  Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2949 Registered: 12-2004 |
Lowell: Each of these instances was a burglary. Of course, to the person whose home was broken into, there's very little difference. Gnome: You are by no means the first person to suggest succession. I've resisted it in the past. However, the longer it takes for the City of Detroit - and DPD in particular - to get it's act together, the harder it is to resist. | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 450 Registered: 04-2008 |
Make it look like someone is home: 1. A car in the driveway. 2. Lights on inside the house. 3. Radios on very loud in various rooms. Also: 1. Dog bowl in driveway (even if there is no dog!) 2. Warning signs: "Beware of Dog", "I Shoot Burglars", etc. 3. An inexpensive surveillance camera system. What are the robbers taking? Could it be better hidden/secured? | ||
Lowell Moderator Username: Lowell Post Number: 5144 Registered: 09-2003 |
Make it look like someone is at home #4. Don't draw all the curtains and shades closed. In eight years of being a Sears delivery driver, I got very tuned-in to spotting 'not at homes'. Drawn curtains was the biggest giveaway. Leave a couple of front curtains open with a light or TV on in a back room on, just enough to give a glint. Sorry to be picky on the robbery / burglary issue, but losing property and facing extinction don't compare. Luckily for me, in the end, it was no more than having my pocket picked, except with a gun to my head. No matter what it very depressing and discouraging. My heart goes out to the victims because everything and everyone becomes suspicious. It takes a lot of strength to overcome, stay positive and keep going on. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 6847 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote:I've read that real estate agents are sometimes able to trade houses that won't sell. Perhaps someone in a military/security position who needed to move to that area would be willing to trade and deal with the burglary problem in his own way. I know it sounds like a long shot but in this market, real estate agents are motivated to make these miracles happen. | ||
Softailrider Member Username: Softailrider Post Number: 224 Registered: 02-2007 |
The idea of hiring a house sitter while you're at work every day is ridiculous . Who the hell could afford that? I guess the only way to slow burglers down would be steel bar gates on every ground floor window and door . If they want to get in they're going to . Hiring a guard or sitter is insane . If somebody tries to break in my house , I better not be home because he's going be in for a big suprise if I'm around. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 6850 Registered: 12-2005 |
We need one of these for burglars. (Message edited by Jimaz on November 09, 2008) | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 460 Registered: 04-2008 |
Another deterrent: Rose bushes or those red thorn bushes (don't know the name) planted beneath windows. | ||
Hutt Member Username: Hutt Post Number: 34 Registered: 10-2005 |
Crimson barberry. But go for the ones that get to be about 4-5 feet tall, there is a pygmy variety that only gets 2 feet tall. I'm working on a moat made of these! | ||
Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 2089 Registered: 08-2007 |
 | ||
Daddeeo Member Username: Daddeeo Post Number: 290 Registered: 09-2008 |
Unfortunately, those are the ones breaking into the house. | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 2802 Registered: 07-2007 |
Put metal bars on the windows and doors and hook them up to a 220 circuit, turned off by a code pad. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2950 Registered: 12-2004 |
Retroit: I never thought about using rose bushes as a deterrent to crime. Granted one could always dig them out, but that's a lot of extra work for someone who just wants their next drug fix. Gnome: I love that image and I think Eugene Delacroix would, too. | ||
Yaktown Member Username: Yaktown Post Number: 394 Registered: 02-2006 |
Tell them the year is almost over. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2951 Registered: 12-2004 |
Retroit: The burglars are grabbing whatever they kind can find that they think they'll be able to sell for their next fix. Keeping a car parked in the driveway isn't always viable simply because they need their cars to get to work, which is why they're leaving their home in the first place. I really like the rose bush idea. They look a lot better than bars AND they still keep people from moving through an area. | ||
Border5150 Member Username: Border5150 Post Number: 277 Registered: 03-2004 |
If moving isn't a feasible option, how about this person just stop paying his or her taxes? Okay, I'm being cute here, but if the city cannot protect and serve its citizens, then they really aren't worthy our the people's tax paying dollars. Receivership anyone? | ||
Sludgedaddy Member Username: Sludgedaddy Post Number: 212 Registered: 01-2008 |
Back in the days of rural America wild rose bushes were planted as a "poor man's barbed wire".Grown in thick quickly spreading copses, they were sufficient enough to keep cattle confined due to the thick thorns. Rose hips are harvested from the fruit of the wild rose also. Brer Rabbit's Briar Patch comes to mind. Another deterent used by a neighbor of mine is strewing dog shit in the alley to prevent the crack-heads from using it as a thorough-fare. Smelly, but it works since those fancy "blow-up" shoes will become encrusted with doggy-doo. This is a drastic measure when living in the jungle. | ||
Sstashmoo Member Username: Sstashmoo Post Number: 2845 Registered: 02-2007 |
YAk..LOL | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1431 Registered: 11-2003 |
Gnome is right... in my experience, squeaky wheel gets the grease. Sometimes, you have to force a politician's hand with bad press. I am all for getting the police response results that the citizens of Detroit deserve, even if it's at the expense of other things. The city needs to be out of every business except the basics. Once it covers the basics, then it can start to think about the other stuff. BTW - Secession was done in 2002, and by a group a lot smaller than you in Michigan. I think it'd be a great story that would get covered. Now, what I don't know, is if you have to join an existing community or can you start on your own. http://mises.org/article.aspx? Id=1136 | ||
