My house was burglarized this week. The thieves took among other things the spare keys to my Solstice and my Vue. They used them to enter the garage, and tried to steal the Solstice, but the battery was dead--they left me that set of keys in the ignition. They didn't find the keys to the H/O, but now they know it is there. Mind you these were house thieves and not car thieves, but...

3 questions:

1. Anyone have a good way of securing the garage door from the inside? Electric opener only, no outside handle or inside latches. I've got the opener shut off now. I'm looking for something easy to remove (by me) when I want to get the toys out.

2. How much do you think it will cost to get the Solstice and the Vue completely re-keyed and re-fobbed? 1 set of each keys is now "out there somewhere" and they know where I live.

3. I think some of my stuff is now on the local craigslist. Should I go look and try to verify, or just let the cops know and hope they check it out?

Thanks.

 

1. You need to lock the rollers in the track for the garage door. I have seen people push in the top of a garage door and reach the manual release rope and open the door. Might want to look into that mechanism.


That just totally sucks. Sorry to hear that happen and hope it is over for you.

 

I've used a C-Clamp on the rails. Tighten it down and you can't push it off with the rollers. Only downside is you have to remove that from inside before you try using the garage door opener.

Real bummer! Yes I'd change the keys and make sure the garage is locked twice over now that they've seen the Hurst.

I'd watch for stuff on Craigslist, but if you decide to check it out before calling the cops take a buddy with you... the biggest meanest looking buddy you have! Then if you can find an excuse to take pictures of the items maybe on your phone you could show them to the Police in the perps garage/home. Whatever you do be safe! Having some druggie pull a knife or gun to keep you from taking your stuff back is not worth it. You can always buy new stuff someday. You only have one life!

 

I had someone cut a hole in the hood of my car (in the driveway) to d/c the battery, on the way to taking the airbags and navi hard drive.

That same night, or the next- they tried to "Pop" the garage door from the center and pull the emergency release lever with a wire- in hopes of raising the door. Luckily, I had a slide lock on the inside. However, I too am worried about my 442 and if they know it's there.

In addition to adding motion sensor lights that make my driveway look like Yankee Stadium, I secure the slide lock inside.

Next, assuming someone accessed the garage from the inside, to slow them down- I thread a heavy case hardened chain through the wheel track rail (there's an opening right above a wheel). This effectively locks the garage door "down" from the inside. The padlock is very robust and secure. Amazingly, this is actually not too bad to take off when I want to get the car out.

Of course- nothing can stop 'em if they want it bad enough. I sleep better now with a couple of levels of security.

Any other ideas?

 

Get an alarm and pay a monitoring service such as ADT.

 

Do they even know what it is ? Was it covered?

 

Sorry to hear about the theft and here a dead battery saved your car!
First of all, get the firearms ready in case they return.
If you would rather not kill them, get a double barrel shotgun and get the special shells that have glue and confetti in them. (Yes I saw them in a catalog...) Load one of each and wait. Make sure you have a camera to get a picture of them afterwards...

The cars probably need rekeying, at least the starting one. It will be a couple hundred per car, maybe 100 if you just get the fob reprogrammed.

Holy crap!! (No pun intended) What do they want with stuff like that? Oh to resell and make $....

Crooks hate light, and noise.
Visit X10.com and get some motion floodlights that can control other lights, sound beepers, make dogs bark, or even run cameras. Their little external motion detectors add to the fun. I have a whole house setup and anyone spending more than a few seconds in my yard can make it look and sound like a circus. Driveway lights activate alleyway lights, patio lights, sounds the beeper in the garage, and wakes up the dog inside. Continued movement makes the dog bark and sounds the beeper in the garage until the movement stops. Different floodlights all control different things. They can run a series of security cameras as well. Stuff is cheap, reliable (sans the cameras), easy to use, fun, (but all made in china..... )

this is the better way to lock the door. Or, instead of the chain, get a big U-lock like for bicycles. It will fit great.

Adjust your door opener up-force to the least you can so if you forget to lake the lock off, the opener will not destroy itself or the door.

In agreement here. If you really think they have your stuff, try to buy part of it. If you meet somewhere and you know it is your stuff, get lic. plate #s, vehicle descriptions or photos of the car, and let the cops know then.

