Rural porch pirates: ideas?

[Oaktree]

My friend was charged with involuntary manslaughter and the trial lasted 8 days. It got a lot of attention and was in the paper for over a week. He was eventually convicted, fined and sentenced to 6 months in county jail. The sentence was appealed and reduced to community service but he still had to pay the fine. I forget how much but I remember it took him a long time to pay it.

That was over 50 years ago and unfortunately, the incident forever tainted my respect for our legal system.

I dunno...sounds like a fair punishment to me, unless you believe that someone should essentially receive the death penalty for stealing a car stereo.

 

[PILOON]

I dunno...sounds like a fair punishment to me, unless you believe that someone should essentially receive the death penalty for stealing a car stereo.

On stealing a car stereo--------------
They once stole mine and here in Quebec we have to make a 'contribution' to a victims fund.

The perp was caught but the Leo's recommended that I not make a claim since the perp would then know and very possibly want to take revenge.
Seems the 'fund' is but a temporary loan until the perp is caught.
If they don't catch him you can't claim.

In other words they get to use our money hoping the perps are never caught, and still call it 'voluntary contribution' that is not voluntary, like try to renew your plates without remitting to that fund.

 

[jaxs]

One problem with a booby-trapped package is the thief may come back and burn your house or car in retaliation.

Bruce

While I agree crooks sometimes retaliate,I try not letting that be a reason for alowing them to crowd me. Retaliation is terrorism and I believe when terrorist see that it works,they do it again/more. It's a tough call and there's situations where the prospect of retaliation will deter my actions,this isn't one of them.

Another problem with booby traps is the legal issue.
As much as I like the idea of trapping a criminal, I would check the laws where you live first.

Same as the thief,that is why I would take ever precaution to make sure I wasn't caught in the act.

If you did something like that (booby trap), the thief would not have to retaliate. After the court settlement, he would own your house, car, boat, land.

I wouldn't be dumb enough to put my name on the package or tell people it was my doings so it would require some effort in finding me to begin with. Finding and proving ownership of a random package take's some doing. The chances are pretty slim that a lawyer would hire investagators out of his pocket to find enough evidence to sue me. It's a gamble but I still like the odds.

 

[LouNY]

Heck yes, he was a damned thief

 

[JethroB]

My theory is security cameras are better for deterring opportunistic thieves rather than trying to catch them after the deed is done. I got a couple of these old Pelcos a few years ago when they were upgrading the cameras at work. Big and ugly but quite noticeable.

 

[PILOON]

My theory is security cameras are better for deterring opportunistic thieves rather than trying to catch them after the deed is done. I got a couple of these old Pelcos a few years ago when they were upgrading the cameras at work. Big and ugly but quite noticeable.

Now you need to update them.
Add a fake antenna and a blinking diode to join the trends.

LOL, I have that same unit very predominantly displayed. (mine blinks)
The real unit can't be seen.

My SIL has a stack of pole mounted bird houses and one has a camera inside that records thru the opening.
It transmits over the web and occasionally he calls to ask me to check out some activity.

 

[jaxs]

My theory is security cameras are better for deterring opportunistic thieves rather than trying to catch them after the deed is done. I got a couple of these old Pelcos a few years ago when they were upgrading the cameras at work. Big and ugly but quite noticeable.

All things considered,I believe those cameras make more sense than a few ideas we have offered but some of us get bored and dream up ways to amuse ourselves. A friend with several tracts has cameras concealed so they aren't also stolen. His son edits and combine's several weeks worth survelance into 60 minutes worth. Things people do when they think noone is watching can make you cry one minute,cuss the next and rotflyao the next. The pictures have assisted his and neighbor's insurance companies but law inforcement hasn't been much help. After seeing that law wasn't interested in petty theft and vandalism much less illegal dumping,he sometimes instructed employees to geather trash,dump it in neighbors drive along with a note to the effect of "Mr X,I'm returning this property you lost Tuesday at 10;41am on CRxxxx." That caused one neighbor to bristle but for the most part had the desirable effect. I partly blame counties that don't provide for easily disposing of paint,tires,appliances and some other items.

 

[mapper]

All things considered,I believe those cameras make more sense than a few ideas we have offered but some of us get bored and dream up ways to amuse ourselves. A friend with several tracts has cameras concealed so they aren't also stolen. His son edits and combine's several weeks worth survelance into 60 minutes worth. Things people do when they think noone is watching can make you cry one minute,cuss the next and rotflyao the next. The pictures have assisted his and neighbor's insurance companies but law inforcement hasn't been much help. After seeing that law wasn't interested in petty theft and vandalism much less illegal dumping,he sometimes instructed employees to geather trash,dump it in neighbors drive along with a note to the effect of "Mr X,I'm returning this property you lost Tuesday at 10;41am on CRxxxx." That caused one neighbor to bristle but for the most part had the desirable effect. I partly blame counties that don't provide for easily disposing of paint,tires,appliances and some other items.

Our county provides disposal of that sort of stuff, at a rather stiff dump fee. The result is lots of stuff dumped along rural roads. If it is reported the county road crew comes out and picks it up. Still can't figure out how they think it saves money to charge.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Our county provides disposal of that sort of stuff, at a rather stiff dump fee. The result is lots of stuff dumped along rural roads. If it is reported the county road crew comes out and picks it up. Still can't figure out how they think it saves money to charge.

Whatcom and Skagit counties provide the service for free, including old tires, oil, paint antifreeze etc. There is a per trip limit, 5 gallons of oil and 4 tires, etc. Cleaning up where I used to live I found about 10 old tires and disposed of then in three trips to the solid waste site in Burlington.

