OT: I just caught some punk

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by dogscoff:
If you're going to install floodlights, be careful.

Many thieves & prowlers *prefer* houses with high-powered motion-triggered halogen spotlights. These lights are so bright that they cast very dark, very deep shadows, and the sharp contrast makes it very difficult to spot someone hiding in those shadows- more difficult than if the whole area remained in half-light.

Therefore, make sure you position the lights so as not to create any shady hiding places for the bad guys.

The clientel in AT's neighbourhood house doesn't sound as smart as that.. I mean.. the horse...

[Thermodyne]

We had some junky type riff-raff living in our town. With lots of thefts and home invasions taking place, and all kinds of vandalism. They were living in an old farm house that belonged to some rich Arabs that were just speculating the property. The owners basically didn’t give a damn about our concerns when we contacted the rental agent. The cops tried to help, but the laws are stacked in favor of society’s trash. Then one night Last winter the house burned down! Riff-raff moved on and the crime wave stopped. Fire is really an amazing thing………

[Nostalgia For Infinity]

I think you need to douse the house in petrol, no one will care, apart from the occupants of course!

Just don't get caught!

[dogscoff]

I really can't believe I've just read those Last two Posts...

[primitive]

Originally posted by dogscoff:
I really can't believe I've just read those Last two Posts...

Burn down their house so they move to the next county. Now there’s a creative solution

[AMF]

Don't shoot people. Don't kill people. That is bad, for everyone involved, and society.

There are many other things to do, all of which involve a bit more effort. But, humans and animals are different, and it takes effort to behave in ethical ways and be part of a community.

I have found that economic pressure works very well in my neighborhood. You say they live in a house? Get the city to put a "nuisance tax" lien on it. Most municipalities have that provision and it forces the owner of the house to deal with the problem in a way that hits them where it hurts - the pocketbook. Plus, you can keep piling them on to a certain point.

Some other examples of ways to deal with this situation have already been mentioned. Motion sensors, pictures, cameras, etc...here are a few others off the top of my head:

* Mace/pepper spray
* A dog
* You can buy halogen flashlights that are so powerful they can temporarily "blind" someone if you shine it in their faces. Use that next time, get 'em in their face, then get a few good pictures? Or something else...

Just off the top of my head.

Good luck,

Alarik

[Gandalf Parker]

If you want to personalize the security of your home and make the computer part of it then go might want to go to www.SmartHome.com

But be warned. I usually dont recommend that site without first telling the person to hide their credit cards or hand them over to a spouse. This is MAJOR hacker/geek toy country. Everything you need to make your house do everything you have ever seen in any movie.
The guided tour is fun to look at.
http://www.smarthome.com/gtour/guidedtour.html

[ June 17, 2004, 14:11: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Combat Wombat]

Don't shoot then with a rifle or a pistol. Get a stungun and shoot them till they are squirming uncontrolablely on the ground. Then call the police. It's non-lethal, so it cool.

[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by Katchoo:
I thought the good thing about living in the U.S.A. was that if someone tresspassed on your property, you had a legal right to blow their head off with the highest caliber automated rifle you own.



I did a search and found this: Electronic Yard Fence
It's a motion detector that emits light and ear piercing noise when set off. It's only got a 15 foot range though, so you might need quite a few if your property is big.

Better yet, put in some Electric Fencing: Electric Fencing
So far the highest voltage I've found is in the above link (10,000 Volts), although most seem to average out around 4,000 to 5,000 Volts.

Actually, that's a matter of state laws, not federal. In W's Texas for example, yes, you can shoot someone on your property after dark and if they die it's just too bad. This seems to be a relic of the days of cattle rustling. Someone's 'property' used to be hundreds of square miles of grasslands so if you found someone well inside your property after dark you pretty much knew what they were up to and could save the sheriff the trouble of hunting them down by shoooting them yourself. Other states are very different. Gun laws in New York are not very far from the UK model. A few of the wealthy and powerful can buy themselves private mercenaries for protection but Joe Average will be prosecuted and put in prison for years if he dares to even carry a gun, let alone use it.

Other sorts of laws are not even state, but local matters. I'd be surprised if communities in Oregon (isn't this where Atrocities lives?) don't have some 'nuisance' laws for dealing with derelicts and squatters.

Do these people even have the right to be living in that house? Or is it an 'abandoned' property? If so, you'd better find the owner of the property and 'persuade' him/her to get them evicted.

The attempt to sell the horse is obvious fraud. You can get a lawyer and sue them yourself even if the cops won't follow up. Yes, it's expensive but how expensive will it be to install and maintain all of the security equipment you are contemplating?

[AMF]

That's an extremely good point. Check state laws before doing anything like getting mace, etc...lassst thing you want is to get busted. There are websites that will tell you what you can and can't get away with. I think the NRA does that at least in part, maybe just related to guns, but there are some restrictions on mace/pepper spraw as well in some places.

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
Actually, that's a matter of state laws, not federal. ...Other states are very different.