Lock your shop! Hide your tools! Yell at strangers!

[Subarutex]

Update:

 

Got a check from insurance!

 

Apparently, once we got past our agent, and started talking with the claim reps, everything went smoothly.

 

All said and done, I was hoping for around $1500-$1800 in total replacement value. They ended up coming in at $1100 replacement value. After doing some searching around and calling I verified their replacement value.

 

So, $1100 - $500 Deductible = $600 Check from insurance. This will get me the welder for sure... and maybe more if I find a great deal. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it does take care of the single largest purchase. The other items (welding helmet, portable bandsaw, die grinder) i'll be able to pick up as time goes by, hopefully for less than $500.

 

Now to go shopping!

[GeneralDisorder]

My Thermal-Arc 180 was $625 if you are ok with upgrading to something that's 220v. I have a thread in here in the shop-talk forum about my recent purchase if you are interested in where I got it and the specs. I found my 110v machine to be very limiting and flux-core just doesn't please me most of the time. TA is on-par with Miller and Lincoln - it's Tweco's welder division.

 

GD

[Allpar Mod]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Unfortunately, this is a sign of the times. It's not just the issues with addicts, but the rampant unemployment picture is fueling the crime stats also.

 

Being in public safety for 33 years, here's some unsolicited advice.

 

1) Booby traps are illegal however tempting. The 5 minutes of satisfaction aren't worth it. Can't say I blame anyone, though.

2) Keeping strangers out of your garage won't necessarily help. Many burglaries are just crimes of opportunity, not specificly picked residences or businesses.

3) Good locks are always worth the investment. You get what you pay for here.

4) Considering an alarm system? They actually are a reasonable deterrent. You don't need the most expensive or hi-tech. Just one that works. Don't put a sign out in the yard that you have one if you don't.

5) Don't leave stuff laying around that advertises what you posess, like valuable tools, etc. Keep the stuff inside and out of sight when not in use.

6) The "Shoot thy neighbor" laws have mostly the same language everywhere, with only minor variances. Basically, the perp has to be inside your dwelling to be eligible to be shot by the homeowner. ALSO, AND VERY IMPORTANT.... if you confront a burglar and he flees, LET HIM GO!! You are NOT allowed to shoot a fleeing burglar. Burglary is not a capitol felony and if the perp flees, the danger has passed and the deadly force laws do not apply any longer.

 

I hope these help a bit at least. I know it's not any consolation if the loss has already happened.

[idosubaru]

man that really sucks, hate to hear that. cops are not going to do anything unless it all just falls in their hand hate to say. i've had too many experiences with "law enforcement" and they will do little more than let you feel like they're doing something. looking for criminals would take time away from generating revenue with tickets. who cares, insurance came through.

 

i wonder - do you feel like this stuff is being done by the same person? same location? same time of day/year/something?

 

an enormous amount of crimes are commited by someone "in the know", they have some familiarity with the premises. that definitely stinks man, i've been thinking about my stuff too but you said it best - i feel petty about going through it all. i don't have any exraneous high value items. heck i probably need to just take pictures of it all so i have some clue what i actually own.

 

ALSO, AND VERY IMPORTANT.... if you confront a burglar and he flees, LET HIM GO!! You are NOT allowed to shoot a fleeing burglar. Burglary is not a capitol felony and if the perp flees, the danger has passed and the deadly force laws do not apply any longer. .

that's when you shoot in the foot, then after they fall shoot them from the front. actually i wouldn't likely do that, my personal favorite is a high quality choke hold. then when the cops get there they can't even talk straight for about 30 minutes without huge gasps of air between every word and the cops get annoyed...

 

seriously, law enforcement are "on your side" if you're not an idiot...it's dark, you're threatened, you're not sure what's going on or who is around, or if they have a weapon...there's a lot of ambiguity in a situation like that and it's not normally going to fall in favor of the criminal unless there's some blatant disregards on your part.

Edited November 14, 2009 by grossgary

[GeneralDisorder]

ALSO, AND VERY IMPORTANT.... if you confront a burglar and he flees, LET HIM GO!! You are NOT allowed to shoot a fleeing burglar. Burglary is not a capitol felony and if the perp flees, the danger has passed and the deadly force laws do not apply any longer.

 

What are the laws on non-lethal rounds? I have a 12 gauge side-by-side. One side is loaded with rock-salt and the other with a magnum slug..... if he is fleeing I figure I'll at least get to blow his pants off with the rock-salt

 

Although he might not flee very quickly after that. Rock-Salt isn't "deadly force" right?

 

GD

[baccaruda]

"I shot his pants off with rock salt ONLY to make him easier to identify in public!"

[GeneralDisorder]

"I shot his pants off with rock salt ONLY to make him easier to identify in public!"

 

I've never had my pants shot off with rock salt, but I can't imagine that I would "blend in" if this had recently happened to my posterior.

 

Just look for the fellow with the wattery eyes.

 

GD

[tcspeer]

I have a game camara out by my shop, they work great in the dark or light and cost around 200.00 dollars for a good one. It is mounted in a metal box with a lock, It looks like a elc. breaker box and has big lag screws holding it to the tree.

 

Also have a drive way alert in our driveway and one out back by my shop. It comes with a birdhouse cover, the receiver in my house will play a different tone for each transmitter.

 

The camara and box can be bought at Cabellas, the driveway alerts can be bought at Home Security store.

[coxy]

Regarding security heavy duty steel posts and a bar across inside foil ram raiders,Tilt a door or roller doors and even bifold doors with a chemset bolt in the floor that fits through the said door will stop anyone prying a door open or up from outside when it secures said door to the floor.

Always use a shotbolt inside a door with a padlock fitted and an acess hole through a steel plate so that you can only get a bare hand in with a key to unlock the padlock,boltcutters are no use when you are unable to acess a padlock securing a door from the inside and the only way to open it is with a key through a small acess hole.

Hell even an expert lock picker will have trouble with that setup and you can with those ideas make something very secure in a couple of hours,very likely when you get a quote for insurance with photos of that setup and an alarm you will get a substancial discount on insurance premiums as well.

Remember thieves are too lazy to work for something,that is why they steal and if you make it hard work for them they will go hit someone else instead.