But NOT ADT! They will rob you 'legally' in their horrible contracts.
Get smith Thompson ($17 a month no contact) or someone else with acceptible contract terms. ADT raises prices in a contract up to 33 a month!
Make sure your garage doors are all connected to the system. Modern alarm panels will have a garage door mode that can used to give a longer delay when you arrive and a force arm feature that allows you to arm the system withthe garage door open and it will arm the garage later as soon as the door is closed.
It is a very nice feature.

 

Sorry for your loss. Block the rail with something. I use vice grips

 

I have some of their stuff too. I like it and it's easy to setup and use.

 

I use a large screwdriver and a clamp to block my garage door. A loud barking big dog can be a good idea too.
Larry

 

Chains and padlocks...they don't last long vs boltcutters. There are home alarm systems you can buy that don't require a service and they will even call 911 and your cell phone or other phones automatically. Security cameras, very cheap. Motion lights..... Don't shoot someone unless your life is in danger. Then shoot to kill. "Taurus Judge" loaded with 00 buck so you don't miss.
Higgins

 

Motion lights in addition to dusk-to-dawn lights; inside locks on the garage door bar latches, which purposely do not have outside latch handles; motion detector, door open and glass breakage alarm systems in house and garage, and security system stickers on all garage windows and doors. Security system calls the central monitoring station, the county sheriff's office, then me, then the neighbor across the road in that order if something triggers it. Neighbor also keeps a 12-gauge loaded at all times and they keep a good watch on the place when I'm away. Hey, they're retired, gives them something to do.

That plus the neighbor has three dogs that don't know when to shut up. When I arm the security system they start barking soon as it yelps and then bark non-stop until I am well out of sight of the place. They will also tune up if they see anything moving around, especially at night.

I pay $150 a year for the security monitoring system and it does everything a comparable ADT system does.

 

High decibel siren (above 80 dp) tied to a motion sensor with battery backup is the best deterrent, very painful and will drive thieves away as well as flashing lights. You have to be within 20 min of the cruising route of local law enforcement for any call in service to be effective in catching a thief. They are usually in and out in 15 or so min. Where I live it takes the cops a half hour of better to show up and two false calls and you pay a fine. If the false calls keep re-occurring then they won't come at all just send you a fine.

If you buy a camera system make sure it has high resolution or the picture will be to grainy to see any detail like license plates of facial features. A high tension steel padlock cannot be cut with bolt cutters but then again most of us have torches in our shops to make it easier for the thief to cut his way out of the garage.

 

I'm well insured and the house has an alarm system, but the garage doesn't. I'll have to look into upgrading to one that does. In the meantime, I'll throw the bike lock on the rails to keep the door down, and try some of the other suggestions as well. Firearms are out. I live near a grade school--possession is a felony, according to the signs all over the neighborhood.

I think I'll have to rekey the Solstice and the Vue. Just changing the fob might be enough to deter them, since they would manually have to check each car door, but I'm not sure I trust that.

 

Most newer DCS control panels will do this - it is called pager mode. It can call a pager or cell phone and report the exact problem. I have my system set up this way (it is a DCS Power 632). And if you want, it can call the monthy monitoring service as well (if you are subscribed).

I sure hope this is not true. Crooks will use that as an ideal reason to target that neighborhood.
You cannot even own one to keep in your house for self defense? Sorry, I would just have to stay under the radar then. Sure it is for last resort, but it could save your life in the right situation. We have the right to bear arms and arm bears.......

 

Rob, Cameo is in Chicago- the most ruthless anti-firearms place in the country, for what little good that does in deterring criminals.

Yet that sham artist Daley had a full complement of armed bodyguards, as does Bloomberg in NYC.

When Bloomberg went after small legitimate arms dealers in Virginia for supplying "illegal" firearms to New York, he exposed himself for what he really is.

Yah, police response time can be an issue, especially in a large county (880 square miles) like the one I live in.

They come and find evidence a break-in was attempted, they better not send anybody a fine. Am I correct in thinking that's what they get paid to do?

 

Sorry to hear your personal property has been violated.

Thieves need their hands cut off,liars need their tongue cut out.

Sorry to be so harsh,but crime has gotten out of control and needs to be dealt with harshly.
I am a zero tolerance kind of guy.

