Theft prevention
 

What do you do? I'm interested in examples of real practiced ideas (both active and passive) as well as some one may be considering. I am not interested in people diagnosing my situation.

Well you didn't describe your situation so I can't diagnose it.

The neighbors on either side of us have been robbed. We have not been robbed. Someone attempted to rob us once but they were unsuccessful. This is our best theft prevention device:

When gone, locks on barns and sheds. When here Dakota MURS alert system. All gas cans chained. Motion activated solar lights in unexpected places.

Also, being known as "that crazy old man at the end of the road" helps.

Trail cameras, securely attached and not reachable without a ladder.
Lights, lights, lights.
I occasionally target practice in the yard, and always have a side arm with me for coyotes...folks that see that don't want to come by for non social reasons.
Our little area watches out for each other, and everyone knows each other to some extent. Strangers are observed. Was at the fair one year and my neighbor called me;
"Matt, there is someone snooping around your garage...I know you got a car in there and he has tires..."
Me: "It's the car owner dropping off tires"
Him: "oh, okay...(sound of gun being put on safety)...just checking".
Redneck neighborhood watch at it's finest.

Matt

I think "crazy" definately offers some protection!

Mon

Keep everything you can inside a building. Be picky who you bring into your buildings. Even if they aren't a thief, they will mention to somebody else what a nice motorcycle, tractor, tool, whatever, you have.......

For things that have to live outside, make them inconvenient to steal. Our trailers are parked behind the house, the corral and some outbuildings. All of them have some sort of lock on the hitch, can't just hook up to them and go. Don't leave the keys in anything, even in a locked building.

Basically, make your stuff less visible to reduce temptation and more of a hassle to get than the next place.

Or better yet, how about 13 of these.

Two biggies in that single statement.

1. You're a bit "off". Helps if you let loose a clip or two of loud semi-auto fire as fast as you can pull the trigger ever so often to reinforce that notion. Word gets around. Most theft is local folks.

2. "end of the road"......Just like Conrad Hilton said about real estate.....security is "location, location, location". Ideal location from a security standpoint is end of the road, along with as little perimeter of your property adjoining access from neighbors.

Then GATE AND FENCE your place. Thieves are lazy, and scared of being caught. Anything you can do to hinder their ease of access, and egress, will cause them to move on to easier pickings.

Move away from places where its a problem .

Yeah, sure, never mind if you have put years of work in to soil improvement, orchards, custom buildings and the like. Just up and move. Why didn't I think of that? :facepalm:

I put a chain across my driveway so no one can drive right up to the house - I also make it look like someone is home all the time - you don't want your place to look like no one is home - and yes a dog is also a good suggestion - one that is enclosed in a fence that surrounds the yard - I don't answer the door if someone comes knocking unless I know that they are coming a head of time - that way if I'm home and someone breaks in - he's a goner -

I've been here all my life and my parents lived here long before I came along. We've never been robbed.
We don't leave any temptation sitting out and we lock up. No trespassing signs as well. And we used to have chows and rottweilers who would rush up to a strange car, barking until we called them off. The dogs have been long gone for years now.
However, dad has a reputation for craziness around here. He gets lickered up and blasts Kenny chesney often at night. He's shot coons and possums from the front door at two am, and also an air conditioner that didn't work. Crazy helps.

Oh and a car in the driveway and a t.v. left on does make other people think someone's home, provided the car looks drivable and blinds are closed.

Dogs.

They really work well. Laying on the front porch looking over the shop, house and yard takes care of most problems.

They don't even have to be protective dogs just alert and willing to bark at anything out of the ordinary.

Aside from locks...etc, my husband has etched or painted this: "Stolen from _____ ______" on most everything of any value that he owns. He also has his phone number on most of it as well.

I have dogs. Most people do not understand them. Dogs are not affective against those who do.

Fence is a good idea. In the country a fence is about worthless. A pair of lineman dikes or small bolt cutters are available everywhere.

I have seen a double gate set up like a cattle chute on the drive way.

I think trees do better than a fence.

Out of sight such as inside is good.

Close neighbors are good.

I need to do this. Will look for etching tools.

I do a lot of shooting, and people driving by see me carrying a gun on my side..

I've also got security camera's around, and word travels fast in these parts...

I've let people know I don't pick up the phone until the coroner is needed.. Yep, I may be called that crazy guy up the road. It was done on purpose because theft is a problem in these parts.. I've not had any problems even leaving expensive equipment around for months at a time while we weren't living here.

I have been using a two part security system for a lotta years with pretty good success.

1. I made sure everyone in the community is aware that I am well armed and mentally unstable.

2. I dont have anything worth stealing.

There's a kit you can get from a lumber store that you put on your doors so they can't be kicked in. We installed them easily ourselves. It won't really help in the front since there's a large window that could be easily broken....we have plans for that one too.

