Last Tuesday night some creep broke into my truck, which was sitting in my driveway. Stole a Gerber knife, Gerber multitool, and ~ $5 in cash. I suspect he was looking for a bigger score and possibly a gun or two. He didn't get his wish.
Just pisses me off. The gall of some people!

Fortunately, the idiot used some brain cells and did not use the garage door opener to attempt to gain entry into my garage/home. Had he done so, he would have been greeted in the most unfriendly manner.

"Broke in", as in your door was locked so he had to smash a window to get in? In that case, my condolences. That really sucks.

Or "broke in", as in you left your door unlocked and some scrotebag went through your neighborhood pulling on door handles until he found an easy target that was open? In that case, that still sucks for you, but why was your truck unlocked? Yeah, said scrotebag shouldn't have been up to no good and you're still the victim here, but the reality is that nobody lives in Mayberry any more, and there are basic steps that folks can take to greatly reduce their likelihood of becoming a victim.

Like simply locking your doors.

Sorry for the lecture, but a significant portion of law enforcement time and resources is spent dealing with thefts of opportunity from unlocked cars, when the reality is that the culprits will most likely never be identified, and the crimes are almost entirely preventable. It's frustrating, for the victims and the cops too.

locked, unlocked. i get the idea that a locked vehicle offers a level of challenge a common low life thief might be dissuaded by but i can't stomach people that will just take stuff that doesn't belong to them. low life bastards

Doors were locked. Last thing I checked prior to heading to bed. Window not broken. Not 100% sure how they got in to be honest. Slim Jim? Magnets? Keypad? No sign of forceful physical tempering.

I do not live in a target rich neighborhood that someone would just walk through. Someone knew where they were headed and went out of their way to get there.

When a friend’s truck was burglarized a couple years ago a LEO told him a knowledgeable thief could break in with a screwdriver as quickly as if he had a key. So locked doors aren’t really much of a deterrent.

In that case, I apologize for assuming. You're the minority.

Does your truck have proximity keyless entry, where if you get the key fob near the door, you can just pull on the handle and the door will unlock?

There are ways for even unskilled thieves to defeat that system.

Aren't much beats none. A professional thief can open a safe in three or four minutes. Should we not have them, or use them to keep out the amateurs?

Yep. The vast majority of thefts from vehicles are not by skilled pros, or even semi-knowledgeable amateurs. They're unskilled jackholes with no tools or special knowledge, committing crimes of opportunity. They'll go through neighborhoods or parking lots, looking in windows or pulling on door handles until they find cars that are unlocked, and then rummage through them for easy things to steal, mainly cash, credit cards, electronics, and guns.

And business is good, because tons of people choose not to lock their car doors. And lots of people leave their valuables and guns in unlocked cars. And some people even leave the actual keys to the car in their unlocked cars.

Officer in my town told me if you don’t have an aftermarket radio or anything in the vehicle you care about, it’s better to leave your doors unlocked. His words were prophetic. A few months after that two of my neighbors had their windows smashed and things stolen in the middle of the night. One had to have his door repainted from the damage. They went through my unlocked car and only stole about 2 dollars worth of change on the floorboard. No damage.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
When a friend’s truck was burglarized a couple years ago a LEO told him a knowledgeable thief could break in with a screwdriver as quickly as if he had a key. So locked doors aren’t really much of a deterrent.

I know on the 2004-2008 f150s you can insert a screwdriver under the outside door latch mechanism between the plastic and door skin and unlock the door. It only takes a few seconds.

We have a had a rash of break ins and the local LEO just don't care. They won't even come out anymore. Neighbors got the assholes on video and the police weren't even interested in seeing it.

Neighbor is ready to sleep in his minivan with a 12 gauge.

I almost think it's better to leave the doors unlocked, with nothing of value in the vehicle.

They got my truck, parked at Our Little Airport. Smashed the roll-up window in the passenger side door, made a total mess, everything strewn around, passenger side airbag stolen, dash damaged to get to the airbag, console door broken even though all they had to do was open it (no lock).

I started a rumor around the airport that I have insomnia and I have a shotgun (the shotgun part is true).

Many years ago (early 1960s, I believe) when I had just finished my four-year USN "career," I was living in the NYC area.

There was a strike, city sanitation workers. Garbage was not being picked up.

Creative people were know to gift-wrap their trash and leave it in unlocked cars.

There’s a special level of hell waiting for thieves.

No proximity key fob, but that is one of my concerns with my friend's new Tesla. Car unlocks & "starts" when the fob is near the car. Perfect for a kidnapper/car jacker. Yes, I think like that and would be seeking alternative programming, if it were my vehicle. I would not be comfortable with my wife or daughter driving a car that did that.

I have been forced to leave my truck out of the garage since my daughter came home from college. No more room in the garage. So, I have been nervous and check my doors when I walk the dog right before bed. Unless I hit the unlock vs. lock button on the remote, it was locked. Lights flashed and horn beeped. I guess I could have accidentally hit the unlock when hanging up the keys. Regardless, it is currently a mystery to me.

One of my neighbors has expressed a suspicion of the grown children of the other neighbor on the corner of our road. Indeed these young adults have found themselves in the county lockup on several occasions. The fact that they can watch me come and go from afar, carries some merit.

I will probably never know. I just do not want it to happen again.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
There’s a special level of hell waiting for thieves.

Indeed!

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
Aren't much beats none. A professional thief can open a safe in three or four minutes. Should we not have them, or use them to keep out the amateurs?

Apples and raisins. His F250 was broken into by sticking a flatblade screwdriver into the keyhole just like a key, and turning it, breaking the lock and unlocking the door. I guess that’s not really like cracking a safe. My intent was to let people know that locking a vehicle doesn’t really provide much actual security for any valuables in it. The best practice is probably to not leave valuables in an unattended vehicle, which is nothing like keeping valuables in a safe in your home.

Eons ago there was somebody who was very adept at breaking into cars at odd hours where I lived. Someone got the bright idea of gluing safety knife blades under their door handles. Several days later there was blood on his car door followed by a woman down the road with her right hand bandaged up. Break ins quit immediately after that.

Sorry about that. I too hate thieves.

I don’t leave a garage door opener in any vehicle left in the driveway.

quote:

Originally posted by Oldrider:

Eons ago there was somebody who was very adept at breaking into cars at odd hours where I lived. Someone got the bright idea of gluing safety knife blades under their door handles. Several days later there was blood on his car door followed by a woman down the road with her right hand bandaged up. Break ins quit immediately after that.

Who hasn't fantasized about doing something like this?

I always dreamed about something that would deliver a powerful electric shock.