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My family is under siege.
We are being attacked frequently from an unknown and unseen enemy.
The attacks have so far come in the form of vandalism and theft.
I have had my tires flattened. I have had my home invaded and property stolen. I have had my property vandalized.
Last weekend I took a trip over to my friends place to get a feel for the “climate”. There was a big “wingding” in town so I attended it to see if I could get aquainted with some of the locals. A lot of the folks in attendance were known to me from the area in which I grew up. Some were transplants from the Seattle area who had retired to the area.
Then there were the locals. They were nice enough for the most part but after they consumed some alcohol their real opinions came to light. My friend has lived in this area for over 15 years and they referred to him as a “Coastie”. This opinion may be limited to the two individuals I was associating with, but I doubt it.
With out a doubt, if you wish to be accepted in a rural community, you must relocate there now and get involved at a local level so that you are a familiar face. When the SHTF these people may view you with suspicion, and leave you out to fend for yourself when things get tough.
When I got home Sunday afternoon, my youngest son told me that the house had been broken into, and my oldest son’s computer monitor had been stolen, as well as my nice new blender. The blender was found outside in the bushes, broken. In my back yard, I found a stereo which I had lent my son, smashed.
I have a few inactive vehicles, one of which I was considering for a bug out vehicle. It is a 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. The front windshield had been smashed. It was previously in good shape.
Last night as I slept, some person(s) entered my home and stole my stereo speakers from my living room. They took the old speakers as well as the new ones. The old ones sat next to where my oldest son lay sleeping on a futon in front of the window AC units. They entered thru his bedroom window, which was broken.
They moved a $250 power inverter to get to the old speakers. They also moved a $120 dollar propane heater to get the old, heavy ass speakers out of the boxes and out the sliding glass doors. They walked past my expensive compound miter saw on the way out.
I am under siege.
I think they will be back yet again.
I don’t know if these persons are armed when they enter my home. I will assume that they are and take the necessary precautions. I have worked out a system to where my youngest son can barricade his door so no one can force it open. He also sleeps with a Kukri. I am considering buying him a Katanna. A Katanna is safer than a gun, and silent. I may also get him a Javelin.
Woe to any who manage to enter his room.
I am going to install a wireless intercom system with the master unit in my bedroom next to my bed. I will be able to listen to the whole house. Also, if any family member needs me to come to their assistance, I will be able to hear them. I am sure that whoever is doing this is known to myself or my oldest son. They are too familiar with our property and daily habits to be some random ass stranger.
My cars are prowled on a regular basis. I don’t leave anything of value in them because of this. I have no choice now but to buy the most affordable surveillance system I can. I may not be able to buy the best, but if I can get my attackers on video, I will know who is to blame. I may turn it over to the lame ass law enforcement we have here, or I may deal with it myself.
Vengeance is sweet.
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A large dog and some cheap motion detection lights. Or a small yippy dog and some cheap motion detection lights. Dogs will warn you.
ReplyDelete+1 on the dog. Unless there are allergy reasons, you should get a dog ASAP. Man's best friend is an alarm system and close-in defense that beats modern electronics costing thousands.
ReplyDeleteThe pound can be a good place to get a dog for someone on a tight budget. Research and choose carefully, breed counts. I got my sheepdog from the pound, and have never made a better bargain. Since she's a sheepdog, she doesn't play and won't hunt - not her job description. Watching the family and protecting the property is, and she takes her job seriously. Since she became part of the family, the thefts from my house and storage shed have stopped.
It sound like teenagers, not adults--the vandalism and their choice of items to steal. How old is your son? 99 out of 100, it's people your teenager knows and associates with.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your loss, fake security cameras are $8.99 each, and a very good deterrent (1 9V battery, red light and they 'sweep')
-Lurker
How about a couple of Game Surveillance cammeras:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2618827
in strategic locations?
it may really be time for that strategic retreat. you need to hide your valuables today, namely the sons. anything else could be replaced. anyone that familiar with your home, probably knows you have guns, yet was brazen enough to come in. this is the kind of threat i have nightmares about myself. YMMV. i ruined myself financially, by bugging out of a home in which i no longer felt secure. (i used plastic for truck rentals and security deposits, etc). so i don't recomend this lightly. i would do it again somehow if it becomes necessary. in my case it was the truck rentals which were the costliest part of the operation. i don't know what you drive, but next time i'll buy somebodys old pickup instead of renting. G.O.O.D., today. IMHO that's more important than catching these people. enjoy your revenge cold.
