“This statement brought to you by the Consortium of American Locksmiths”.
Used to have a dog that was the ultimate anti bad guy dog. Anyone breaking in the house was liable to trip over her.
On the serious side. If you do indeed want to use the big mean nasty deterrant devise, just keep in mind that unless very well trained it may become more of a liability than an asset. It is my understanding that some insurance companies won’t cover dog bites from certain breeds. Depending on the jurisdiction and circumstances you also may be held liable should the dog get out and seriously injure someone (meter reader, neighbor kid and oh yeah, the mailman). Had a friend with a nontrained German Shepard who never could figure out why friends stopped coming by after he got the dog (must be allergies).Just food for thought.
I just put up the sign:
Never Mind the Dog.
Beware of Owner.
Equipped with Mossberg.
An 8 guage shotgun makes for an effective deterrent. Also makes great bruises on your shoulder if you’re foolish enough to fire it that way. Better to hold it at your side. Watch out for the recoil.
Brad
If you look at the military standard on physical security - which covers everything from file cabinets up to and including nuclear weapons storage - it tells you that any secure area that allows access to retrieve what’s inside is inherently insecure. In other words, if you make it so that you can get in, they can get in too. It also notes that the absolute best possible security device can be counted on providing a maximum of 15 minutes of delay to someone who really wants to get in. The only solution is defense in depth, concentric rings of security systems, active and passive, that delay intruders long enough for them to lose interest or be repelled by security forces.
On the home front probably the best defense in depth is a good neighborhood and good neighbors.
KL
The professional thief commits crimes that goes unsolved…They are still out there by the thousands…Locks,alarms,cameras,wall safes,safes won’t even slow these thieves down…They know how to disarm,open and by pass them and will more then likely watch their victim for days before burgling the house…They will only take high dollar items like jewelry,coins collections,stamp collections unlike the crack heads that smash and run and the bumblers that takes everything.Both of these will more then like trash your house looking for your valuables.A professional knows where most people keeps their valuables and he will be gone in minutes leaving things as he found them.You see it may be days before the victim realizes his house been bugled by that time the stolen goods has been sold to a “buyer” and the thief long gone…
Hi,
Being in the private security industry as my day job (Loss Prevention/Risk Management) I have seen many ways people try to get something for nothing, then turn around and sell it for profit. I’ve even seen one case where the person had written a detailed business plan for their exploits as a theif. It included mileage to and from the location/time involved and the resale of the items. This was some good evidence used later on when the case went to trial. As far as private security systems…many professional thieves know the ins and outs of them. I look at it this way, if it is your career to steal, you are going to invest some time in learning your craft. Same thing with lock bumping/picking/check forging, fraud. That is why the government pays that one guy who was the title role in “Catch Me If you Can” to develop check security systems now. I guess it wasn’t hard for him to get a job with a felony conviction…hmmm. I have found the best thing to do is make sure you are insured and realize your life is more important than material possesions. ----Rob
If you examine pictures from NORAD from inside Cheyenne Mountain you will find that some areas if not all of it is deliberately disorienting to intruders. Use of Illuision-like angles, hallways and unmarked doors etc is intended to totally destroy one’s sense of navigation long enough for specifically trained security to respond. In today’s era of GPS and maps I dont know how effective this is.
I usually dont see my neighbors but then again several properties fire their weapons regularly, everything from rifles to shotguns at all hours of the day several times a month. So, no worries there.
Not my alarm there, rrbell; my alarm is 100% effective.
I leave eight newspapers rolled up on the front stoop and lawn to create the impression of absence. On the front and back door I have a sign which reads: THINK TWO THINGS. THOUGHT NO. 1: AM I HOME OR AM I GONE? KICK IN THIS DOOR AND YOU WILL FIND OUT. THOUGHT NO 2: AK47!
It got challenged one time; three guys in a van drove past the house (slowly) several times. Finally they stopped and one got out and came up to the door and rang the doorbell several times. I wasn’t expectin’ anybody in a Van so, like ole’ brer fox, I just laid low!!! Finally, after a minute of doorbell ringing and when they had concluded that no one was home two of these nefarious characters bolted around back while the third backed the van into the driveway.
The two who went around back kicked in the back door and encountered the AKC breed known as the Kalashnikov. I let fly with seventeen rounds; put eight in one (he expired on the spot and commenced to assume room temperature) and three rounds in the second (he now participates in wheelchair events at special olympics); the third got away but was subsequently apprehended because I got the license plate number as he was peeling out of the driveway.
Ornery SOB ain’t I? but the Burglary Express don’t stop at this address anymore.
A very good strategy and one that I practice. Everyone in my neighborhood has a phone list with contact info like cell phones and phone numbers of friends and family. We look out for each other’s property. The police can’t always be in your neighborhood but your neighbors always are. Make sure your neighbors know who should and shouldn’t be hanging around your home. If something seems out of place, they should notify you and the authorities. This is especially true when you’re away from home for an extended period of time.