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PUCKER wrote:Just throwing this out there, in addition to motion activated lights, a vigilant dog with a bark can go a longgggggg ways! You may not like dogs, the poo, feeding them, etc. But I like the 4 legged critters. We have a 178 lb Great Dane that can wake up the whole neighborhood with his bark (that can also be a problem if they bark too much).

Dogs can be a good alert system and deterrent. Our Schnauzer puppy is starting to show guarding behavior and will woof softly if he hears something odd outside. Enough to wake me, but not enough to alert any intruder. If he were to bark, he has a nice deep one that sounds bigger than he is!

Still, dogs are not always a practical solution for someone looking to deter theft and burglary. Even though we have a dog, we're planning on getting a CCTV system so we have evidence if something does happen, and I can view what's happening from the safety of my fortified bedroom. I agree though, the fancier ones are too pricey for the really customizable stuff. We're sticking with as plain Jane as we can get.

Keith B wrote:I now have a video of a kid trying the door handle of my daughter's car last night, then going across to one of the neighbor's cars.

They're still doing this after the police have already talked to them?? Gutsy...or stupid. I call stupid with a streak of greed.

I think I'd be staking it out for a few nights, watching to see if they come back. When you see them on screen, play a recording of a large dog growling and barking in the backyard. Or the sound of a pump shotgun being cocked. Of course, the shotgun sound could be real if you want. ;)

It's upsetting to see these young kids making such stupid and selfish decisions. This kind of thing could happen to us; we don't have a garage, so our cars are parked in the carport. The carport is on the other side of the wall of my bedroom, so this is both good and bad. Good as in I would hear any loud noises immediately, and bad as in my close proximity to any thief attempting to break in to our cars.

I hope this gets resolved. Maybe you should leave a car unlocked one night with nothing too valuable (but maybe something he'd like to steal) in it and call the police when the kid enters your vehicle. After all, you have him on tape and he's been identified. Once he takes something, then the police can do something about it.

sjfcontrol wrote: In other words, they're dumber than a box of rocks!

Had someone get into my mom's Expedition when she left it unlocked one night. The 6-disc changer was taken and so was her car jack, which was used to steal the rims and tires from a car on the next street.

My mom was making homecoming mums for the high school, and had her cash box in the back, next to where the car jack had been. Had a couple thousand dollars in cash in the box, but the dummies didn't think to take it. Good for my mom, unfortunate for the burglars.

To the OP: that's infuriating to see someone going from house to house checking for unlocked vehicles from which they plan to steal valuables. I cannot stand someone who thinks that stealing is okay. The people who work and earn what they have shouldn't have to worry about lazy thieves stealing their belongings. It's sad.