security options

[theoldwizard1]

I am no expert, but from watching a bunch of YouTube video made by expert lock pickers I have a few pieces of advice when shopping for a padlock.

• Most common "brand name" padlocks are trivial to pick by experts. Worse, many can be "shimmed" opened by any teenager with an empty can of soda pop and a pair of decent scissors.
• If you can, use a "disc" padlock. There is usually not enough of the shackle exposed to be cut by either a bolt cutter or a grinder.
• The "best" lock brand (IMHO) is ABUS. They are made in Germany and are expensive ! Much more difficult to pick than your average padlock.

 

[hdmark80]

It doesn't matter if you live in a good or bad neighborhood you can be a target in either. I just moved from a nice neighborhood in Chicago to a nice old established suburb last summer. There were robberies in my old neighborhood but I was never hit. I had 6 foot fence and motion lights everywhere. Within the first 3 months of moving into my current house i woke up one morning and spotted a dirtbag climbing in through the unlocked window of our spare bedroom. New house has a huge backyard that is secluded with trees/shrubs during the summer. I was so focused on the work i was doing on the inside of the house i procrastinated on fixing the broken bulbs and light fixtures that left my backyard pitch black. Let's just say the night after the break in you the sox could have played a game in my yard. Also that burglar was lucky i hadn't unpacked my bedside gun safe.

 

[hdmark80]

If you think about everyone's responses it's all about common sense. There was a rash of car thefts in high end suburbs here last summer. Cars were being stolen from driveways, in many cases with the keys sitting inside the car...

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Near as I can tell they pried it up a bit and hooked a chain to it, crawled under and pushed it up that far before it jammed. Most of the good stuff was in the next bay over so it was easy to open that door from inside. The building does not have a man door.

They got about $4500 worth of stuff on the first trip, when they came back for seconds a guy up the road noticed a car that doesn't belong on our road (only 3 houses) for the second time he called the sheriff. Thieves were caught, but cops couldn't prove they stole anything on the first trip and they hadn't left with the second load. They were only charged with breaking and entering. He was on probation and got 1 year, she got probation. Both knew my youngest brother who is in prison for other stuff.

I have a bunch of antique tractors that were in another building but the keys were all on a nail in this one. I found all of those keys on the floor next to my '69 f250, you can see the bumper in the pic, when none worked they tried to hot wire it. They did a bunch of damage under the dash.

I got cameras up now, and am slowly researching alarm systems, the sticking point seems to be no heat in the building and no man door, so I need something wireless or blue tooth. The wi-fi is iffy this far from the house. I did get a blue tooth switch for the overhead doors that may slow them down, but nothing will keep them out if they want in, especially if they know some of your less reputable relations that know when you are not around.

 

[2CWG]

Random thoughts, some if it has already been covered.

Make it unfriendly/unappealing - Security/motion lights. Fence/Bars. No cover. Pull-down privacy screen while the door's open. Visible alarm bell high up on the outside ( can be a fake). Keep expensive gear out-of-sight. Avoid high-end look if possible. Maybe keep some cheap gear in the open as further misdirection/distraction.

Prevent the grab-and-go with multiple barriers to physical theft. Secured/reinforced outer walls/doors, roll-down metal security gate (or cage) between your cabinets and the main garage and then heavy-gauge locking metal cabinets for your expensive gear. Vehicle keys and other small, high-value targets in a safe inside the cabinet. This extends the window they need to steal anything of value and allows time for a response.

Make certain someone knows if a break-in is underway. Redundant alarm system with local bell/siren and strobe/spinning lights with remote tie-in. Motion sensors? "Shake" sensors on doors for early warning? Back that up with another system. Even something simple like a battery-powered driveway alarm repurposed to wirelessly transmit an alert if someone enters the garage. If you can alarm/alert before anyone gets to the garage (private drive/walk?), even better. Early warning yields maximum response time.

Collect evidence. Cameras inside/out. LOTS of light for the best possible images. Low angles with tight framing on the inside (faces!), along with an overview. Outside cameras should try to capture license plates on any vehicle that's used. Have enough storage on the external cameras for a couple weeks of footage so you can capture them "casing" the place before the main event. Battery backup for everything with multi-path transmission (wired+wireless, multi-band wireless) for alerts

 

[ddawg16]

It's a sad world that we live in that we even have to implement what we're discussing here to protect what is ours.

Been that way for hundreds....thousands of years.....Why do you think it's in the bible.....

 

[Pate]

For real security we sell these multipoint locks.

http://www.securitech.com/products/

For something more reasonable check out the Nordon Police Lock.

 

[ford33]

Why are you investing in an area you describe as "OK" but sounds like it is full of criminals?

Take the money you would have spent on the new building and buy another property in a desirable area. Real estate values are primarily based on location. Ever hear of "Location Location Location".

 

[cmc76]

Why are you investing in an area you describe as "OK" but sounds like it is full of criminals?

Take the money you would have spent on the new building and buy another property in a desirable area. Real estate values are primarily based on location. Ever hear of "Location Location Location".

a few reasons actually.
- not everyone has the luxury of just pulling out of property they own and relocating. Especially since i noted the improvement of the area with time.
- this issue is as much principal as it is practical. the term " soft targets' exists for a reason. I lived in about as cush of a village outside chicago as it gets. and like everyone else, i became complacent. And thats fine given the surroundings. I no longer live in that environment, and am planning based on that.
- An investment in property is just that. In the 3 years i have owned it, appreciation has been a steady with approximate 1% property tax. Versus the property I sold in Illinois which depreciated and had a tax rate closer to 6.5%