Attempted break-in (Again)

[freenez2]

I hate it when this happens... Sleeping peacefully at 3:00 AM and being awakened by sound at the door. They never get in before discovering the van is occupied and then run away. This morning the guy was scared off by my dog barking. He still had time to mess up the lock with an awl though. Fortunately the lock is still functional. Wonder what a fix will cost? Probably a good thing I didn't have a gun as I would have put a round through him. @#^&amp;!&nbsp; &nbsp; <br>

 

[mockturtle]

I guess one disadvantage to stealth is that perps assume the vehicle is unoccupied. Sorry this happened.&nbsp; Where were you parked? <br>

 

[sl1966]

Way way back in the early 80s when I bought my first car. I wasn't able to afford a real car alarm due to the fact that I blew all that money on a real nice stereo. What I did to deter theives worked well beyond my wildest imagination. I added a blinking LED light inside of the car for the cost of about $3 then.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>At the time I used to work in a rather shady neighborhood and the building I was in had tinted windows due to it's position when the sun would set. I used to watch would be thieves walk up to my car, look inside, see the light, and move on.</div><div><br></div>

 

[freenez2]

Guess so... In a Berkeley California light industrial area. That happened at 3:10 AM and subsequently moved to new spot. In the new spot at 4:30 AM in a semi-residential area I felt the van rock and got up to find a couple of Mexican guys checking the back doors. They boogied after seeing me. What are the chances of it twice in one night? As an after thought, I wonder if putting the yellow/black reflective tape on the tow package has made it look like an unoccupied work truck? I put it on to make the van more visible in hopes it will help prevent being rear-ended while parked on the street. &nbsp; <br>

 

[cyndi]

Ack, Mike, sorry you are dealing with this... I don't know how it would affect your stealth, but I remember a couple of people at the RTR getting solar powered motion detection lights. Put em up when you tuck in, for the night... They weren't very expensive<div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[Seraphim]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Work trucks contain tools to be stolen.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Perhaps your truck looks too nice lol.</p>

 

[freenez2]

Seraphim, If people keep messing with it, that problem may solve itself.&nbsp; Steve, It's already set up with a car alarm. Looks like I should be arming it while inside at night and will start doing that. Cyndi, That's a good suggestion and will consider it. Thanks to all. <br>

 

[sl1966]

Steve, It's already set up with a car alarm. Looks like I should be arming it while inside at night and will start doing that.

<div><br></div><div>That's a good call. I do that when I'm sleeping in my truck at rest stops as well as areas I don't know about.</div><div><br></div>

 

[NineFiveOner]

freenez2, I'm also sorry you had to go through that. I guess the silver lining is that you didn't get hurt and nothing was damaged too badly. Is the such a thing as being TOO stealth? <br><br>A quick note about firearms in California that you may or may not already know. It's perfectly legal to have an UNLOCKED and UNLOADED long gun (shotgun, rifle) in your car - it's the concealable handguns that the police are worried about and have to be stowed away and blah blah blah. Using them to poke holes in scumbag scoundrels is a debate is entirely a different story for a different day, but a quick rack of the pump on a shotgun is reportedly the most feared sound by said hooligans. Perhaps they would ask to use your van to change their underwear afterwards! <br><br>I hope that you have safer travels from here on out, my friend.<br><br>Tony <br>

 

[VanTrekker]

<p style="margin: 0px;">First, I am very glad you are okay!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">The shotgun pump sound is priceless.&nbsp; I wish I still had the old trusty 12 gauge around.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I have a compressed air type horn as well as a baton. I'm kind of thinking the motion detector light might not be a good idea, particularly near the back door.&nbsp; There are a million things you can do with one if a person&nbsp;is&nbsp;creative enough.&nbsp; If a person wanted to, you could also put the detector outside and run wires in to light up a bulb in the interior...&nbsp; That way stealth is still maintained...&nbsp; Or, just let it flood the area&nbsp;with light&nbsp;and drive the cockroaches away.&nbsp; Everything is so situation specific but there are lots of good ideas here.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I personally think firing a round or two in the air would be nice but then again, you would be the one in jail...&nbsp; It's a crazy world.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">V.T.</p>