ReplyDelete...irishdutchuncle
joe at vikingpreparednes has a post up about intruder drills. he doesn't post that often, but everything i've read there seems to be well thought out.
ReplyDelete...irishdutchuncle
I have a pair on Great Pyrennes They are territorial, good with kids, and scare the hell out of people.
ReplyDeleteAfter my neighbor's house was hit, they moved but have not bothered to sell or rent the home next door as they still use it. I was up all night for a week outside smoking watching it.
ReplyDeleteI loath people who pull this crap. I am amazing you don't have the shotgun up and ready to go just sitting with ya in the living room. I know one has to live, but I get over vigilant when this stuff hits close to home. I empathize.
I have considered a getting a dog, but under the current circumstances I am not sure it would be the best choice. My yard is only partially fenced and I really don't want to invest the money or time in fencing the whole thing if I am going to move in the near future.
ReplyDeleteI like larger dogs but the small yippy ones drive me nuts!
I do believe it is teenagers. My oldest son says he thinks it is tweakers. Or in common speak, Meth Heads, stealing for a fix. Perhaps it is both. Someone he has pissed off (he can be an ass) doing the vandalism and the druggies stealing my stuff.
A fake security camera might work as a deterrent, but I wish to nail these criminals. The game cameras seem to have a flash to create the right exposure, and while this would work well for game, a human may hunt down the source of the flash and steal the camera. They would work well mounted in a window to record movement outside.
My oldest son is nearly 18 (end of Oct) and has chosen a different path. He is like the prodigal son of the parable, and I see myself in my youth in him. He will forge his own path as did I, but I think he will return sooner, due to the state of the economy. My youngest who is 16, will stay with me as he has embraced the preparedness philosophy. I see myself in him also, but without the bad traits that taught me many hard lessons.
I read the Intruder drill posted on Viking Preparedness and realized just how crappy a layout my home has for self defense. (http://vikingpreparedness.blogspot.com/)
I do not wish to kill anyone, not because I have a great love of the human species, but because of the BS that follows a shooting. I do sleep with a loaded Rem 870 just in case they leave me no choice in the matter.
Thank God I'm in Texas! I can blast an intruder to Kingdom Come, no queations asked.... And I wouldn't hesitate to do it either. Home security by Mossberg and Federal 00 buck shot!!! Get you a medium sized dog. My little heeler/ jack russel mix is a damn good dog, ain't yappy, but will raise a ruckus if someone uninvited came in. She weighs about 25 pounds, and don't eat much. Cheap security..... My sympathies to ya Scout. That just plain sucks when stuff like that happens!
ReplyDeleteI am concerned that the dog might become familiar with the perps, if they are indeed visitors during waking hours and thieves when we sleep.
ReplyDeleteLot's of neighborhood teenagers have visited my home with no indication of criminal behavior. Would the dog become aggressive with them while we sleep if it recognizes their scent?
I am also not sure how my friend would feel if I brought a dog along. He has had his own dogs in the past but currently only has a cat like my family.
My neighbor has a dog, but they keep it inside at night. It used to alert me to teenage traffic before they began keeping it in the house.
Years ago a friend of mine took a motion sensor light,put in a socket with a plug in then the light.He wire an alarm to the socket. Scares the intruder and lights'em up for target practice
ReplyDeleteFamiliarity does make a difference, but the breed and training of the dog matter more. My sheepdog will not let my parents (who live across the street and are as familiar as it gets) inside without permission from me or my children. She takes security very seriously, and gets rewarded accordingly.
ReplyDeleteThe golden retriever or the labradors I used to have would greet the local youths as friends; they were hunting dogs and would only fight if their humans were in danger. They did not care about property, and so I lost some bicycles and other stuff. The only hunting breed that doubles as a guard dog is the Rhodesian ridgeback IIRC, making them a near-perfect SHTF choice.
Training is also key, which is how my pound half-breed is now an excellent guard dog. The Koehler dog training books have stood the test of time, you should be able to get one from the library.
