Dock robbed again!

[Dan J.]

Does anybody else have to deal with lake theft? I get to spend the morning repairing the door on my dock box. Yep, broken into! The motion detector went of, activating the flood lights/chime and within the few seconds it took to scope over my bedroom deck, all I could see was the rooster tail of some dirtbag's boat heading out of my cove. Other than a couple bucks worth of chain busted, they didn't get much. (A couple old Pflueger Supreme BC's on Bionic Blades and a couple of my favorite crappie rods.) Thankfully, they didn't get any of my little boy's stuff. I guess Snoopy, Taz, Tweety and the rest don't bring much in pawn. (LOL!) I tell you, people are getting brazen when they want to violate your property within an easy 150ft "plinking" distance. The police, as much as they'd like to, really can't do anything about it. It's almost the last straw on the proverbial camel's back. I'm so done with being P.C. about this stuff, I'm ready to go on the offense! Our lake has traffic on it beyond description (24 mill.-ish yrly.!) and with it comes a percentage of undesirables. Since the alarm just seems to slightly annoy them, I'm torn between covering the decking with steel mesh and charging it (which might actually keep the geese/ducks at bay! LOL!) or just getting the night vision scope I've been considering. (LOL!!) All jokes aside, I hope I don't actually get one on one with one of these scumbags. With the liberal laws protecting their rights, I'm sure I'd get the worst end of the stick. Such is life in a world with creeps and cowards. (Sorry for the rant!)



Anyone got any ideas what else a fella can do??!!:angry:

 

[Pat Goff]

Pet snakes come to mind.

 

[Tony Payne]

not really....



Set a trap with one of those cameras they use for deers... try to get his picture and his boat reg #s.... then you can prosecute.



Put a rattlesnake in the box.



Put a large cat in the box.



Any spring activated "jack in the box" type of item... maybe rig it with Pepper Spray/Mace?



Obviously, don't leave anything of value in the box at this point.

 

[Bill McElroy]

install a hidden speaker that plays a recording of a dog growling.......

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Dog house and one mean dog.



Blow gun with poison darts.



Pet Rattle snake put in box.



Scorpions put in box.



Pet Teranjula Spider



Video camera with night optics.:angry::angry:

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Put a sign on your dock....

Burglars and Robbers BEWARE!!!!!

It looks like no one is aruond...Is it worth your life to find out ?



Big friggin' Rottweiller chained to the dock comes to mind !:lol:

I'll let you in on a secret....

I had my garage broken into twice where I used to live...let's just say it was booby trapped and the last time it was brokin' into...he left some his blood:lol:

 

[TrepMan]

Dan - That realy STINKS!!! Very glad they only got a few things and none of the Big Guys rods! At least you have a motion detector, lights and such. I'm sure that is unfortunetly due to prior acts by these bastages.



I like the charge idea, but gotta look into the legality, I remember back in Indiana when there was a rash of "lawn jobs" one of our neighboors was planning on doing a set of pop-up spikes along the edge of his yard, to flatten the tires and give him a chance to get the kids. But long story short while installing them a cop happened to come by and explained the legality or rather illegality and liability if a kids on his bike fell on his yard and got "spiked".



I do like the digital camera tied to the light sensor so you could get registry #'s.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I like the electric idea. Non-lethal. Of course, I'd crank it up TO lethal! LOL



It really is sad that this happens and what's worse is that like you said, due to the liberal laws we have today, the criminal is more protected than the victim. Screw it I say, shoot 'em anyway. You felt threatened.

To me, a guy that is willing to break into and steal your property is only a 6 pack and a bad day away from armed robbery and possibly murder. I simply won't take the chance of hoping they'll leave with just property. If someone breaks into my home, camp, property, whatever, they had better know, there is a GOOD chance they WON'T be leaving alive.

Besides, I thought Georgia had the front porch law no? Does that apply to docks too? Or is that just a myth?



You know it's getting bad when good ole fashioned, right wing, redneck states like AL, GA, LA, TX, stop letting landowners shoot trespassers. Before you know it, you'll be just like NY.....and that ain't good!:angry:

 

[Mike L.]

Dan, that really stinks!!..........Just remember now....The thief now knows that you

will probably soon have ' brand new' rods and reels in that locker! What a shame

that you have to turn your dock onto a Fort!!

Mike L.

 

[C C]

Sorry to hear you got ripped off again I hope you are able to find a way to deal with this problem.



Since you are in the south and it doesn't get very cold, if you have electric at your dock and somewhere secure you can put the VCR within 100 feet of the camera you can put in a wireless X10 Flood Camera w/motion sensor for $79 + the VRC. Or hook into a PC add a piece of recording software and you can add on more cameras or record directly to the hard drive. I have been using a multi camera setup from X10 for 5 years which are easy to set up and work great. I have had to replace 2 of the 3 outdoor cameras because they aren't designed to deal with the cold but because they are so cheap it's not a bad deal.



Cass
http://www.x10.com/products/x10_vt38ac.htm

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I got it!

