Lame break-in attempt

[LucyImHome]

I've only been living in my truck 12 days now. I found a "safer" spot to park, in front of a friends 4 plex. There is a sizable homeless/mentally ill/addicted population, so I was aware. I sleep in the extended cab part. At 4:30 am I semi wake up hearing something. Someone tries to open the driver door. I'm awake! Fortunately the ignition has to be turned to unlock that door and I had the window half way up. So while I'm sitting up, a flashlight shines in the front seats. I sit up and turn to face that way. A woman is reaching over the window to try to unlock the door. At that point, I'm pissed! I yell "HEY! Get the hell out!" She jerks her arm back out and says "Oh. Sorry" &nbsp; ??? Okay. She then just proceeds on down the road like it's a regular kind of thing to happen. Wow. She was carrying big bags of recycling. I did not have recyclables in my truck.<br>I didn't get scared. I thought it might scare me, but no. What if it had been a man? I probably would have been scared then. I am hoping that the word will travel that it would be wise to avoid that parking lot.&nbsp;<br>I've thought about getting mace. If I'd opted to use it in this situation, I likely would have maced myself as well as the interior of the truck!<br><br>

 

[James AKA Lynx]

I have had something like that happened. The police will not to much. About the only thing you could do is report the person as suspicious and ask them to check them out. <br><br>What you did was right. Much more and it could have been bad. Some things could help but only so much. Windows up a little higher, Rain flaps on the outside, Screens on the inside. <br><br>I suggest that you keep a kitchen knife handy and made to look like it is used and lives there.<br><br>Best, James AKA Lynx

 

[TxGypsy]

A large maglight flashlight full of D cell batteries not only gives good light, it's danged heavy and would knock someone out pretty easily.&nbsp; It's one of those non-obvious weapons.<br><br>I agree, some sort of window screen would be helpful in such situations.&nbsp; I'm glad it wasn't more serious!

 

[my_vantasy]

Wow. That's weird. Glad you are OK.

 

[MOTOWN]

Hi the best thing to have is a taser baton, you can clock any one who trys to get in, and if they try to grab it from you they get zapped and whacked up side the head. and get to them out side for a size 12 boot ride, kick start their head like and out of tune Harley.&nbsp;That will&nbsp;get their day going, it sounds harsh but on the other side of the coin you could be stabed, shot&nbsp; or receive a general beat down or worst, so do unto the thief what they do unto you, before they do it. A good primer to get you in the mood, "I stab people" by Insane Clown Possie.&nbsp;<BR><BR>p.s. don't forget to tell them have a nice day. <BR>Peace, every one.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

Get an Air Horn and scare the bejesus outta them (could be good for a laugh also)!<br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://www.sharpesafety.com/catalog/images/6/2966.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br>Pros: Guaranteed to make them leave you alone (unless they're brain dead).<br><br>Cons: May wake residents who will call police, who in turn, may soon be tapping on your window (but not too sure police being alerted is such a bad thing in this type situation).

 

[caseyc]

I have a Viper alarm system installed in my van. &nbsp;If someone tries to open the front doors while alarm is activated, the alarm immediately sounds loudly. The Viper electronic key also has a panic button so you can manually sound the alarm to ward off intruders. &nbsp;The same Viper system also has a remote engine ignition start so you can start the engine anywhere, even from inside the vehicle, in order to let others know the owner is nearby. &nbsp;Even with a remote engine start, a safety feature is that the vehicle cannot be driven unless the actual key is inside the starter. <br><br>Best thing to do for now is to not park there anymore. &nbsp;Find a better parking spot. ASAP! &nbsp;Good luck.