Since your friend does not have issues with dogs, a well-behaved and well-trained dog should be an obvious asset. 99% of dog problems are due to abuse or untrained animals. Get a smart dog that has been bred for guard or watch duties, and TRAIN. Enough emphasis on training? Now I have to go work with my dog. :)
It's funny that people think it's so much safer and friendlier out in the sticks but I'll take the suburbs for friendliness.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with dogs is that some, regardless of the breed, don't have the bark-at-strangers personality. My scary looking American Bulldog barks at them *until* they're in the house and then he ignores them.
I'd definitely get the motion detection lights.
The only real advice I can give you is start packing. In your situation the dog isn't going to work for you. The punks will see any cameras you put up and knock them down. Putting them in the windows is going give you the same result and or blur any pictures you get. Lights aren't going to slow them down, as no one is watching or too scared to say anything. I know this becuase of the meth-heads living right behind us. Our cameras were knocked down, we have a crappy barky dog that is now scared of her own shadow because they terrorized her w/ firecrackers and BB guns. We also went to the trouble of finshing the fence that I personally watched one of those jackasses hop right over. It takes better than 45 minutes for any law men to get here and one even unsnapped his holster, with his hand on his gun, as my husband (flashlight showing his face, other hand up and waving) walked up to the gate while I was telling the officer what had occured. Forget it. Move. Take the boys with you, kicking and screaming if you have too. No, you don't want to shoot some stupid punk. If they come at you trying to do bodily harm, sure. Otherwise, at least in Washington, you're screwed.
ReplyDeleteThat truly stinks. Odds are it's a couple of kids, maybe neighbors.
ReplyDeleteThere's lots online about securing a home. My suggestion... get a camera(s). Google it, there's all kinds of solutions from camcorders to repurposed webcams.
Also get some kind of alarm or noisemaker - again plenty of ideas online from the can full of pebbles to full on home systems with sensors and what all. You can't stand watch 24/7, and good luck getting a good rest if every little noise wakes you up.
Don't forget to make a family plan; If all hell breaks loose every family member needs to know whats expected of them. Do they come running, or barricade themselves in a room?
Just some ideas. I really hope it all works out, and you do not have to move.
I hope I'm way off base here, and please forgive my casting aspersions, but you missed my 'true' point earlier.
ReplyDeleteAny possibility one or both of your kids are involved?
Again, hopefully wrong but my spidey sense says you may need to take a hard look at that possibility (and with luck, I'm extremely wrong).
Earlier on I had considered my oldest boy, but this strikes at the heart of our family. Watching movies together as a family and the kids entertaining friends was a major part of our social life.
ReplyDeleteStealing the speakers has deprived all off us of that pleasure.
I no longer suspect him as he is affected more than the rest, as he has the most friends over (usually girls ;) )
My youngest son is not even close to being a suspect as it is not in his nature.
I hope you get the pricks. In mass it is illegal to shoot someone for trespass or theft of property. But I asked the local cops about it and if the perp had a non-life threatening attitude "adjustment" accident that there was zero chance the DA would go after me.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm going to beat the &#%^$# out of anyone that I catch in my house.
I've had an alarm system installed, but not connected to the police. When it is set off, it makes an ungodly noise that will scare the paint off of walls. I figure it is like the opposite of Pavlov's dog -- if they get the shit scared out of them for opening a door, then they won't be back. Maybe there is some cheap-n-easy way to do that?
ReplyDeleteI'm really curious about where it is that you live.
ReplyDeleteIt has been my experience that a good dog can put an end to prowlers. It the dog isn't an option, I'd move on to the motion activated lights. If these prove to be to annoying then I would go with the Surveillance cameras.
We had a rash of robberies in my neighborhood and it turned out to be drug users. After they were arrested the thieving stopped. When it started up again a while later, nobody was surprised to find out it was a bunch of drug addicts.
Your kid would probably be better off with a baseball bat than a katana or a javelin. Give him a weapon that he's already familiar with and that he doesn't need any special training to wield effectively. I'd also consider getting a dog. Your experience with the locals is exactly why I'm not sold on packing up and moving to the country. If the locals aren't there to help you when you need it then what's the point of being a part of a community? I'd rather be the guy in a sea of millions that knows a few of his neighbors than the odd man out in a rural community that will be the first target during any kind of bad situation.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the trouble.
ReplyDeleteso it's not TEOTWAWKI or SHTF(yet). That means it's time for very realistic training. You are going to have to sort this problem out ASAP. IMHO that will mean many sleepless nights. Hide out in the corner of your yard waiting for the farkers.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do do something and do it today