wifes car which she left parked outside. My neighbor had cameras installed which were stolen as well. I know most of you will say it's time to move but that is not an option at the moment. I would like to know what some of you might be using to guard against some of this stuff. I'm a DIY guy and would like to put something together that will keep people out of my front yard. My neighbors are on board so i'm sure I can implement something across 4 houses or so.

Let me know...

 

[FIVEHOE]

night vision goggles and a bean bag shotgun?

 

[RusWolf]

Build a 8 ft fence with a watch tower on each corner, Hire private security contractors such as BlackWater (make sure they don’t shoot civilians and don’t detain people that live in the houses next to you). Install automated 50 cal's next to each house in case of a breach. And have a sniper team provide cover from the next zip code.....


lol


On a serious note other than making sure everything is locked, out of sight, installing cameras not sure what else you can legally do. Maybe have a weapon as well just in case of a house breach.

 

[SID297]

Nothing beats a good dog.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

mount the cameras were they arent easily removed, make sure theyre high enough quality to be able to ID someone at night.

our general area had a rash of a little shit heads opening cars in the middle of the night, lots of people bought the $10-$15 driveway motion detectors from harbor freight and caught quite a few of them that way.

When we were talking to a bunch of officers writing up the reports they told us at night theyre largely sitting around waiting for a call, so if you know theyre outside resist the urge to run out there after em, call the police and hopefully they can come grab em before they get away.

 

[DriftwoodSVT]

Park in the garage?

 

[MachJoe]

OP, do you have a dog? Theft in my neighborhood just started to pick up recently as well. The first night I bought some outdoor furniture for my patio, I had someone (or some people) in my backyard at 11 at night. My Rottweiler freaked out and started jumping on the back door, which is extremely unusual for her. Then I see light shimmering through my windows. By the time I turned the lights on, they were gone. But if it wasn't for my dog going ballistic, I probably wouldn't have known until morning.

 

[azmarkus]

A dog is the easiest and most cost-effective deterrent, just make sure you have good home-owner's insurance in case your land shark decides that old man Harvey from down the street who has dementia accidentally wanders onto your property at 0200 and looks like a tasty snack.

Please don't be a hero unless you have people trying to get into your home, call 9-1-1 and give them as many updates/descriptions/info as possible if you can keep an eye on the suspects.

The Vikings don't tend to plunder Norway, any ne'er do wells or Section 8 commandos recently move into the neighborhood?

 

[black99lightnin]

Nothing beats a good dog.

bingo.

 

[black99lightnin]

OP, do you have a dog? Theft in my neighborhood just started to pick up recently as well. The first night I bought some outdoor furniture for my patio, I had someone (or some people) in my backyard at 11 at night. My Rottweiler freaked out and started jumping on the back door, which is extremely unusual for her. Then I see light shimmering through my windows. By the time I turned the lights on, they were gone. But if it wasn't for my dog going ballistic, I probably wouldn't have known until morning.

I would've let the dog out. They'd never come back.

 

[EatonEggbeater]

Motion lights are a good start.

 

[Drive XR7]

Configure your security cameras to upload the photos/videos offsite as soon as they are taken.

 

[oldmodman]

So the crooks are stealing the security cameras too?

Buy some crappy old security cameras and mount them where they are easy to spot.

Now get a 35,000 volt neon sign transformer and hook it to the security camera. They will never forget the experience. If you are lucky it might even kill them.

I did something like it but I had it wired up to the door handle on one of my cars. I found human, burned flesh on the metal conducting plate one morning and I have never had another theft attempt.

If you are a softy just get a Model T spark coil. It's just the same as touching the spark plug on a lawn mower.

 

[BlueSnake01]

Nothing beats a good dog.

By the sounds of what OP is saying. Wouldn’t be surprised if they steal the dog as well.

 

[BlueSnake01]

So the crooks are stealing the security cameras too?

Buy some crappy old security cameras and mount them where they are easy to spot.

Now get a 35,000 volt neon sign transformer and hook it to the security camera. They will never forget the experience. If you are lucky it might even kill them.

I did something like it but I had it wired up to the door handle on one of my cars. I found human, burned flesh on the metal conducting plate one morning and I have never had another theft attempt.

If you are a softy just get a Model T spark coil. It's just the same as touching the spark plug on a lawn mower.

Im actually surprised you didnt get sued for that. Calfornia FTW :nonono:

 

[Black Sex]

Get some motion lights, then install more lights, and boody traps

 

[Blown 89]

Lighting, lighting, lighting. Tons and tons of lighting. A friend of mine is in the local P.D. and that was his suggestion for us. Criminals are cowards and tend to shy away from well lit areas. The sun practically rises when you approach my dad's house. I leave lights on a timer at my house. Hardware stores have cheap timers that will turn outlets on at specific times so the living room lights and spare bedroom lights turn on automatically when the sun goes down so it looks like someone is always home. I'm probably paranoid but I have the timers turn on and off intermittently through the night. That way someone on the outside can't tell if it's just a light on or someone is still up and moving around rooms.

Call the police, when an officer comes out to file a report ask if they can patrol the area when it's slow. My dad's neighborhood had problems a while back and the night shit officers said they needed a place to park their cars and eat lunch so they did it in the neighborhood. The crime stopped immediately.

I'm not a fan of cameras. They do nothing to deter crime. I have makeshift cameras on the house out of old cell phones, my dad has an actual system he installed but they don't do enough to actually deter crime. I figure they will help me in court in the event that I have to protect my home.

Paul Markel at student of the gun can be a real kook but his thoughts on home security aren't bad. He doesn't talk about it in this article but he has a speech about not advertising your home. Simple things like lights going out at 10pm when everyone goes to bed, dog doors, gates having padlocks, etc. He also mentioned urban cammo. Things like curtains, landscaping, etc that deters criminals from getting the lay of the house/property without actually entering it. I do a walk around of the house from time to time and try and spot signs that someone else was there.
http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2012/10/home-invasion/#7_phatchfinal

 

[nxhappy]

**** dude that sucks. What part of fresno? I know what it's like wake up to a pile of glass and no car.

You can put some auto lights up. Get a trained dog. I also like to plaster my windows with gun stickers.

 

[MovingZen]

If you do put up cameras consider doing your best to hide them. I've got a buddy who's shop has been broken into multiple times. He's got cameras, they just pull up their hoody or cover their face. They are never identifiable. A dog and motion lights sounds like a good plan.. if your HOA frowns on punji pits.

 

[OhIIICobra]

For $17 you can buy a wireless driveway sensor from Harbor Freight Tools. It’s a start and can be concealed really well depending how creative you are. Like others have said, you need a combination of things. I have two of these as part of my combo because they work for my long ass driveway and the price is right.