 

[MOTOWN]

Air horn thats funny, but could work good at least it would scare the hell out of them, or worse get you shot. It would without a doubt wake up the nabour hood thats for sure, and draw attention to you good or bad people would be looking out their windows. trick is don't be hanging out in the hood, good recomendation air horns scare off bears, so do'es bear mace, also find a shopping center or a well traveled industrial area to camp out. trick is don't hide out like you are on America's most wanted list, or you have some ones head in a coffee can sitting next to your seat. or parked next to a school yard, I would't sweat it, I hear tale that there are at least, three million mobile homeless, so don't be to afraid all the cops can do is roust you, ask where are your papers, if there in order insurance, licence and most importent, you don't have any warrents, they will tell you to move on or ignore you, but if they say its dangerious where you are parking, take their advice and get out of there. Big city cops are less hostile then small "Gomer Pile" town cops, never show fear thats the thing that will show up as bad as leporcy to a cop or a villin, I don't think stelth camping is a good idea or wise unless you are hunkering down in that area, for work, or such. think of your safty and if your not steet wise you will learn the hard way, Dont let it get to that point its a concreat jungle out there so don'get eaten.

 

[LucyImHome]

Though I'm parking at a friend's, I'm still wanting to stay as stealth as possible. This county has a law against anyone sleeping in their vehicle. So I wouldn't report it, nor would I want to use an air horn. I do like the idea of screening, for the flies as well as a bit of security. I have put the window up higher too. It gets so windy here as soon as the sun falls behind the mountain that I can still stay cool enough at night. For the passenger side, I park very close to a rock wall and oleanders. It'd be very difficult for access on that side, so I leave that window down all the way. Also, it is by my friend's yard. She has dogs with doggy door access, so any activity elicits much barking.<br>I've lived in this town/area for 5 years, though not in my truck. This particular neighborhood is a mix. Nice 3/4 million houses, nicer 4 plexes, a meth motel, and the parking lot the homeless shelter dumps their night time guests for the day. A lot of the homeless are struggling with mental illness and/or drug/alcohol addictions. Most of them wander the other direction, but sometimes they come my way. Some are industrious enough to gather recyclables, but certainly will take advantage of opportunity, like a seemingly vacant truck with a window mostly down!

 

[ontheroadagain]

how about a sign for the windon that says "smile for the security camera"

 

[wrcsixeight]

I was in my van sleeping once, and not in a sketchy area, when the sound of my side door opening woke me up.<br><br>I guess I forgot to lock it.<br><br>Anyway, when the guy stuck his head in the van, I was already launching out of bed, and my fist with 220 lbs of adrenalin behind it struck the tweeker in the jaw, then his head bounced off the B pillar of the door and he was on the ground, knocked out cold and bleeding from the mouth and head.<br><br>He smelled like body odor and vehicle exhaust which I associate with tweekers.(crystal meth addicts)<br><br>I pulled him away from my Van and drove away.<br><br>I kind of felt bad as I never struck anybody before, and I really connected, and his head bounced off the door frame with a loud thud and left a patch of skin and hair on it. &nbsp;It really hurt my hand too.<br><br>I called 911 from a pay phone and said there was a guy passed out and bleeding at such and such a location.<br><br>It was a location I had parked often before, but never again afterward. &nbsp;That was a decade ago.<br><br>More recently I was parked in my private parking spot when my van started rocking side to side while I was streaming a movie. I thought it was an earthquake, but knew from the Easter Sunday 7.2 earthquake the direction was wrong. Then I heard my side door latch open, and once again I jumped out of bed.<br><br>There was a drunk skinny kid who started apologizing immediately, and tripped as he was very fearfully trying to back away from me. &nbsp;I picked him up and started asking questions of him when I learned it was my parking spot lord's Niece's son.<br><br>My parking spot lord gave him permission to stay in the decrepit RV in the backyard, and I showed him where it was.<br><br>Later, I caught that kid trying to break into my parking spot lords house, actually he was trying to return the window to the frame after breaking in and drinking a bottle of Vodka. &nbsp;He was evicted and on a bus to the other side of the country within 24 hours.<br><br><br>I don't know if the kitchen knife Idea is a good one. &nbsp;I think it might be considered a concealed weapon, more so than a blunt object like a mag light could. &nbsp;Also if it came to using it, i think most would hesitate to stab/slash someone, but a blunt object swung would be less distasteful, even if less effective.<br><br><br>

 

[Guest]

Try checking out the laws in your state&nbsp;about defending yourself and your property. Maybe you can carry bear spray, big kitchen knife, firearm, cattle prod, air horn, all or some of them,&nbsp;or what ever you feel comfortable with. What is your life and property&nbsp;worth to you? I personally would carry the most the law allowed.<br><br>Some motorcycle gangs out in California carry ball peen hammers. That might suite your needs and be legal to carry.

