breaking and entering...

perth · 09-19-2002, 08:17 PM

some fucker has found a way into my house when im not home. he isnt taking anything, but he has left at least one note using MY FUCKING PRINTER PAPER! any suggestions on how to catch and deal with this fucker?

i suspect its this punkass skater kid living down my street, only because he obviously cant spell (fukin).

~james

elSicomoro · 09-19-2002, 08:27 PM

"Break and Enter" is a great Prodigy song.

Anyway, a few general suggestions:

--Video camera

--Alarm

--Gun

--Neighborhood watch

James, have you called the police? The kid could have left fingerprints.

perth · 09-19-2002, 08:37 PM

im thinking about it. if nothing else,the sight of a police car in front of my house might deter him. but i would love to get my hands on him and teach him a lesson frontier style. weve been talking about getting a gun lately, and this may be the straw that broke the camels back. the problem with that is that frankly, i worry about having a gun in the house. that and i have no idea how to shoot. thats not so bad, because i can always learn at a shooting range. i actually went to x10s website tonight, to read up on their wireless cameras. i really should talk to the police though, frontier justice tends to have repurcussions and i have a family to provide for.

~james

juju · 09-19-2002, 08:46 PM

What was written on the note?

perth · 09-19-2002, 08:55 PM

we were out of town over the weekend, so our saturday paper sat in our driveway for a couple days. the note was oh-so-cleverly hidden so i wouldnt find it right away under my pilsener glasses.

it read:

"pick up your fukin paper!!!
it look like white trash"

cute, no? anyways, i did call the police and they are sending someone by. hopefully they will have their lights flashing and stuff. i think im going to start pricing guns anyway. the following questions for only those who dont have a moral objection to firearrms in the home:

1. whats a good gun to be used only for in-home protection? one for someone who is frankly sort of frightened by guns in the first place?

2. how does one secure a gun in your home so its available in the event of an emergency, but still safely away from a child. im looking to the future right now. im not worried about james now, all i need to do is keep it up high. but what about when hes older?

~james

russotto · 09-19-2002, 09:58 PM

First thing is to get your locks changed. If someone got in without causing damage, they probably have a key somehow. Unless you left a door or window open. If locks are Kwikset or worse, get locks upgraded... you don't need high security necessarily, just something that's not trivial to pick for your average teenager.

Then, don't get a gun until you've gotten a way to secure it when you aren't there; you've already obviously got a security problem, no point in handing someone your new gun.

You can't keep a gun ready for defense and yet secure from a child at the same time, unless you actually have it with you. All the other solutions involve some compromise of readiness and/or security.

I think if you're afraid of guns you probably shouldn't get one -- at least, not until you've familiarized yourself with them enough to get over the fear -- but that's just my opinion.

perth · 09-19-2002, 10:14 PM

russotto,

thank you for the insight. i didnt even think about the security problem. i will talk to my landlord about getting the locks replaced/upgraded.

the testosterone-driven male in me was going to take issue with your use of the word 'afraid' in the context of guns, but then i realized thats probably the best word for it.

my dad keeps several guns, so maybe ill go to the shooting range with him sometime.

~james

MaggieL · 09-19-2002, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by perth
1. whats a good gun to be used only for in-home protection? one for someone who is frankly sort of frightened by guns in the first place?

Before you own a gun, you need to learn to shoot it, and not be *unnecessarily* afraid of it....as distinct from *respecting* it, which I encourage you to continue to do. Expreince and training will get you there. By all means go shooting with your Dad. And then, when he's old enough, take James shooting too. That way he'll have a leg up when he gets to your age.

Also, many shooting ranges can hook you up with an NRA instructor, or have firearms self-defense classes of their own. As a part of these classes, or by renting various weapons at the range, you can discover what the attributes of the various kinds of guns are without actually having to buy the wrong gun.

Quote:

2. how does one secure a gun in your home so its available in the event of an emergency, but still safely away from a child. im looking to the future right now. im not worried about james now, all i need to do is keep it up high. but what about when hes older?