 

What part of the city are you in? I grew up on the NW side near Montrose and Cicero. Got out of there when I was 15 when my parents moved to Schaumburg.
I feel your pain. I can't tell you how much I hate thieves. they think they deserve your hard earned stuff more than you do and don't care what they destroy in the process of "acquiring" it.
As far as the Chicago gun law goes it was overturned a couple years ago by the Supreme court and Daley was all up in arms about it. It used to be 100% illegal to own a hand gun in the city unless you were a police officer. And even then you could only one 1....your service sidearm. Now I think he has tried to limit that to one per person. I'm not sure about the whole school thing. That just seems ridiculous to me. Why would that make any difference if you were a law abiding citizen? Some of the logic these people use to make these laws baffles me.
Check the stuff on Craigslist with the meanest looking guy you can find and go from there. And make sure you KNOW it's your stuff before you make any accusations because you can get into as much trouble as they will if you're wrong.

 

While were on the subject,I lived in the city also,2 places.

1)Addison and Keeler,1 block from Schurz High School.

2)Irving park,Milwaukee,Cicero aka six corners,about a block away.

You guys remember the car dealer just down the block on Milwaukee with the giant lumberjack guy?

 

I would have gone to "scuz" (that's what we called it) had I not gotten into Lane. It was a haven of the Latin Kings back then. I can't believe it has changed all that much, but then again 16 years does tend to change things.
It was probably some of the "students" that did it....and I do use that term "loosely".

 

Luckily we moved out of Chicago before my high school years.Did a little better,we moved to Gary,Indiana

 

Ummmm.....yeah...sure.....that's better.

 

[THE FOLLOWING IS OPINION (AND THE WORST KIND: PERSONAL)]

Now that THAT is out of the way...

In my experience with law-enforcement, burglars--the "smart" ones, anyway--purposely DON'T come back, expecting the things listed here. Now I'd re-key my cars if I plain lost one, let alone had one stolen, but don't go knee-jerk overboard on the security as it's likely to GET you hit again.

ADT signs are like plasma TV boxes at the curb: they announce that you have something to steal. So if you DO go with a security service, don't announce it to the neighborhood.

Lights and cameras are great to have, but they should be as subtle as possible. Spend your money wisely and buy equipment that will do the job as well as possible, not "lots" of lights and things that tell people you're borderline-paranoid or a drug dealer.

Also, the FIRST thing you should spend your money on is the best and most-specific insurance policy you can find. Protecting your stuff is important, but BEING protected against the loss ($) is MUCH more important.

Being a victim of ANY crime is horrible. You feel violated and unsafe and want to do everything you think you can to make that feeling go away. It has been my experience, however, that the best thing to do is "correct" any security "mistakes" this burglary has shown you (better locks, theft alarm, etc.) rather than go nuts trying to "prevent" the next one.

I wish you luck.

 

a simple siren wired to a motion detector should drive off most theives,but what do I know I don't even lock my doors half the time.Just would not be able to live in a large city.

 

i'm sorry to hear about your troubles, i know all too well the feeling of having stuff stolen from my house, i live in Van Nuys California..central san fernando valley about 15 minutes north of Los Angeles and over the last 12 years(im 23 now) i've had things stolen such as mountain bikes, whole tool chests full of my babies(i love tools) somebody even broke into my yard to try and drive off in my go-kart when i was 16 but he got a severe "warning" and about 4 years ago some moron broke into my back yard where i had my 1967 cheby malibu broke into the car and left a note asking if i wanted to sell it...how stupid can people get?! well now i don't even work on my cars without a loaded(and holstered) pistol and several magazines sitting on the pool table in my garage. be careful with trying to recover property as i have made the mistake of confronting a perp and he later returned with a dozen or so of his "homies", nobody was hurt but it could have gone terribly wrong. always confirm the stuff is yours first and i suggest even letting others know when and where you are going to investigate your goods..and please be safe.

 

I've a 7 mo. old female Pit Puppy for sale, who likes to bark @ strange noises!!
Really a sweetheart to it's owners, though.

$350 delivered!!

