The gated community issue.

[TractorGuy]

If you are considering this, you may want to check with your local package delivery folks, and make plans to accommodate their policies. I know that locally FedEx won't take gate codes, so they deliver packages at the gate. UPS and Amazon are the only ones locally willing to take gate codes, and only UPS is reliable about it. Amazon is hit or miss on following the delivery instructions, which I assume happens when a subcontractor gets the shipment instead of Amazon.

I made the mistake of putting my gate code in my address info at UPS and Fedex. I have since tried to remove it because I prefer getting packages at the gate. UPS continues to enter and leave through the gate even though I removed the code from my account info. I asked one of the drivers about it and he said he could get it removed. The other night we saw a flashlight coming down the driveway. Sure enough it was a UPS guy delivering late.

I don't want to change the code because I would have to backtrack and give the new code to all the people and departments I WANT to have it.

I DID make sure the fire department and police had my gate code. I called the fire department and they said it would be shared with all the emergency service.

 

[EddieWalker]

I think that having a gate is a small deterrent, but most of the time, that's all it takes to get the bad guy to go somewhere else. Night lights are also very effective at getting bad people to go somewhere else.

In my experience, anytime you have more then one person in charge of or responsible for maintaining something, there will be issues in getting it fixed. I would not want a community gate. If my gate acts up, I'll fix it when I want to, and not when somebody else says I have to, or that I have to pay money to the repair when I might not want to spend that money.

Now that I've had a gate in front of my place for over a year, I really like it. Before, it was a huge pain getting out of my truck to open and close it, so we rarely did that. Now it's always closed, and we have not had a single "visitor" come in that didn't have a valid reason to be there. Before, we had people that claimed to be lost, looking for a dog, or a friend that lived there, or they thought it was a business of some kind. Most of the time, they where believable, but a few times I'm sure that it was a lie and they where checking things out. The most obvious was a very thin couple that had the crack head look to them, who said that they where looking for a lost dog. They didn't know the breed, the color or the dogs name.

 

[oosik]

Use to be - FEDX and UPS would drive all the way down my mile long driveway - deliver the package at my front door.

Then one year Big Brown got stuck in the snow in my driveway. Fortunately - he was coming in. Nylon strap and the tractor pulled him all the way into the yard. He hit warp speed on the way back out and never let up.

Now packages are left in heavy duty garbage bags - hanging on the outer gate. I get an Email advising of the delivery.

 

[jaxs]

I agree with your sentiments but some of you are fooling yourself just to avoid facing the inevitable. The situations and behavior you are trying to prevent and protect yourself from is upon us and gaining momentom in California at record pace. California is and always has been a window to the future for the remainder of states. The first sentence of this thread read's "In my neck of the woods, there is zero investigation of property crimes." OP doesn't tell us where his woods are but fill in the ______because it can be anywhere. I am a native Texan and never once dreamed our capital city would defund the police but they did. Texas law has always alowed using deadly force to protect one's self and to a degree property as well but that is doing an about-face. It feel's good to rattle your saber and vent frusteration claiming readyness to shoot or hiss the dogs on people that crowd you but can you really afford lawyers to stay out of jail?

 

[Fxfymn413]

We installed a gate in our 16 home private road subdivision when the county built a reservoir at the end of our street to mostly deter the teen agers from partying on the empty lots that face the reservoir. Like all crime deterrents it can be overcome, but fortunately most folks who are bent on wrong doing are not the sharpest knifes in the drawer.

One of the neighbors had a car and boat vandalized by his son's ex along with a few random rounds being fired at 2 am one morning. When the deputies got there they found the perp's car parked at the gate. Duh!

If you are considering a full blown gate with the option of someone calling the property owner to open the gate for them you will probably be quite surprised by the cost of the installation in addition to the monthly power and phone bill. When we did ours about 10 years ago it was around $18K and it runs about $75.00 per month for utilities. Fed Ex, UPS, power co. etc., all have their own gate codes and the gate opens automatically if the power goes out.

 

[Midniteoyl]

It feel's good to rattle your saber and vent frusteration claiming readyness to shoot or hiss the dogs on people that crowd you but can you really afford lawyers to stay out of jail?

If you have good enough Castle and Stand Your Ground laws, you wont need the lawyers.

When I first moved here, I had quite a few unwanted visitors. Mostly from people who didn't realize the previous owner had moved, so no big deal, though a couple of those I wouldn't want as friends.

Also use to get the meth heads or whatever parking in my drive at all hours. A walk down far side of the trees and tapping on their window with the .40cal soon put a stop to that.

The other group were scrappers showing up when most people are at work. One I caught sneaking around and became pretty pushy when I asked him to leave and then noticed his partner leave the truck and try to flank me. Mr. .40cal came out once again and after a little negotiation about the current scrap value of lead, they decided to leave. That was the end to all my trespassers. I guess word got around..

As I now, I still do not have a gate, but do have a couple driveway alarms that let me know when mail arrives, or if someone continues down the drive toward the house.

 

[Redlands Okie]

We installed a gate in our 16 home private road subdivision when the county built a reservoir at the end of our street to mostly deter the teen agers from partying on the empty lots that face the reservoir. Like all crime deterrents it can be overcome, but fortunately most folks who are bent on wrong doing are not the sharpest knifes in the drawer.

One of the neighbors had a car and boat vandalized by his son's ex along with a few random rounds being fired at 2 am one morning. When the deputies got there they found the perp's car parked at the gate. Duh!

If you are considering a full blown gate with the option of someone calling the property owner to open the gate for them you will probably be quite surprised by the cost of the installation in addition to the monthly power and phone bill. When we did ours about 10 years ago it was around $18K and it runs about $75.00 per month for utilities. Fed Ex, UPS, power co. etc., all have their own gate codes and the gate opens automatically if the power goes out.

Wow, i need some customers that would be willing to pay that kind of money. Hard to imagine that kind of profit margin.

A decently set up gate can operate for at least a few days on battery power with use from 16 homes

 

[repete]

One of these works well on a driveway. No deer warnings. Sensitivity can be set to detect metal. It can "see" my 270 being carried. https://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Alert...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

As to emergency services access, the gate code frequently can be kept at the 911 center and sent to responders via computer link, or text to responders only, so no codes given over the radio which is open to anyone with a scanner. Some radio systems are encoded for security but not many rural communications systems are.

If you live in a larger gated community you can also install an "Opticom" detector to open the gate as emergency vehicles approach provided your responders have this system. They are made by 3M and have been in use for 50 or so years.

 

[jaxs]

I would suggest 55 gallon barrels or large garbage cans with lids instead of trash bags to recieve UPS and Fed-X. Unless thieves see the delivery made,it's doubtful they look in cans whereas bags hanging on the gate with things in them might attract porch pirates.
During a rash of porch pirates Christmas 2019,a pair of old curmudgeons that will remain nameless constructed traps for their's and trusted neighbor's porches. Empty electronic boxes were weighted and had bottoms removed. When box was lifted, a noisy battery operated toy flung out onto porch,,,,,,,,and a thin trip cable stretched accross porch exit. Undoubtedly a painful surprise on any porch but these were older homes with steps leading up to high porches. My fave was a fake Rattle Snake coiled and reared up. The thing wasn't very realistic but the louder than life electronic buzz was more than enough to make up for it's appearance.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I live in a gated community. But I'm the only one behind the gate. I really dont like opening and closing a gate. If I don't, things seem to walk off away from here. So, I just keep it shut and lock myself out when not here.