7051 Member Username: 7051 Post Number: 174 Registered: 02-2006 |
The far east side (approx. Kelly to Mack and Kingsville to Alter tried to succeed from Detroit in the late eighties/early nineties. It didn't work. Not sure why-does anyone know? There was some very accurate info on it here a few years ago. | ||
Bussey Member Username: Bussey Post Number: 698 Registered: 12-2003 |
Gas can, a match and make sure your insurance premiums are paid... | ||
Faygoredpop Member Username: Faygoredpop Post Number: 29 Registered: 03-2008 |
There was a show that I used to watch called "It Takes A Thief". There was 2 former thieves who would case houses in the New York/New Jersey area to check on which one was the easiest to rob. They would knock on the door and ask if the homeowner would mind getting robbed but would get a security makeover afterwards. Well one of the security makeovers they did was some sort of security film for the windows. When it was put on someone could be keep hitting at the window and you would see it shattered but the glass stays put. It does not fall in or out of the window, it's like shatter-proof glass. A thief would not be able to get into your house at all. To me that is the best investment to get. | ||
Giver108 Member Username: Giver108 Post Number: 25 Registered: 06-2008 |
Buying a 12 ga. pump and loading it with buckshot should be the first he does. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 2152 Registered: 03-2008 |
I sent an e-mail around to some family and friends, two of which have just moved to a new area, and are heavily involved in their area associations. One was in the suburbs, and the other in another state. Even though they are in VERY nice areas, they are also having some issues. One problem is someone breaking into all the cars on people's streets, trying to get change and devices. The police responded, but have not been able to do anything. In every neighborhood, there is always at least some constant war on crime. Ignoring severity, Warrendale is not alone. Anyway, here is my reply, I got a lot of feed back from them, and they added and corrected many things. I hope this helps at least a little. Post: 'We've talked about this before on DYES, but never really got into it before. What makes crime an issue in one area more than any other in a neighboring area (sometimes these areas are mere streets near each other, under the same jurisdictions). There are so many possible reasons. You need to do a neighborhood audit (you may wish to break up your area into smaller digestible chunks for this project). Start with a "SWOT Analysis". "SWOT" stands for "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats". Write these out in four separate groups or columns, then begin your audit. Strengths would be things you are doing right, while weaknesses are where you are vulnerable (not locking doors might be one, houses that have been hit and not been "fixed" are another). Opportunities are possible resources that you have, and may or may not be using to the best of their ability. Threats are threats (like a busy through street or a drug house, or even a vacant home that has been recently foreclosed upon). Doing this will help you see the full picture of the condition and vulnerability of your neighborhood. -Some thoughts, and things that I have done in my neighborhoods; Look of an area is important. If a street is filled with run-down and abandoned houses, and holds signs of not caring, criminals are going to see this. More importantly, it means that the people don't have pride in the area (kids littering, people not doing the easy fixes on homes, or waiting to take in trash cans, stuff like that are generally viewed as signs that your neighborhood has a self-esteem problem). If you don't have a problem with that one, then you should be able to work on neighborhood watches and scheduled citizen patrols. Encourage residents to go for walks. Gardens, art works, holiday decorating, and generally anything interesting along with regular home maintenance work on the homes (everyone does what they can, believe me, I know what it's like to have tight funds on occasion). As the president, you can really help this happen. Hold garden viewing walks on various times of year, complete with awards. The same can be done with holiday decorating for the Fall and Winter. Who do you think is committing these crimes (you or the people getting robbed, often know them). Instead of just worrying about catching them, think why they might be robbing them. Are they having money problems? Is there a way to help the without offending them? Or maybe they are just bored local kids. Is there enough other options for entertainment in the area for kids and teens? Many possibilities and causes, and many solutions. Record crimes (you can do this now with DPD's crime map on their web site). Are crimes happening in a certain area or time of year? That might help you see where efforts need to be directed. Oh, but what about professional criminal groups? Well, criminals don't avoid good areas because of police (they can work around them anywhere). Visibility, and people walking around to see things, and be seen, are key. Offer a newsletter with a helpful tip every month (e-newsletter could work). Consider trying to "think like a thief" on walks around your neighborhood, and conduct a amateur theft prevention audit (especially in areas where it is a problem). Pretend you have a quota with a crime syndicate, and you HAVE TO make so much via breaking and entering.... just walk down your street and look from the sidewalk. See if anything looks "easy". You can mention issues you see to your residents, or state problems you seen over many houses (you don't need to be specific). Now, all this is useless without the help of the police, correct? Not entirely. If you are having a problem, and the police still aren't helping (despite your efforts to sweet talk them into helping via donations to organizations and the like... yelling doesn't usually work, even in the nicest of our metro areas), you