 

[creationode]

Flashing a <strong>tactical/super bright light</strong> in their eyes is enough to stop a person by blinding them...at night time.&nbsp; They will leave right after that, but probably trip on anything nearby during their escape from the scary person with a blinding light.<br><br>Hurting a fragile human body is too easy, while minimizing the damage is much harder.<br><br><strong>I used to have this trip mine:</strong><br><strong>http://www.paintball-discounters.com/i/1177/mastermine-paint-mine.htm</strong><br><br>I attached a flour filled condom on the end, and let my friend enter my closed bedroom door that it was rigged to.<br><br>He fell down when it went off right in his face.<br><br>Something like that, and there are plenty of them, would be awesome if you need a trap.

 

[rollinhomed]

I'm all for the bright light and mag flash light. I've worked in security for a number of yrs and even with the slightest swing with a mag can leave anyone in some real pain. By the way mags are real bright too.

 

[caseyc]

<p>I like those police Mag Lights too, especially the extra long ones that take something like 6 D cell batteries. Heavy, but worth it.&nbsp; Can break a window or&nbsp;inflict a&nbsp;huge bruise on an intruder.&nbsp; I usually have the Mag Light set on a narrow intense light beam that would probably blind any intruder in the middle of the night.<br><br>I also like The Club lock, which is a steering wheel lock that you can buy at most auto supply stores for about $35.00. The Club lock comes in 2 pieces that fit together to lock a steering wheel in place with a key.&nbsp; But when you take out the 2 separate pieces, each piece can make an effective weapon as the pieces are made of steel.&nbsp; When I'm driving, I sometimes separate the 2 pieces of The Club lock and place on the floor next to my seat.&nbsp; In case of say a car-jacking situation, I can pick up one of the metal pieces of The Club lock, and whack a would-be car-jacker! <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif"></p><p>I also like those small flashlights that emit a strong laser beam that shines a pin-point red dot at a long distance.&nbsp; A bad guy might think you have a laser sight on a handgun as you're waving a red circle around his head or chest area!&nbsp; Since an intruder cannot see inside your vehicle at night, the intruder might think you really do have a handgun with a laser target sight. &nbsp;You can buy this at a local Radio Shack store.&nbsp;Only costs several dollars.&nbsp;Here's a link to what it looks like.<br><a href="http://findnsave.michigansthumb.com/offer/26066961/Digital-Energy-8LED-Flashlight-with-Laser/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://findnsave.michigansthumb.com/offer/26066961/Digital-Energy-8LED-Flashlight-with-Laser/</a></p>

 

[Scar]

&nbsp;Just be careful as any item you obviously use for self defense can become a legal headache from you.&nbsp; A lot of states view bear spray, mace, knives, tasers and guns with the same laws.&nbsp; Ironically, besides my political fighting for the 2nd amendment, several states have begun movements for 'knife rights' which should not be necessary, but your rights to own knives has been compromised in some states.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp; The air horn I would call pretty novel, but I'm not sure on its effectiveness, though it would be funny if / when it did work.&nbsp;&nbsp; As for car alarms, they go off false so often that they have become ignored by society as a whole for a long time, and may or may not have any effect on someone breaking into your car.&nbsp; In all likelihood until they see you, they will probably just figure they should just hurry and grab what they can before running.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp; I really believe that if you believe in freedom, whether you agree with me on guns or not, you should support my right to own what I think is necessary and I should support your right to agree and disagree with me.&nbsp; When we let the government take away things, what is to stop the government from doing it to you when a different president/governor/mayor is in charge once you start letting them take away stuff from others.&nbsp; Glad I don't live Urban, good luck.