 

I thought you were in Hotlanta Cameo?....you move?...I'm in upstate SC here, and in my 22 years here I have had 1 lawn tractor (taken at 3 in the afternoon while my dad in law went to get gas for it) and a 16 foot car trailer with 1 bum tire (bet they got far lol) I paid $900 for and got $1000 back on insurance for it. I have never locked up my garagefom the front door or the side door and the top garage (my 71 Monte Carlo is in there) I never have locked it up in 5 years since I purchased the property. I have left a 32 foot gooseneck there for as many years as I have owned the property. Never locked it up ever. I sold it to buy the smaller car trailer it was getting hard to handle by myself( it lasted 3 weeks up there with no lock on it so, I'm partly to blame for leaving it there unchecked). I have the 2 convertibles both here at the house with my cubby (lawn tractor) and my 30KW Catapillar diesel/veggie oil fired powerplant on skids weighs about 4 tons in the detached garage! I have about 7 vehicles in the driveway at all times so there's no way to know whether or not anybody is home or not. Many times we never even lock the house, it's just a bad habit leaving it all unlocked alot but it's all got hagerty's and farm bureau insurance. I guess living in the middle of no where makes it harder to have anyone show up here that my 2 neighbors don't know (we kinda look out for each other) Just have never really had a problem with crime out here in the sticks. I don't have many people come around to see my cars either so I keep on the low and rarely leave them in the front yard to let anyone see. Its great to show off your cars but it does invite someone to take another glance if they see something that's valuable. Good luck on the generator it took a 6 ton chevrolet topkick towtruck to get in there. I like being 3 miles from the Lake but it's nice to have no body to tell me what color to paint my house lol. Hope you find out who the thugs were on the crime spree (you need to find out if there's a pattern of B&E's locally. I watch way too much SVU must be that Mariska Hargitay lol) Goodluck dude! OldsDropTop

 

There is NOTHING worse than a theif!

 

I either put a padlock or c-clamp on the rails,as stated above.But I also bolted some light-weight angle iron across each door section.Old bed sides work good.The sleeping kind,not the truck kind.Because with one good kick a thief can knock out one of the flimsy panels,slip in and stick it back in place enough that it won't be noticed while they get the door open.
---bil

 

That really sucks Cameo! Sorry to hear about this.

I use a padlock on the garage door rail track. It's easy to remove when I want to take the 442 out.

Isnt Chicago one of the murder capitals? And they want to ban guns?

 

You know you CAN own long guns in Chicago. Get your FOID card and get a Mossberg Pursuader Model 500. 12 GA. Very effective. FOID applications are at your local police station. What if they break into your house while you are home? Ask them to leave? Get the shotgun.

 

Chicago and DC are murder capitals because they ban guns.

And I, too, am sorry to hear about what happened, Cameo.

- Eric

 

I would check on the gun control law by the schools. As mentioned above, Chicago's communist gun laws were overturned by the Supreme Court (thank you Lord!). Of course, you do need to know how to handle a gun and be safe with it.

 

Thanks for the information and opinions guys. Yes the gun ban was overturned--the new registration process is expensive and difficult and I haven't tried it yet. Also, the ban didn't have anything to do with the school proximity issue--same idea as people selling drugs close to schools--make it a worse crime to prevent it. Not saying I agree or disagree, just throwing out the reasoning.

I've been in Chicago most of my adult life but did not grow up here. Currently in the Wrigleyville area on the north side. Lived in LA and San Diego a while too, but never Atlanta--you must be thinking Jamesbo. My first burglary, so I guess that isn't too bad --no really it sucks. Thanks for the pitbull pup offer, but I suspect my elderly Siamese would object. She's nearly 20 now and kind of set in her ways! The garage is better secured now, with several track stops in place to keep the door from going up. Won't stop a professional car thief, but will stop an opportunistic one.

The cops say the pattern at my house fits what they have seen in the neighborhood and around the city. They also suggest being careful about attempting to get my stuff, since the house was likely cased and they might easily recognize me. Wasn't really thinking about that at first.

 

I was just curious about the gun laws there in Chicago. Just be careful. I know that everyone says getting a gun would have helped this situation, but seriously, what would you have done? They break in, and you're home, you run out to the garage and point your Glock at them. The perps just laugh at you. They know you won't shoot, because if you did, you'd go to jail, you'd be sued, they'd get your H/O, your house, and everything else you own. Liberal lawyers and judges would determine that the perps just had the wrong house, they weren't trying to steal anything, they were just looking for a lug wrench, and you shot them. And God help you if those perps were black, you'd be labeled a racist vigilante, and you'd spend 20 to life in jail.

Ok, you can tell I'm from Texas.