New rental house neighbor on the block came over to talk and look at the car and started nosing around with comments like... boy you have all the tools anyone needs here...in a sleazy sort a way.

Thought this was a perfect time to take pictures of all the tool drawers and boxes just in case.

If you havn't done it, do it now. Insurance pays with this kind of proof, if you ( I ) come home one day and the garage is cleaned out! Bill

Electrify your box, or setup a shotgun loaded with rocksalt filled shells underneath so that when a thief opens the top it blows his legs full of the shit.


Just remember to deactivate this stuff for your use.

If only that type of device were legal... personally, I would consider it to be a neighborhood improvement project. Taking out the trash, as it were.

Agree. Vipers in the drawers also work. My peaceful neighborhood when I moved here 12 years ago. Had the first drug bust 2 blocks away last week . Thinking it's time to move.

he rents... he must be a thief!


i mean, i'm all in favor of protecting your property, but that's a bit of a leap, wouldn't you say?

maybe he was a bit jealous of your nice gargage and set up, doesn't mean he is going to rob you.....how about getting a dog??

THis is not new !!! Motorcycle shop in kind of a bad area of Toledo Has a Sign

that say's " The shop is protected some nights by a very nasty Pit Bull, you guess

what nights" I guess it works ,the owner is very casual about security. He brings

a Pit Bull to work some of the time. Like a couple of times a month. Dave

I had a friend that carried a tool in the back of his open pickup. He drilled holes in it and wrote "Caution SNAKES" on it. Inside he had his tools in another plastic tool box. He no one ever touched it.

Sorry to offend all you renters...been one to. Ment to say he was an unknown in the neighborhood, looked out of place, opened tool drawers without asking, poking his nose in boxes in the garage, eyes were shifting around like a person scanning the place, what seemed not a real interest in 914's but more in what was in the garage. It was that gut feeling u sometimes get about people. Hope that helps.

I like the box with holes and snake box lable. Getting one today.

Good luck that is the idealist theory. It is not going to work really. Always be another thief ready to steal your shit.

You can't run away. Certain areas? Sure, they are done for 100%.

You can live in 500k-600k house and section 8 or low income housing with the criminal element is not far away and believe me they will be driving around scoping out your "hood".

Texas I believe has castle doctrine. Take advantage of that. MD does not.

In MD the criminals have rights and can sue for hurting themselves during robbery etc.


Times are changing, if you folks have not noticed crime is creeping up fast. The MD state police are silently passing out fliers to folks pulled over part of recruitment.

Perhaps an answer to th sleazy tone of "And I defend my tools and my property well." or something along those lines.

I think it was said here, but your ability to won something is 100% balanced by your ability to protect and secure it.....

Moving is a huge expense and hassle on your part. I would secure my property and use my rights.

Reinforced doors, two deadbolts with steel plating surrounding etc.

I personally recommend hanging Voodoo type paraphernalia at the fron and rear of your house. Most criminal elements are superstitious! LMAO

Saved me once many years ago using similar system on my car. I left my keys in the door of the car for Two hours in possibly the worst place to do so, and was still untouched upon my return!

As a recent crime victim (see sandbox thread) I concur completely with the original suggestion. The insurance co. is F'ing with me concerning proving every item claimed. What a hassle.

It might work, but a "spring gun" trap is a good way to ensure you won't be needing your stuff for about 20 years, and the resulting civil suit will take it all away anyway.

The Cap'n

That was a more extreme example.

But I would personally electrify it. You come in there is a hidden toggle switch to turn it enough, just enough current to knock you on your ass until the police come. By that time if you want you can easily disable/move this. Your word vs his. Guess who the police will believe?

A nice silent hidden motion sensor and a trigger to SMS your phone or something when it goes off and you can call the police. Add in a mini camera recording to a harddisk weekly/daily flushing the video if you want to record these people stealing your stuff then deal with insurance not paying you what it is worth.

Just saying, you can't run from these people. If you have nice shit, they will find you and try to take it. The insurance company is not going to give you 100% of what you lost, this happens all the time.

The shop has had many attempted break ins. Last time the kids tried smashing the windows with a newspaper machine, but there were steel bars behind said glass.

Pretty hard to have a civil suit over trespassing, breaking and entering, etc.

Since the OP is in Texas, they have laws favoring your rights on your property.

Pick your method, but packing up, moving is kind of like ducking your head into the sand. It changes nothing and prevents nothing.