Various forms of pistol safe are available, and I prefer the kind with a pushbutton combo lock that can be quickly opened in the dark. These can be lagbolted to your wall to discourage theft. I feel better with this approach than with "putting it up high".

http://www.asafelocksmith.com/102.html
http://www.safestogo.com/gnlkrrfl.htm

Of course, one of the *best* means of securing a firearm is keeping it on your person. Laws on licenced concealed carry vary from state to state....and Colorado's laws are painfully complex. Ask your county sheriff.

also see: http://www.packing.org/state/index.jsp/colorado

Was anything valuable missing from the house?

juju · 09-19-2002, 11:16 PM

Could it have been someone you know playing a joke on you?

perth · 09-19-2002, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juju
Could it have been someone you know playing a joke on you?

ill post more tomorrow regarding maggies reply (great info) but all i can say regarding the above is...

it fucking better not be.

~james

09-19-2002, 11:40 PM

DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASSES!

glasses are a great source of fingerprints.

perth · 09-20-2002, 07:37 AM

uh... too late. but i did get a police report from the officer which i will be making copies of and posting around my house and at the doors/windows to hopefully deter them from entering again. ill also be upgrading the locks today and getting new dowel rods for the sliding glass doors.

im going to look into getting into a firearms self-defense class as well as a firearm safety class, assuming there is such a thing. even if i decide not to get a gun, its valuable information to have.

nothing was missing from the house that i can tell, so its simply '1st degree breaking and entering' or something vs. full-blown burglary. i get the impression that they (the police) would have done more had it been burglary, so i almost wish they had taken something. i guess i should just be thankful that this particular violation of my familys privacy carried no real consequences for us other than to make us hate colorado springs more.

who does that though? who breaks into someones house to leave a note, risking a possible beating or arrest, rather than leaving a nastygram on the door? some people are fucking stupid.

~james

09-20-2002, 07:51 AM

Someone who thinks they are so fucking smart that they can get away with anything.

Incidentally, this is the exact same type of person that are found throughout the US Prison System.

As far as firearms go, Maggie was pretty much spot-on. Respect the gun, and LEARN HOW TO USE IT RESPONSIBLY. Otherwise you're part of the problem (and you don't wanna accidentally discharge a round into mini-perth)

juju · 09-20-2002, 10:10 AM

Don't just change the locks. Go outside. Circle your house, and try to figure out a way to get in. If you were bound and determined, how would you do it?

Once, I locked myself out of my mom's house, and I used this technique. I found out that there was an unlocked window in the back of the garage. Well, it was unlocked because it had security bars on it. I'm not sure why it had bars on it, 'cause it was the only window in the house with them. But anyway, I was so skinny at the time that I was able to slip right through the bars and get in the house. >:]

perth · 09-20-2002, 10:29 AM

well, total ways into the house:

1. front door: im getting new locks with a longer deadbolt today.

2. garage door: we have a garage door opener, so opening it manually is even louder than usual. even so, i am now keeping the overhead door and the door into the house locked.

3. rear sliding glass door: not much to do here but buy a dowel rod and cut it to fit the opening.

4. window in my sons room: closed and locked at all times. i may get a dowel rod for it as well, just in case. this window is, however, quite inaccesible.

5. balcony sliding glass door in my room. see 3.

we are in a townhouse, so there arent many windows at all.

thank you everyone for the advice. i really do appreciate it. i cant believe how upset i am over this considering they didnt take anything.

~james

09-19-2002, 08:17 PM	#1
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	breaking and entering... some fucker has found a way into my house when im not home. he isnt taking anything, but he has left at least one note using MY FUCKING PRINTER PAPER! any suggestions on how to catch and deal with this fucker? i suspect its this punkass skater kid living down my street, only because he obviously cant spell (fukin). ~james

09-19-2002, 08:27 PM	#2
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	"Break and Enter" is a great Prodigy song. Anyway, a few general suggestions: --Video camera --Alarm --Gun --Neighborhood watch James, have you called the police? The kid could have left fingerprints.

09-19-2002, 08:37 PM	#3
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	im thinking about it. if nothing else,the sight of a police car in front of my house might deter him. but i would love to get my hands on him and teach him a lesson frontier style. weve been talking about getting a gun lately, and this may be the straw that broke the camels back. the problem with that is that frankly, i worry about having a gun in the house. that and i have no idea how to shoot. thats not so bad, because i can always learn at a shooting range. i actually went to x10s website tonight, to read up on their wireless cameras. i really should talk to the police though, frontier justice tends to have repurcussions and i have a family to provide for. ~james

09-19-2002, 08:46 PM	#4
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	What was written on the note?