Ya' wanna' borrow my Tater Gun? That'll put a welt on his ass:lol:

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

And we wonder why dockowners are so defensive about even fishing their docks!!! There's got to be something you can do. I like the camera idea but make sure you mount it where they can't get at it on their way out. How common is this? How may times has it happened to you?



TOXIC

 

[Dan J.]

Rob - In GA, to sum it up, if you feel threatened with grave injury, you can drop 'em in the dirt. Dock's are also private property like a garge or out building is. I'd sure hate to have to resort to something more.



Cass - Thanks for the video link. It kills me to think I need it other than to see who did it. I don't think that they believe that they can be caught in the act. (Coming from the water.) I hate to think that retaliation of some sort is the only solution.



I appreciate y'all's comments and suggestions. I need all the help I can get!

 

[Dan J.]

Tox - It's very common here, as most other big bodies of water near a large metropolis. I'm afraid it's just a sign of our times. They had barely a minute to use bolt cutters through the chain/lock, grab what they wanted, then run like cowards. It's my second time in 4 yrs. (actual broke in) Petty, loose theft or "disappearances" happen occasionally, too.

 

[william Clark]

I like the sign I read once, "trespassers will be violated". I like sim's game camara idea. It will probably be a while before you get hit again though. Sorry to here about that.

 

[JD Johnson]

Retaliation may not be the only solution but unfortuneatley it is the best one. If the cops actually accidently stumbled onto them and tripped over them the judge would probably just say ok you crack heads go home and play nice cause stealing ain't right. Then he would chew you out for storing stuff down therer instead of taking it back to the house every night. I like the rattlesnake idea only remove his rattles first.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Get a bigger chain (bigger than standard snippers) and a metal dock box? How about a well placed bunch of rebar where it wouldn't impede any lake traffic but would poke some nasy holes?



TOXIC

 

[Bill McElroy]

Get a couple infra-red trailcams...the kind hunters use for checking game trails....all they have to see is the flash and they'll freak out and split......

 

[TOMMY RICH]

On my garage I also have a "fake" camera. I'll take a digital pic tonite I wired the red light up to stay on all the time and flash when it's approached

I also have the Camera on Premises labels on both ends of the windows. When we have garage sales...you wouldn't believe how many people actually think it's hooked up and wave and smile like they're on CandidCamera

Wouldn't be too hard to hook it up to a "full time" real monitor.

 

[Bryan McDonough]

Thats what i was thinking, motion cameras, just like the hunting cameras.

 

[Jim in VA]

Sucks Dan J. Cameras and stronger/thicker chains is likely your best bet after simply not storing stuff at the dock (a pain, I know). Be careful of some of the other suggestions. I know that many were tongue-in-cheek, but we live in a strange society where setting traps using rattlesnakes, spikes or other harmful contrivances (even on your own property) can actually came back to haunt you. Such items are considered so inherently dangerous by state and local legislatures and courts, that no one may use them. The consequences are not only criminal prosecution, but it leaves thieves the opportunity to use the legal system to steal from you (i.e., sue). Not right, but reality, nonetheless.



Also, be careful about attacks on trespassers in the name of "self-defense." Every jurisdiction in the fifty states has some provision about a duty to retreat when faced with threat of harm (including death). About the only exception to this duty to retreat is in your home - there is no duty to retreat from your domicile - however, the legal definition of domicile typically does not include external structures set apart from the home such as boat docks. When force is justified (either because retreat is not possible or you are in your home), use of such force is only justified to the level of the threat. That is, deadly force (i.e., a gun) is only justified to the extent necessary to prevent serious injury or death of one's self or others. Shooting an unarmed burglar as he's fleeing your house or boat dock is probably not justified. I know, it sucks, but that's the law in a nutshell. Yes, cops are definitely sympathetic and may "see" things in your favor letting you avoid legal entanglements, but then you have to ask yourself if the risk of getting a sympathetic cop and the satisfaction of popping a scumbag as he's stealing your fishing gear worth having to go through the hassle of potentially having to defend yourself from a criminal prosecution and civil lawsuit.



Good luck with the extra security measures.

 

[Lamar Gilbert]

Hooking it up to electricity would be a no-no. Makes you liable in case of a serious accident. However........don't think that would be the case with a good ole-fashoned electric fence charger. I have one around my garden to keep bambi out and it sure works. Have it on a PC cell so it's only on at night.

 

[Mike Taft2]

I would shoot their boat up, not the crook. If I could get them on my land, that would change.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I assume they're coming in with a trolling motor to be nice and stealthy. Then they rocket off with their outboard. Just suspend a BIG wad of 50 lb test fireline or spider wire at right about the right level to get caught up in their TM prop and then in their outboard prop. At the very least, you'll slow them down enough to catch them. If not, they won't get far before blowing their lower unit. Hopefully, it will ruin their TM AND their lower unit. Just a thought.



Just remember that it's there when you bring your own boat in. Or make it removable so you can take it out during the day, and just drop it in at night.