have a few options. In the past, I have just gone right past my problem, and took it up with higher supervisors or local politicians (who are much more vulnerable to bad publicity and cuts in donations). Another option is to do what Livonia, Novi, and many other areas do, they hire they're own private security vehicles/staff (or at least cheap decals for cars that can be put into use as part of your neighborhood watch program). Private security is a huge reason those areas have less crime (not the only one, but it is one). Go cruise down Plymouth Road in Livonia, between Inkster Road and Farmington Road in the wee hours, and you will see their mini-fleet of red pick-ups with white security decals plastered all over them. On nights when kids don't have school, and the weather is warm they are out even more. Having local businesses in on all this is also important. That stretch of Plymouth Road also has a few banks and a car dealership that help pay for such things. Still, I'm sure you guys will be able to figure out things that work for you. Don't give up! You all can get the results you want, it's just trial and error (it's almost always just a matter of time, so long as you keep trying things, you will get your results). | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 2888 Registered: 01-2006 |
Cripes, Sean_of, I have known your posts to include a whole lot of wall off-bouncing, but no one can say that you don't put a bulging bundle of energy and thought into some of your posts. You get A+'s for Effort and Sincerity. You're probably waiting for "the other shoe to drop" by way of my concluding with a smart-assed remark, but not this time, pal; I really mean what I just wrote. Oh, what the hell; why not? If everybody was just like you, I would have to invest in a pair of those super-noise-muffling Bose headphones, but the world sure as hell would be a better place. O.K.; now I feel better. You didn't really think I would completely stop being me, did you? | ||
Sumas Member Username: Sumas Post Number: 341 Registered: 01-2008 |
We lived in Detroit for ten years with no problems then in less than a year our house was burglarized 6 times, our garage broken into and two weeks later it was burned down when the thieves found that we had moved all the other valuables out. After the 1st robbery, we got an alarm system, basement and 1st floor only, so then they got in thru the 2nd floor. Over the course of a year we added an extensive alarm system, installed motion detector lights, installed privacy fences and bought a dog. Nothing helped. It turned out that our in-house babysitter was letting in loser boyfriends and relatives during the day. They would case the place and come back.We finally moved and dumped the sitter. We are still in Detroit twenty years later and have had little problem. I strongly suggest they need to analyze who has access to their home. Oh ... yes police response and investigations still sucks! | ||
Docterry Member Username: Docterry Post Number: 126 Registered: 08-2008 |
Sumas is absolutely correct - part of our "bad luck", when it finally got sorted out was due to a sitter whose keys were "stolen by a friend at a party". The rest was attributable to various "friends" of various members of the household. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2952 Registered: 12-2004 |
Sean: I'm familiar with SWOT. The WCO went through a SWOT analysis back in January on our neighborhood. The results of it at http://warrendale.igorfilms.co m/swot.analysis.pdf We've also done some clean-ups of vacant homes. The most recent one was blogged about at http://warrendale.blogspot.com /2008/11/wco-cleans-vacant-hou se.html We'll continue to do that. However, when you combine the pure magnitude of us having more than 800 vacant homes with the complete lack of response from the City, it simply makes a lot of people feel overwhelmed and apathetic. Regarding private security patrols, we've looked into that. The problem a private patrol is that all most of them do is call the police when there's a problem. They don't actually have power of arrest nor are they equipped to deal with gun-toting drug dealers. (See above for that.) Sumas (and others): I double-checked; the homeowners don't have a babysitter (no kids) nor do they have anyone who regularly comes over. I believe the issue has more to do with the fact that they are surrounded with vacant homes, which means that the thieves can do whatever they want while the homeowners are at work and there's no one around to interfere. | ||
Defendbrooklyn Member Username: Defendbrooklyn Post Number: 1068 Registered: 11-2005 |
move | ||
Southwestmap Member Username: Southwestmap Post Number: 1126 Registered: 01-2005 |
Recently a security consultant spoke to the Southwest Detroit community through the SW District. He recommended installation of a particular camera. I looked it up and its not too expensive. It has a chip in it so that you don't have to have a computer to use it. The recording chip can be removed and viewed at will. There is also a warning voice. I think it was under $200 to buy. I have the information and will post it later. I am pretty nervous because I have an empty foreclosed house next door and no fence between my house and that house. Need glass block windows in the basement. My neighbors and I are not at home during the day. Nevertheless, no trouble so far. However, I have a young assertive mutt (who would leave if the front door is kicked in!)and an alarm system that sounds from the roof. I have window locking screws that I have installed in the back windows, a steel door to the back yard. Regarding the (once beautiful) house next door: the bank's REO told me this week that they will sell it for under $20,000 cash only. Three years ago it sold for $115,000. i'm worried that I will get a group home next door - the Detroit kind where the owners drop off the residents downtown to beg on streetcorners. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3595 Registered: 04-2006 |
They are definitely being hit by someone who Maybe not someone who lives in the neighborhood (although I think it's very likely), but definitely someone who knows their schedule. This isn't random. (Message edited by iheartthed on November 10, 2008) |