 

[TheMan419]

Whatcom and Skagit counties provide the service for free, including old tires, oil, paint antifreeze etc. There is a per trip limit, 5 gallons of oil and 4 tires, etc. Cleaning up where I used to live I found about 10 old tires and disposed of then in three trips to the solid waste site in Burlington.

We pay I think $100/yr on our property taxes for tis kind of service. We also get every other week curb side pick up of normal household recyclables as part of that fee. I do not know what the per trip limits are but they are designed to prevent a business from off loading all their disposal costs on the county. Seems iike this should be a universal thing.

 

[Oaktree]

My SIL has a stack of pole mounted bird houses and one has a camera inside that records thru the opening.

I like that idea! Definitely will consider it if I ever feel the need for a security camera. No one ever notices a birdhouse.

I partly blame counties that don't provide for easily disposing of paint,tires,appliances and some other items.

More of a city/town thing around here, but I agree, they don't make it easy to properly dispose of this stuff. I've never gotten a straight answer from anyone on where to get rid of old antifreeze.

 

[jmc]

Our county provides disposal of that sort of stuff, at a rather stiff dump fee. The result is lots of stuff dumped along rural roads. If it is reported the county road crew comes out and picks it up. Still can't figure out how they think it saves money to charge.

Our county sells special orange bags at the grocery stores that you can drop off at the county recycling centers. Some also buy cheap black bags at the hardware store that you can apparently throw out along any county road.

 

[ponytug]

So.... the mailbox pirate struck again last night. (Why? It was one of the coldest nights of the year.)

Whoever it was tried drilling the lock out (no luck), tried prying the door open around the edges (paint chips removed from three sides), and seems to have tried to chisel or hack into the main door itself. (No luck any where, actually. Judging from the damage, not a happy camper.)

My questions are;
a) the original mailbox had a powder coat finish. Any tips on getting paint to adhere well on top of powder coat and hardening the new paint up to be similarly durable?
and
b) any tips on repairing the key way (slot) where they tried to drill? (It is hardened steel.)

Thanks!

All the best,

Peter

 

[bcp]

So.... the mailbox pirate struck again last night. (Why? It was one of the coldest nights of the year.)

Whoever it was tried drilling the lock out (no luck), tried prying the door open around the edges (paint chips removed from three sides), and seems to have tried to chisel or hack into the main door itself. (No luck any where, actually. Judging from the damage, not a happy camper.)

My questions are;
a) the original mailbox had a powder coat finish. Any tips on getting paint to adhere well on top of powder coat and hardening the new paint up to be similarly durable?
and
b) any tips on repairing the key way (slot) where they tried to drill? (It is hardened steel.)

Thanks!

All the best,

Peter

What make & model?

Bruce

 

[ponytug]

@bcp Made by Fort Knox Mailboxes in Grant's Pass, OR. Their medium large sized box, with the heavy duty latch and lock.
Not cheap, but built like the proverbial tank.

The thieves hit a couple of mailboxes along the road apparently, but didn't get into either of the two Fort Knox mailboxes.

All the best,

Peter

 

[bcp]

Thanks.

Lots of mail theft around here. That's why we have a PO box.

Bruce

 

[kenmbz]

Need a camera and angle to point it to catch license plate.
Though it seems police have been told to not deal with low value crime in many places.
Ours are really good at chasing them down if they have a picture.

Those fort know mailboxes look pretty tough, sad you require them due to low lifes on the prowl.

I would write Fort Know and ask them how to clean the mailbox up, they might even get you a new lock in trade for your story about how it survived the attack.

 

[ponytug]

Need a camera and angle to point it to catch license plate.
Though it seems police have been told to not deal with low value crime in many places.
Ours are really good at chasing them down if they have a picture.

Those fort know mailboxes look pretty tough, sad you require them due to low lifes on the prowl.

I would write Fort Know and ask them how to clean the mailbox up, they might even get you a new lock in trade for your story about how it survived the attack.

Thanks! I did write them. I will post what they say.

Given what else was going on in the neighborhood when we moved in, this is nothing, and the other stuff gradually died down as we kept calling it. But we still do have moments, probably because we are close to a large metropolitan area, and low lifes interested in shady activity come our way. What they don't realize is that they stand out, and it gets phoned in quickly. My neighbors have various cell phone equipped cameras that catch all sorts of folks.

All the best,

Peter

 

[JethroB]

@bcp Made by Fort Knox Mailboxes in Grant's Pass, OR. Their medium large sized box, with the heavy duty latch and lock.
Not cheap, but built like the proverbial tank.

The thieves hit a couple of mailboxes along the road apparently, but didn't get into either of the two Fort Knox mailboxes.

All the best,

Peter

1/4 inch steel and 136 lbs. wow. I’d like to see some kid hit one with a baseball bat. That would be a Wyle E Coyote moment.

 

[ponytug]

1/4 inch steel and 136 lbs. wow. I’d like to see some kid hit one with a baseball bat. That would be a Wyle E Coyote moment.

Yeah, that's kinda why I got this one. The original mailbox was a 1/16" fiberglass mailbox, never damaged in 34 years, but with no security. My neighbor has the version with a fake front door that is welded shut.

I remember one year growing up that a few of the local high schoolers near our farm thought it would be fun to drive around denting and mangling mailboxes with baseball bats. The locals weren't too happy about it, and eventually the problem stopped one day. I heard a rumor, but nobody was willing to spill the beans to me as an outsider. (I wasn't born in the valley to one of the three families.)

I have the current mailbox installed with an axle grabbing ditch on one side and a concrete back axle grabber on the other. BTDT, though not here.

The folks at Fort Knox were very helpful, and said that while they no longer offer my powder coat color, they having matching touch up paint. (In a pen, 2oz bottle, or spray can) All taken care of in minutes. I filed out the divots in the key slot. Looking closely at it in daylight, I think that they tried hammering something pointed into it.

All the best,

Peter