3 Break-ins in less than a week. What do?

[jeffro]

So my girlfriend, whom ill be moving in with in 3 weeks, has had 3 car break-ins in less than a week at her Powell apartment complex. For those of you that know the area you know which one im talking about. The break-in was a Mustang last Thursday, then 2 more cars were hit Saturday night. The Mustang had the locks punched out of it and the radio stolen. The other 2 has smashed windows. The parking lot is pretty well lit.

 

All of this makes me super nervous as ill be moving in with her in a few weeks. The last thing i want is my windows busted out and my radio jacked. I was thinking of purchasing a night vision/IR camera and setting it in the window facing the parking lot in an attempt to catch the perps on film should it happen again, but that isn't going to prevent it from happening in the first place. The complex does offer locked garages, which were on a waiting list for. Her lease is up in July. We plan to move out the instant it is up. What do i do in this situation?

[caseyctsv]

Rent a garage there?

[Buckeye1647545503]

don't move there

[Snowflake]

Buy doberman and leave in car tonight

[Supplicium]

Buy doberman and leave in car tonight

 

[RC K9]

This is God telling you to get married first.

[Xyster101]

You are going to live in sin? God's punishment! jk

 

 

Keep valuables out of the car and leave it unlocked.

If you have an expensive radio in there, take the face off and lock the car.

 

You could take a screen shot of your camera and place that in the car window at night with a sign saying "under surveillance" or something like that.

 

Otherwise there is really nothing you can do except have insurance to cover a break in.

[Sledhead36]

This is God telling you to get married first.

 

Lol, get a really good alarm system if you want to eliminate the issue upfront. A red blinking light on the dash scares them too.

[acklac7]

A red blinking light on the dash scares them too.

 

Beat me to it.

 

I wired a red strobe light into my factory alarm, sits right smack dab in the middle of my dash. Mah car looks like "KIT" from a distance - nobody fucks with it.

[jeffro]

You are going to live in sin? God's punishment! jk

 

 

Keep valuables out of the car and leave it unlocked.

If you have an expensive radio in there, take the face off and lock the car.

 

You could take a screen shot of your camera and place that in the car window at night with a sign saying "under surveillance" or something like that.

 

Otherwise there is really nothing you can do except have insurance to cover a break in.

 

the idea of leaving the car unlocked makes me nervous. Sounds like a good way to get the entire car jacked.

Lol, get a really good alarm system if you want to eliminate the issue upfront. A red blinking light on the dash scares them too.

 

The car does have an alarm, and a small blinking red light on the drivers side front door, so i guess i have that going for me.

[acklac7]

The car does have an alarm, and a small blinking red light on the drivers side front door, so i guess i have that going for me.

 

I originally had a small blinking light on the Cluster, didn't feel it was that effective in deterring thieves so I wired the aforementioned "strobe" light in place of it. Makes a world of difference.

[RyM3rC]

You're going to stand out too much with a nice vintage audi like that. You need some ghetto-flage, I suggest duct tape and some plastic sheeting or mismatched wheels.

[ImUrOBGYN]

They make stereo face plates that are made to appear like someone has already ripped it out.

 

You can also buy static stickers for your windows that make them look broken already.

 

Ok, not really sure about the last one, but it sounds like a decent enuf idea. lol

 

What a bout a visible paper on the back window that says something along the lines of "Car empty of valuables. Car next to me possibly has cash."

[Farkas]

The blinking light idea is a joke... My VWs have had them on both doors and the dash. It got broken into on multiple occasions, each time nothing was taken. I don't leave any electronic devices, no change, NOTHING in my car. Best thing you can do is either avoid living there all together, or keep nothing in your car and leave it unlocked. If they want to steal the car, they'll steal it regardless of what you do. To make it easiest on yourself, seriously, just leave it unlocked. You'll be happy when you find your door ajar and no broken window.

[Browning]

While the light idea sounds good, it's not going to stop some one. Nor would the putting a pic or note in the window saying "smile, you're on camera." People rob banks, convenient stores and the like daily without blocking their faces, knowing they're on camera. Those who commit break ins and commit robberies aren't usually the smartest. Sadly, if you must park it there, you may have to do a video setup and hope to catch some one after the fact.

 

If it were me I'd be avoiding the area entirely. Seems you feel it's not a matter of if, but when it happens.

 

Are break ins, or other crimes a way for one to get out of a lease early by chance in areas like this? Maybe there's some sort of way of using it as a fear for safety, or something along those lines to get yourselves out of there before July?

[Mallard]

Claymore on the ground next to driver door.

[mrs.cos]

don't move there

 

http://i.imgur.com/M2PgLFL.jpg

[acklac7]

While the light idea sounds good, it's not going to stop some one. Nor would the putting a pic or note in the window saying "smile, you're on camera." People rob banks, convenient stores and the like daily without blocking their faces, knowing they're on camera. Those who commit break ins and commit robberies aren't usually the smartest. Sadly, if you must park it there, you may have to do a video setup and hope to catch some one after the fact.

 

If it were me I'd be avoiding the area entirely. Seems you feel it's not a matter of if, but when it happens.

 

I had a friend back in high school that used to go "car shopping", he and his buddy never messed with cars that appeared to have quality factory/aftermarket alarms installed.

 

The last thing theieves, any theives, want is to be detected, or have something alert people to there prescence.

 

Funny story years ago my roommate kept getting his paper stollen, so I set up a camera on the parking lot with the live feed to my desktop. There i am chilling late one night, (blinds closed, lights off,) surfing the web when i notice movment in the top corner of the monitor. Popped on the live feed tab and sure enough theres some guy with a crowbar trying to jimmy my door open. Within 3 seconds i threw the window open and shouted "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?" - Scared the living shit out of him, never seen anyone run so fast in my life.:lolguy:

[BStowers023]

Stay up all night with a loaded weapon. When perps show up, shoot on site. We can call it, the Zimmerman method.

[1fast5gp]

Stay up all night with a loaded weapon. When perps show up, shoot on site. We can call it, the Zimmerman method.

 

Get tinted windows so theives can't see inside from the side windows, hide in back seat so they can't see from the front, when theives break in, shoot them. And now you are protect by the castle doctorine since it extends to your car.

[Mallard]

Stay up all night with a loaded weapon. When perps show up, shoot on site. We can call it, the Zimmerman method.

 

Can we get off the Zimmerman crap? Let's just call it the Boondock Saints method and be done with it.

[El Karacho1647545492]

Call the police non-emergency line and tell them you've seen people breaking into cars late at night? They'll patrol around a few times.

 

Thats what I did 3 years ago in my apt complex when a handful of cars got broken into. 3 years later and not a single break-in that I've heard of.

[KillJoy]

A friend used to have a Jeep Wrangler. He ALWAYS left it unlocked. Some dumbass cut the Soft Top to "unlock" the door. Stupid McDumbass didn't even check to see if it was unlocked.

 

 

KillJoy

[El Karacho1647545492]

When a friend and I bought the blue slug off Jones, we left it outside unlocked. The trunk latch was broken and zip-tied down. And someone still busted the passenger window only to find out there was no stereo. People who break into cars are generally not the smartest.

[Otis Nice]

^ This.

 

When I lived in Cbus someone busted the window in my XJ and stole my old, used CD player...leaving my checkbook, wallet, and pay stub behind. Kids...