 

[Wild_E]

Hi Lucy,<br>why not just put some orange snow fence in the windows with some bug screen?&nbsp;<br><br>That way it looks like there might be a dog inside, obviously open for a reason and most will by pass you vehicle. My van I have a garden gate in the sliding door and snow fence for the back hatch area. This allows plenty of airflow for the dog when I go in somewhere, I also leave the side windows open and the front windows down half way and will be getting some orange snow fencing for them as well.&nbsp;<br><br>A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a Dog Cop (cop tow travels around with a police dog), and he liked my setup a lot, also like the size of my dog too. Once he looked in the side he said, wow your dog has a lot of room in there! I smiled and said Indeed she does. Start with the little things for now, it will deter most people drunk or otherwise. I have found that by making it stand out in this way, people look but do not go close to the vehicle.&nbsp;<br><br>From experience another person used an airhorn inside a vehicle to scare someone or make them laugh, well it hurt the persons ears inside so much that blood was running from their ears! Mag lights are great, for all the reasons listed above.<br><br>good luck

 

[Unchained]

When I had a truck with camper shell, I got some sturdy, vinyl coated wire shelving and attached it over the sliding windows on the shell. That allowed me to leave the windows completely open without worrying about somebody sticking their hands in while I was sleeping. It also was great for taking the dogs here and there, as it allowed tons of airflow and I didn't have to worry about numpties letting the dogs out or messing with them. <br><br>For the cab windows, I had pet guards (pic below) If you could buy or rig rig something like that over the open part of the window at night, it might help. Most people seeing it would assume that there was a dog in the truck and steer clear. <br><br>On the flashlights, I still have my Maglights, but this is my new favorite. It is much brighter than even an LED mag, and the head is a bit more clubbish:<br> <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-...ISCONTINUED-809-2781-D/203418847#.Ug8H9qzF-8o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nasty- bright tac light</a><br>That particular model is discontinued (I have still seen them at Home Depots, though), but Defiant has others like it. <br><br><a href="/file?id=1620765" rel="lightbox" target="_blank"><img src="http://files.websitetoolbox.com/82529/thumb/1620765" class="bbc_img" alt="windowguard.jpg"></a>

 

[Varmint]

Wild-E is right about the air horn in a vehicle. It's as loud as a large firearm, and could easily do serious damage to the user as well as the assailant. Same for anything mace-like that sprays or squirts.

As to the club-like flashlights, I've had a 5-cell flashlight for years made from aluminum pipe, and I used nicads in it, as these were amazingly lighter than alkaline batteries. It required a 6-volt bulb, which was easy to get last time I looked for one, and I've been using the same bulb for the last 20 years or so. I should get a few more for replacements. Any C-cell "pipe" light will work, and these days you'd be better off using the newer NIMH batteries, which have triple the available power of the older nicads, although I think nicads are more tolerant in charging methods. Both of these batteries are so light you'll be amazed, and that makes for a much faster swing when you need to bump someone's head with one. Not sure if you can find a decent-sized tactical flashlight these days, but I'd try a flea market, large sporting-goods shop or, as a last resort, a gun show.

By the way....a famous firearms instructor/writer once said that mace is only good to facilitate rape because once you use it the perp, if not disabled, will now be so insanely enraged that he will cram it down your throat to prevent your screaming. A gun can be a very good thing, and even the lowly .22lr or .32acp can stop someone if you're willing to use it. Oddly enough, even though very loud in tight confines, I accidentally found that a gunshot seems to be muffled by close proximity to the target. You can verify this by firing at a target ten yards in front of you, then firing INTO the ground up close....say, within a foot or two. Not a lot of reduction like a suppressor would do, but enough to save your ears. I wouldn't try to depend on this for anything larger than a .32acp round, but it's something to ponder and experiment with. I think the close proximity to soft targets absorbs some of the noise. Firing across an enclosed room or other small space is disorientingly loud, and the muzzle flash is blinding. Having heavy cloth curtains/drapes will help inside tight spaces.

Just my two-cents worth, and I hope it helps.

 

[GotSmart]

In all the confrontations on this thread, anyone using a gun or knife would have been in complete trouble. A petty thief looking for something to sell, a drunk in the wrong place, the tweaker that was more scared of himself and did not see justice coming quick enough~~~.

Pet guard on the window, with a "I love police dogs" sticker will scare off 90%, and the flashlight and attitude will take care of the rest.

I think I will get all three before I hit the road.