 

[bobbert]

One quick thing about car alarms. As some of you know, a lot of aftermarket vehicle alarms include a mercury-based sensor that will set the alarm off when the vehicle transmits a bump. Thus, it would be tuff to prevent the alarm from going off after you set it, especially when you move around in the vehicle. The switch is meant to trip the alarm when a perpetrator hits the window with a lugnut wrench (or the like). The vibrations are sent to the sensor and, in turn, trips the alarm-

 

[kycat1]

<p>Hopefully the repair won't set ya back much, if you cannot fix yourself. I stay on and in, BLM parks most. I have noticed more and more people being interested in how i power the radio exc.&nbsp; And some of these are from non campers. Hard time out there. Let's hope you have no more of these butt heads try. 2 in one day is enough for your share for many moons. Good luck going foward</p>

 

[gp]

<P>If&nbsp;someone doesn't&nbsp;already&nbsp;have an alarm installed in the van, Radio Shack sells gadget alarms that are magnetic. You stick one side of the gadget on your door, the other on the door panel, and turn it on. When the magnetic field is broken by someone opening the door,&nbsp;it sets off&nbsp;a really loud, shrill alarm. They come in a four pack and&nbsp;were only around $10.00 for the pack last time I bought them.</P>

 

[thinker]

a quick rack of the pump on a shotgun is reportedly the most feared sound by said hooligans.&nbsp;<br>

<br><div>

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The shotgun pump sound is priceless.</span>

</div><div><br></div><div>there's an app for that</div>

 

[Ricekila]

<P>Then as they run away - their on the cell phone -- "Hello police -- there's a guy in the parking lot standing next to a van - holding a shot gun <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" align=absMiddle border=0></P>

 

[Ricekila]

In my world -- if it can come back to bite you in da ass -- it will <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><BR><BR>If you hear someone at the door - and you turn on the tape player ( do they even make those anymore <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif" align=absMiddle border=0>&nbsp;&nbsp; ) with the German Shepperd's barking --- "Hello ASPCA - there's a puppy locked in a van" <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/mad.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><BR><BR>As my daddy use to say --- "Expect the worse - this way you'll never be disappointed " --- "Now go clean your room" <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><BR>

 

[Vivid-Dawn]

I actually have a little hand gun, but never dare to take it out of it's drawer. In Utah, it is illegal to point a gun at somebody if you don't intend to shoot (dunno the legal wording, but that's the gist of it). So for instance, if your gun was UNloaded, but you acted like you were going to shoot... you get to go to jail. I do believe this is even for "self defense".<br><br>About 15 years ago, I was in a shopping parking lot and when I got to my car, the car next to me suddenly said in a female robot voice "Please step away from this vehicle." Well, since it was parked right next to mine, and I was trying to put my groceries away, I didn't. So about 5 seconds later "Please step away from this vehicle. If you do not, the alarm system will activate". I decided I better go around to the other side of my car, even though it was the passenger side. I would rather crawl over the seats to get in, than have some alarm blaring and screetching at me for minding my own business&nbsp; &gt;_&lt;&nbsp; LOL<br>

 

[Ricekila]

Are you sure you weren't next to Mrs.&nbsp;Stephen Hawkings van <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><br><br>That's a "Proximity Warning Alarm" -- I usually start talking back to them <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><br>

 

[adi]

This is one of my concerns as well, with a cargo van. If it's just a blank van, they assume it has some sort of tools, and a smash and grab is worth the chance.

One idea that I'm working on refining is making the van look more like a mobile pet grooming vehicle, or something else low budget. Park, attach some magnetic signs, and hopefully not worry about it too much. I breaks your stealth, especially if you are staying in one spot for more than a few nights, but in most situations I can see it as beneficial.

 

[sl1966]

One idea that I'm working on refining is making the van look more like a mobile pet grooming vehicle, or something else low budget.

<div><br></div><div>You could always label it like a haz-mat van.&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif"></div><div><br></div>