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Tips/Techniques LEGAL non harming booby traps for thieves

Tips/Techniques
@BaitMaster! Depending on where the truck was located a motion detection sensor with a remote receiver responding in real time is invaluable. So if it's in your driveway or a compound out back it will save you grief instantly.

I have one and have fouled thieves literally 100 times or more in the years I've used it. Basically, if the motion sensor is tripped it sends a signal to the receiver which is located in our bedroom. It beeps a series of 2 or more beeps depending on which sensor was tripped. I can out of bed in seconds and either go to the window or outside in an instant.

On one occasion I woke to it signaling my shop door was active and sure enough two guys were in the backyard about to try the door. I only had to turn on the outside light and they ran like Ben Johnson! Many other times as they are looking in the window of my vehicles all I need to do is hit the panic button on one of the key fobs they bolt.
 
Legal, hell. It's not like they were following the law...

Sorry for your loss. Glad it was the truck & not the shop.
Honestly, the shop…. What are they gonna do… carry out the lathe?

I guess they could grab both welders and that would suck more.

I've got german shepherd puppies available in about 5 weeks, how many do you want ?

My wife and I are on a waitlist for a Rott from good lines.

GSD’s are hairy beasts. Good dogs though.
 
@BaitMaster

Couple thoughts:

- do you think it was a crime of opportunity or possibly some planning was involved?

- if they scoped out your truck, knew it had tools, and know where to find it they may be back in a month or two when you restock.

- lot of good ideas for security but if all else fails have you thought about planting a "f**k you" parting gift? You can get that marking powder that reacts with skin that can't be washed off for days. Get a cheap plastic tool box and mark the outside with "Laser Level".:)

Visible Stain Theft Detection Powder
 
@BaitMaster

Couple thoughts:

- do you think it was a crime of opportunity or possibly some planning was involved?

- if they scoped out your truck, knew it had tools, and know where to find it they may be back in a month or two when you restock.

- lot of good ideas for security but if all else fails have you thought about planting a "f**k you" parting gift? You can get that marking powder that reacts with skin that can't be washed off for days. Get a cheap plastic tool box and mark the outside with "Laser Level".:)

Visible Stain Theft Detection Powder
I don’t know. I’m part of the team at a locally owned good sized electrical contractor. Our vehicles are…. Recognizable.

We have quite a few guys. All the trucks are nice and well tooled. We are well known in the community.

It’s very obviously an electrical truck.

I have thought about leaving some surprises, yes.
 
- do you think it was a crime of opportunity or possibly some planning was involved?
I'd almost guarantee planning. Clearly marked truck parked same place every night. There's a ton of theft there. Personally know a half dozen or more construction contractors that had their pickup trucks & utility trailers broken into over the last year. Couple guys more than once.

The goods rarely show up online locally.

The kicker is, even if you can catch the SOB's the gendarmes usually aren't very interested. Slap their wrists & let 'em go. Rinse, repeat.
 
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Here’s one on Amazon
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I'd almost guarantee planning. Clearly marked truck parked same place every night. There's a ton of theft there. Personally know a half dozen or more construction contractors that had their pickup trucks & utility trailers broken into over the last year. Couple guys more than once.

The goods rarely show up online locally.

The kicker is, even if you can catch the SOB's the gendarmes usually aren't very interested. Slap their wrists & let 'em go. Rinse, repeat.
It’s not the cops that decide that. It’s the prosecution, lawyers.

I spoke with an officer that I’ve dealt with a few times when I went to do the report for my stuff. It’s not a lack of want on their end. It’s the courts decision who gets let out, and who stays in. Who gets prosecuted, and who doesn’t.

I won’t go into all the detail of what he said, but I’m fully convinced this particular officer wants to make sure that the guys that do that type of thing get punished accordingly.
 
It is a clearly marked truck that goes to the same location every day though.

I’m going to have to do something different. I really do not want this to happen again.
Packout boxes you can unload either at the shop or at home or some other secure location. PITA for sure but you gotta do something to remove the opportunity for them.
 
I'm going to expand on the silent alarm....

First off this is very similar to the device I had:


What happened......
1980 and I was fresh out of home and sharing an apartment with one of my buddies in a really sketchy part of town. They broke into my buddies car and stole his stereo. He had it replaced and they took the new one a couple of weeks later. So he decided no more stereos. Meanwhile my car was parked besides his with the full on >1k Pioneer system but with car alarm stickers. Next up they break into his car for the third time and are pissed because no stereo so they vandalize the interior of his hot rod just to show him.

About a month goes by and 2am my pager alarm goes off. Middle of summer, windows open on 3rd floor of apartment. No lights on, I peer out the window at the car, I can't see him, but I can hear him working his slim jim. Alarm was set on both door opening and vibration. The apartment had staircase at either end with windows so if we ran down the stairs by the parking lot he would see us so my buddy and I took the long route at the far end and burst through the door to the parking lot at full speed. It turns out there were two of them the guy breaking in and a lookout. The lookout took off like a rabbit, the other guy had eyes the size of pie plates when he looked up.

Not for a second suggesting this but my buddy caught him with a near knockout first punch and then we both jumped on him and had him face down on the pavement in seconds. Our girlfriends were freaking out up in the 3rd floor window and we told them call 911, they got there very quickly perhaps 2-3 minutes, lights, sirens. Upon arrival of the cops, the guy started saying I was just walking through the lot and these two guys jumped me. The cops wanted to know who called in the 911. Next they wanted to know what happened from our perspective and we demonstrated the pager alarm. Next they found the guys break in tools under my car. Next they called in his ID and found he had multiple prior's for the same thing. They cuffed him and put him in the car, stated he's going to jail for a while.

Next inquired about his injuries (superficial just bruises, bloody nose and cuts to the face), we explained he tried to get loose so we held him down. Cops advice
1) Next time call us the guy could have had a weapon.
2) Move to a better neighbourhood

BTW, great job!
The car problems stopped.

We also opted for option 2.
 
60 feet of chain, two padlocks, and bridge that is not in your neighborhood...

Had a couple sh!trats visit my family's property, and they got treated poorly, usually it involved a close encounter with a short barrelled, 12G shotgun. Not threatened directly, but it was made obvious that I was watching their actions, as well as that I was armed, while so doing... Seems that word got around... Had few issues, in the last few years.

Tell a guy that nobody will dig past the carcasses of three or four sheep to get to where his body is, they seem to take it to heart! LOL!
 
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