Having good neighbors helps. My neighbor will see someone pull up to my house before I will due to how her windows face. She knows if I'm not home and who should or shouldn't be there.

Crazy farm.
Love it. My son just got one, a mere puppy. 6 months old and already 70 lbs. will prob grow to be about 150.
Already very protective, but plays with a small terrier and a cat. Very gentle. Wonderful dogs!!

I was with ya right up until that one! Look at the stats for theft, burglary in the city where the neighbors are close -- they are higher. Close neighbors are more of a nuisance than any protection they might offer.

It depends who you think is going to rob you. A sign posted “Guard Dog on Duty” with a silhouette of a Dobermann has helped some people. If what you have is inside a building, point a camera at each door. A person wearing a baseball cap can outwit a camera overhead, so have one that is lower so the face can be seen.

I've always like this system:

OzarksTom, I like that alarm! We had an alarm salesman call at a time when we had 10 coon hound puppies, all about 6 months old. I told him a rabbit couldn't break wind in the woods that I didn't know about it! He agreed completely while he was laughing.

A dog that barks, closed fences, and locked cables on movables that would be too valuable to lose but not worth making an insurance claim. Finally, a wifi or other monitoring game camera that would "capture" the thief's in action. Also helps to enlist the neighbors in a mutually beneficial lookout agreement.

That is a major difference between city and rural neighbors in my experience.

move, mean dogs, shooting a dirtbag or two always help with your rep.

my ideas...

dogs (err, useful dogs)

motion sensor lights set out away from the buildings

brush clearance where useful

getting things cleaned up, so that people scouting out your place will get the distinct impression that you know what's there, will notice what's gone. also, shows someone that they are not coming to a place that often sits undisturbed.

don't know if this is helpful for your situation. but, these are things I consider pretty effective.

Another vote for big dogs. There was a rash of burglaries against vacation homes that were empty during the week in our neighborhood several years ago. A deputy sheriff, a really big imposing guy, stopped by to ask if I'd seen or heard anything when the place across the road was hit. He talked to me from across the gate because he refused to enter the yard with our 4 Pyrs barking at him. He laughed and said, "Mrs.----, you don't ever need to worry about being robbed." So far, he's been right.

I have dogs, German Shepherds and a Yellow Lab, and people respect the GSDs enough that they don't approach the house too easily. And if you want an alarm system, I strongly suggest a flock of turkeys on the loose around your place. They are further out from the buildings and give alarm calls when they spot a stranger, which in turn alerts the dogs, so it's a two tier system. Of course, the turkeys aren't active at night, but the dogs do patrol in most weather (dog door on the house, so they are in at out as they like).

Honestly, there's not a huge amount of crime in this area, anyway. I wonder how some of you live where you are, considering what you have to do to protect yourselves.

I've only had 2 problems in 14 years. That is pretty good. But do realize a need to step up security and theft prevention.

I think of it as a art form.
Casual hints in town like Yeah I thought I shot the Sob that's been messing around my place but it turned out to just be a coon.

and occasionally letting a random neighbor at a distance see you bury a manikin sure help.

I have a neighbor that tells everyone that'll listen that I'm a Redneck Hillbilly that would rather shoot ya than look at ya. I do everthing I can to reinforce his belief.

WWW

Do an MMO assessment. Means, Motivation, Opportunity...When these three converge, a person will steal. Take away the opportunities: locks, lights, etc. Take away the motivation: being the "crazy man with the shotgun" is very useful, etc. Take away the means: driveway alarms, guard dog, driveway bumps and difficulty parking at the roadside, those kinds of things. Obviously you can think of many more.

geo

solar powered motion sensor lights on the driveway that advertise someone is coming. Rose bushes and prickly things planted under windows. Dogs that bark and gunies are nice. If you want to keep it lock it up. This is my line of work, and I find if a property is well maintained and the lawn cut windows all intact etc. crime goes way down. Believe it or not guns are the hottest commodity out there and I don't advertise the presence of them other than my framed 100 percent qualification target on my daughters door.

IMO little dogs hear better.

Years ago when we lived in town our little dog went ballistic while the big dog didn't hear a thing. Turns out there was a drunk trying to get into our garage. Many other times we have noticed little dogs hearing something long before a big dog ever did. All I need is a dog to alert me to something going on and I can take care of the rest. Yappy dogs have their place.

I've read many times about thieves that enter the house through the doggie door. From the sound of it, your doors are plenty big enough.

Sure, toss out a couple of frozen steaks to distract the dogs and slip inside and lock the doggy door.

I just by pass this by having the terriers outside and the big dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback inside.

You have been getting some pretty good advice already, so here is a bit more. Try and move your cars and trucks around. That way people don't know if someone is home or not. I keep my car inside the shop and move the truck parking around. And the dog inside the yard helps too. She kept the electric co op men out of the yard just last week! LOL