09-19-2002, 08:55 PM	#5
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	we were out of town over the weekend, so our saturday paper sat in our driveway for a couple days. the note was oh-so-cleverly hidden so i wouldnt find it right away under my pilsener glasses. it read: "pick up your fukin paper!!! it look like white trash" cute, no? anyways, i did call the police and they are sending someone by. hopefully they will have their lights flashing and stuff. i think im going to start pricing guns anyway. the following questions for only those who dont have a moral objection to firearrms in the home: 1. whats a good gun to be used only for in-home protection? one for someone who is frankly sort of frightened by guns in the first place? 2. how does one secure a gun in your home so its available in the event of an emergency, but still safely away from a child. im looking to the future right now. im not worried about james now, all i need to do is keep it up high. but what about when hes older? ~james

09-19-2002, 09:58 PM	#6
russotto Professor Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,788	First thing is to get your locks changed. If someone got in without causing damage, they probably have a key somehow. Unless you left a door or window open. If locks are Kwikset or worse, get locks upgraded... you don't need high security necessarily, just something that's not trivial to pick for your average teenager. Then, don't get a gun until you've gotten a way to secure it when you aren't there; you've already obviously got a security problem, no point in handing someone your new gun. You can't keep a gun ready for defense and yet secure from a child at the same time, unless you actually have it with you. All the other solutions involve some compromise of readiness and/or security. I think if you're afraid of guns you probably shouldn't get one -- at least, not until you've familiarized yourself with them enough to get over the fear -- but that's just my opinion.

09-19-2002, 10:14 PM	#7
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	russotto, thank you for the insight. i didnt even think about the security problem. i will talk to my landlord about getting the locks replaced/upgraded. the testosterone-driven male in me was going to take issue with your use of the word 'afraid' in the context of guns, but then i realized thats probably the best word for it. my dad keeps several guns, so maybe ill go to the shooting range with him sometime. ~james

09-19-2002, 11:16 PM	#9
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	Could it have been someone you know playing a joke on you?

09-19-2002, 11:40 PM	#11
dave Guest Posts: n/a	DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASSES! glasses are a great source of fingerprints.

09-20-2002, 07:37 AM	#12
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	uh... too late. but i did get a police report from the officer which i will be making copies of and posting around my house and at the doors/windows to hopefully deter them from entering again. ill also be upgrading the locks today and getting new dowel rods for the sliding glass doors. im going to look into getting into a firearms self-defense class as well as a firearm safety class, assuming there is such a thing. even if i decide not to get a gun, its valuable information to have. nothing was missing from the house that i can tell, so its simply '1st degree breaking and entering' or something vs. full-blown burglary. i get the impression that they (the police) would have done more had it been burglary, so i almost wish they had taken something. i guess i should just be thankful that this particular violation of my familys privacy carried no real consequences for us other than to make us hate colorado springs more. who does that though? who breaks into someones house to leave a note, risking a possible beating or arrest, rather than leaving a nastygram on the door? some people are fucking stupid. ~james

09-20-2002, 07:51 AM	#13
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Someone who thinks they are so fucking smart that they can get away with anything. Incidentally, this is the exact same type of person that are found throughout the US Prison System. As far as firearms go, Maggie was pretty much spot-on. Respect the gun, and LEARN HOW TO USE IT RESPONSIBLY. Otherwise you're part of the problem (and you don't wanna accidentally discharge a round into mini-perth)

09-20-2002, 10:10 AM	#14
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	Don't just change the locks. Go outside. Circle your house, and try to figure out a way to get in. If you were bound and determined, how would you do it? Once, I locked myself out of my mom's house, and I used this technique. I found out that there was an unlocked window in the back of the garage. Well, it was unlocked because it had security bars on it. I'm not sure why it had bars on it, 'cause it was the only window in the house with them. But anyway, I was so skinny at the time that I was able to slip right through the bars and get in the house. >:]

09-20-2002, 10:29 AM	#15
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	well, total ways into the house: 1. front door: im getting new locks with a longer deadbolt today. 2. garage door: we have a garage door opener, so opening it manually is even louder than usual. even so, i am now keeping the overhead door and the door into the house locked. 3. rear sliding glass door: not much to do here but buy a dowel rod and cut it to fit the opening. 4. window in my sons room: closed and locked at all times. i may get a dowel rod for it as well, just in case. this window is, however, quite inaccesible. 5. balcony sliding glass door in my room. see 3. we are in a townhouse, so there arent many windows at all. thank you everyone for the advice. i really do appreciate it. i cant believe how upset i am over this considering they didnt take anything. ~james

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