Property vandalized... you won't believe this.

[swift6]

around here the kids like to go driving around with a baseball bat busting up mail boxes...

My grandfather had a problem like that in rural Nebraska. He solved it with a 4 inch steel pipe as the mount pole that continued on inside a very large mailbox. When you opened the large mailbox door you saw the pipe and a smaller mailbox. The pipe was biased to the side that traffic approached from as this was the side that was continuosly getting smashed. Less than a week later, he found a slightly dented mailbox and the pieces of a Louisville slugger. His box was never hit again.

 

[William]

around here the kids like to go driving around with a baseball bat busting up mail boxes...

My grandfather had a problem like that in rural Nebraska. He solved it with a 4 inch steel pipe as the mount pole that continued on inside a very large mailbox. When you opened the large mailbox door you saw the pipe and a smaller mailbox. The pipe was biased to the side that traffic approached from as this was the side that was continuosly getting smashed. Less than a week later, he found a slightly dented mailbox and the pieces of a Louisville slugger. His box was never hit again.

Friend of mine went through some ridiculous number of boxes in a few weeks time, and the cops didn't seem to be able to catch them. So friend had a word with the mailman, and told him where the new, secret box was. Then replaced the one by the road. With a new one, filled with concrete, on an I-beam. Similar results to yours, Swift.

The dinks who did it got lucky. Rumor has it that the guy up the road rigged tire spikes near his box.

-William

 

[aerog]

That is just stupid - I can't stand people that do that kind of thing. Morons.

What is wrong with people; dont they have any respect for other people's property?

Nope...there's a guy down the street that walks his two little mutts around every morning on massively long ropes made up of several lengths of clothes line. He actually gets off the street and walks through people's yards! I've seen him let these two dogs do their 'business' right outside people's front doors in the grass - then he walks through to the next yard.

Not picking up after dogs doesn't bother me like it does some people, but for someone to have the attitude that your entire yard is open for them to use is - lacking respect? Sheesh.

 

[SteveL]

That is just stupid - I can't stand people that do that kind of thing. Morons.

What is wrong with people; dont they have any respect for other people's property?

Not picking up after dogs doesn't bother me like it does some people, but for someone to have the attitude that your entire yard is open for them to use is - lacking respect? Sheesh.

Got any of last nights gravy?? Perfect thing to have the dogs
clean up on their own...

SteveL

 

[AweMan]

I would chime in here with MY solution, But I`m Much too EVIL, especialy when it comes to MY property bieng vandalised.
Rig a cam and vcr on a sensor, get video, Take action, is ALL I will say. {Oh I will add .......... the vandals would not like my form of action at all!!!} I don`t get mad ....... I get EVEN!!!!

 

[sparkydave]

Video cameras are nice things. Just ask the teenager who thought rubbing cigarettes out on my white garage door was a good idea. I finally got some video of her actually doing it, our friendly city police officer took the tape, and shortly after I never saw the kid around my house again.

To add to that, I can say don't buy a house next a high school. This is why.

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I don`t get mad ....... I get EVEN!!!! [/QUOTE]

Nah! If you only get even, things don't change....you've got to GET AHEAD!

 

[mailbox]

What do we expect? Kids are taught from the get go that they are special, everybody is a winner, and they can do no wrong for fear of hurting their self respect. I believe this is the reason so many people have no respect for other people and their possessions. "Whats mine is mine, whats his can be mine. If I can't have it, neither should he! I'm just as good as he is. Why should he have everything." Just makes you want to smack a couple of them. Not really. You know what I mean. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[coldplugs]

What do we expect? Kids are taught from the get go that they are special, everybody is a winner, and they can do no wrong for fear of hurting their self respect....

Agreed. That and an overdeveloped sense of entitlement.

I think a draft - not necessarily military, but public service of some sort - might help to some degree. I have no idea of the effect it'd have on taxes but I think it's time to at least look at the possibility.

 

[Scott_Hower]

Thanks for the ideas; keep them coming.

As far as the entitlement thing goes, I am trying very hard to prevent this in my kids. Yesterday, my son (8yrs old) told me he lost his goggles at the pool and needed a new pair.

I told him that was a bummer and I'd be happy to drive him to the store when he had saved enough to replace them. Said he really should take better care of his possesions. I explained that I bought the first pair as part of his swimming lessons; the replacement(s) are on his dime. Not an hour later he was asking me what he could do to earn some money around the house. I got some weeds pulled, garage swept, basement organized, it was great. It's the only way they'll learn.

 

[Brooklands]

Reminds me of when my Dad was paying me $5 to mow our lawn, and came home to find out I hired a neighbor to mow it for $3. My dad made me pay the other $2 to my neighbor for each mowing he had already done and I was banned from subcontracting in the future.

