vandalism to my house, how to prevent? (Rochester Hills, Rochester: work, invest)

[Lisa_from_Debary]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Noboody said to kill the person! I would never advocate deadly force.

What else do you suggest? Just lay down and be a victim? I can't see cameras working unless you can identify the person you see. But they are probably taking steps to disguise themselves.

Like I also said, start a community watch program and see if it helps. Report all activity to the police as well, maybe they will patrol that community more. Inform your neighbors as well of what's going on so if they see something suspicious going on at your house they can call for help.

I am the LAST person who would suggest she lay down and take it, see my previous post on the matter.

I would go talking to anyone and everyone I could find. This little miscreants have no doubt spoken about what they have done...find them out, plague their life, make sure they get in trouble for it...

Motion sensor lights and cameras are great but that would not be enough for me...

I wish there was a way to load a paint ball gun with indellible ink...now that would be worth staying up all night for...

[SunnyKayak]

here a few ideas

set up several yard sprinklers thru the yard the ones that work at fire hose pressure might be the best.

Electric fence wire

line your parimeter with manure

random bricks in the yard surround with plastic forks about the distance it would be for someone tripping over the bricks to where the hand may lay.

Fish Line surround parimeter about 4 feet high

randomly place shovels , hoe or other sling up lawn equipment

If you have trees that they may use to sneak around the house find double sided nails or something similar in the tree base where hands may lay

set up some nice plant or inexpensive ornament on the porch rigged to a can of paint on the roof.

flypaper the perimeter

and my polictical correct response is see if you are the only target and narrow down what kids (probably) or an ex or someone that doesnt like your kids (maybe) and see if that situation can be rectify. good luck

[and the]

I'd get some digital cameras and not let ANYONE know you're recording. ESPECIALLY your kids. I'd not only want to put and end to it, but also know who's doing it. And when it comes to spreading information, there's a telegraph, a telephone and a tell-a-kid.

[nickbii]

Originally Posted by frazzledmom

Does anyone have ideas to prevent vandalism? My house was spray painted Saturday night; our vehicle was keyed. We are at a loss on what to do? We live in Shelby Twp.

First off, this is not fun for you, but it is also not a huge deal. These kids could be idiots engaged in suburban cow-tipping; or they could be actual criminals who need to be sent to jail. Criminal prosecution should be your last choice, BTW. Juvey has turned into crime school, sending these folks away may be just, but it's not very pragmatic. When they get out they go back home, which happens to be in your neighborhood.

Report the crime, but don't expect a stakeout. You might get one -- Shelby Township police don't have a lot to do -- but don't be surprised if the cops decide to leave the dumb kids alone.

Try to find out who did it. Anybody who knows the neighborhood kids well knows the ones who would do something this stupid, so that' won't be hard. Then talk to their parents. Be polite about it. Think how you'd like to learn your kids were engaged in remarkably stupid, and illegal activity. You don't want to convince their mom you have it out for her kids, or are trying top anything but help her keep the little dummies from getting themselves thrown in jail.

Oh, the advice about surveillance equipment probably won't work. You do not have a professional camera man zooming in for a close-up. You have a static picture of your lawn. You've seen actual surveillance camera footage. It's grainy, and if the bad guy doesn't come near the camera you don't get a shot of his face. It's useful for security guards because they can watch it live, so all they have to know is that some ******* just engaged in weird behavior near the car. It's useful for pros because they can enhance the picture, and combine the footage with other clues.

That doesn't mean it's a bad idea to put one up, the vandals might not know how difficult it is to get a good picture. For it to work as a deterrent, tho you have to let people know it's there.

Nick

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by Lisa_from_Debary

I wish there was a way to load a paint ball gun with indellible ink...now that would be worth staying up all night for...

I agree! ...............

[cburnett]

I would get a paint ball gun and stay up all night.
Nobody's going to die from paint balls.

Good luck getting rid of your vandals...

[frazzledmom]

thanks for the advice; the police were not able to find prints on the spray cans; we are installing 150 watt flood lamps with a 100 ft range around the perimeter and a motion sensor that will turn on a radio inside the house when it is tripped outside. I started talking to neighbors and they had vandalism and theft done but they really didn't 'do' anything about it. I guess it has to be really bad and you get mad before you act. Thanks for the good ideas everyone.

[frazzledmom]

I just wonder if it would escalate more? I don't feel safe and my sleep is now affected, I listen to every noise I hear outside. Ugh!! this is terrible!

Originally Posted by Lisa_from_Debary

I am the LAST person who would suggest she lay down and take it, see my previous post on the matter.

I would go talking to anyone and everyone I could find. This little miscreants have no doubt spoken about what they have done...find them out, plague their life, make sure they get in trouble for it...

Motion sensor lights and cameras are great but that would not be enough for me...

I wish there was a way to load a paint ball gun with indellible ink...now that would be worth staying up all night for...

[nickbii]

Originally Posted by frazzledmom

I just wonder if it would escalate more? I don't feel safe and my sleep is now affected, I listen to every noise I hear outside. Ugh!! this is terrible!

Have they kept it up? If they haven't vandalized you again, but you're worried anyway; you should probably buy and install some of the stuff that's been mentioned in this thread. You might not need it to protect you from vandalism, but worrying all the time ain't healthy. Peace of mind is very important.

If they have it's time to talk to neighbors about names, because the vandals already escalated it. First go to their parents, if that doesn't work go to the police. One prank may not get their attention, but several are technically "harassment."

Oh, make sure to file a police report after every incident. It's good for your peace of mind, because it's an action. It's only an escalation if you demand the police investigate further. Most importantly it documents the problem, so the Judge knows you're not a crazy lady who made a bunch of stuff up so she could send some kids to jail for one prank.

Nick

[deb68]

Originally Posted by frazzledmom

Does anyone have ideas to prevent vandalism? My house was spray painted Saturday night; our vehicle was keyed. We are at a loss on what to do? We live in Shelby Twp.

Get youself a security camera or two an mount them outside- even if you can't stop them you can at least get a picture and turn them in!

Also let the Shelby Police department know maybe they will patrol a bit more.