 

[aerog]

A thought on the sensor lights: I can't stand bright outdoor lighting around houses (folks around here put them up and leave them on, it looks like well lit prison yard sometimes), and I sympathize with the neighbors. But, I recently put several of them up with 1-minute timers, 5 minutes on the driveway. Occasionally conditions are just right so the most sensitive one seems to get oversensitized, but that doesn't happen often.

 

[tony barnhill]

Neighbor told me this weekend he had installed motion sensing lights around his house that are hooked to video cameras...said he bought the whole thing at Alabama Spy Shop for $900...to include the recorder & monitor...when he goes to bed, he flips the system on...if something trips the lights, his back yard looks like a football field on Friday night & the cameras catch everything.

I had noticed everything light up the other night & asked him about it.....I've got motion sensing lights around my garage but nothing that bright - & no cameras.....yet!

 

[Guest]

Reminds me of when my Dad was paying me $5 to mow our lawn, and came home to find out I hired a neighbor to mow it for $3. My dad made me pay the other $2 to my neighbor for each mowing he had already done and I was banned from subcontracting in the future.

Now to be fair, if you'd been my kid, I'd have been impressed at your entreprenurial skill. I'd probably have cut your rate instead...

 

[AweMan]

Cats N dogs trigger motion sensor lights once in a while, But I.M.H.O. thats quite ok {there only on for five minutes}.
I havn`t lost a drop of gasoline or had my fence spray painted with graffitti sence installing them! The neighbors might hate them cause they are metal halide lights and really really bright. My next project is to instal a sign on the fence to read This property is under constant video survelance and to get some cams up on each corner of the house. Even living in a rural community like I do, the gang creatures are slowly but surly infesting the neighborhood.
People in the city have discovered they can sell thier $250,000.00 homes, move out here, buy twice the house and three to four times the property. Which is fine, the problem is these folks are the ones bringing the gang creatures with them. Namely thier kids!!

 

[PAUL161]

My son lives on a rural road in Oklahoma. His lane is almost a quarter of a mile long. His house is far from the mail box. After many mail boxes were destroyed, he set up a hidden video camera with a motion sensor. He got the kids on tape doing it again. His sons knew who the kids were after watching the tapes. He went to the parents and confronted them and the kids. Told them it's a federal offense to do this and if it ever happens again the tapes will be turned over to the proper authorities. That was two years ago. His mail box has never been touched since.

 

[Bruce Bowker]

Cameras. I have nailed many with cameras. They work. They are cheap. They are hidden. The bad guys don't know about them. even got my "gas" guys 2 nights ago but unfortunately don't know who they are but now know how and when they operate.

Bruce

 

[aerog]

You guys that have problems with gas theft from vehicles, the swimming pool problems, vehicle vandals, garage doors, etc... something else to try is to get a case of "snap pops" (if you can find them). These are the little noise makers that look like little white blobs about 1/4" round, you chuck 'em at the ground and they sound like a cap gun. Scatter a few around the where the vandals are probably going, and if they step on 'em you'll probably hear the snapping and it'll get their attention. A low tech "gotcha", but combined with sensor-lights will probably get 'em to run off for good.

 

[aerog]

This sort of fits in with the topic: For the past several months I've had to endure some *blank* cranking his/her car stereo up full tilt in the morning, afternoon, evening, and sometimes late at night. I could sort of tell where it was coming from but by the time I lost my patience they'd either left or turned it off.

Tonight I heard it big time, rattling the windows, heck - sounded like someone had a 10kw 60hz tone generator blasting the house. Jumped into my shoes, grabbed my maglight, and snuck around the house. There it was - a Jeep SUV with the doors open, one guy standing there, cranking the radio up. Nobody else around. Mag-Light went on, he had a "deer in the headlights" look and quickly turned it off.

So I says, "Is that necessary"

"um, no, I guess not"

"fine - turn it off, we don't need it. If you want to make noise, do it down at the beach where you won't bother anyone"

"yeah right, the beach [mumbling something I can only guess]"

"Look - this is a quiet neighborhood, at 10 o'clock at night you don't need to be blasting us with your music. I've asked nicely, next time I call the cops - it's your choice."

He got very "um gee, gosh, sorry, uh" and walked across the street to the house he was going to.

What galls me is these people are genuinely really good neighbors, quiet, not a problem - why on earth can't they bring it upon themselves to tell their kids or kid's friends that this isn't appropriate behavior. Is it that difficult to do?

 

[weewillie]

ebay Item number: 160142814667. Mine is similar and hooked up to a tv/vcr combo so I can see who is coming in during the day also