I live in a college neighborhood in a downtown area, naturally this makes every apartment on the ground floor a prime target for burglaries and vandalism. In the past there have been several incidents of loitering and suspicious behavior, and recently an escalation into resident car/home burglaries (including my car).
While nothing of immense value was stolen, I'm still wary and annoyed by the whole ordeal. I've already initiated the process to get stronger lights and fake security cameras installed to discourage future incidents, but I'm uncertain how effective this will be- especially if I'm away on travel. Aside from moving into another apartment complex, what are my options at this point?
tl;dr: What are some preventative measures recommended to keep your car / apartment safe in a crime prone environment?
fake security camera? why not a real one?
Live in an area with less blacks. Not even joking used to live in downtown Minneapolis, moved to an area that's almost exclusively old white people, and I haven't had to deal with shady nogs for over 2 years.
Moving is literally the most effective solution, shooting a nog or putting fake ass cameras out won't save you.
Lock your doors and windows. Seriously you have no idea how many break ins don't actually require them busting shit down. Other than that get a dog and don't leave anything valuable in your car.
>>16468541
not sure if the building manager would make the investment honestly, i've asked before and they ignored me (pre-crime spree).
>>16468551
i know moving is the best long term solution, but i'm still stuck on my lease for a while- so i'd have to make the best of things until it ends.
>>16468556
this is very true, that's exactly how it happened to my neighbor. thanks for pointing this out, it's something a lot of people overlook.
>>16468534
One of those bars that locks on the steering wheel and keeps it from moving.
Locks on all doors and windows.
Movement-triggered outdoor lights (surprisingly inexpensive)
>>16468534
Place wooden sticks between the top of the window and the window itself, so it can't be opened. Works great.
Buy one of those loud alarms for the front and back door for when you are home at least.
Don't leave anything of value showing in your car.
Or just move.
You ever watch the TV series It Takes a Thief?
Do the opposite of what those homeowners do
I do everything I can to show a potential car burglar that there's absolutly nothing of value in my car. I keep the glove box empty and leave it open, same for the between-seat armrest storage and the cup-holder area. I never leave anything at all in the car, neither valuables nor anything that could conceal valuables (a blanket covering a jacket in the back seat will get your car broken into by a crackhead who is just certain it's covering a big pile of money and electronics). My whole car says loud and clear, "See? Empty."
>>16468534
My apartment complex has had a spree of car break ins in the last 2 months or so, my car included. Twice.
I started parking in a different part of the complex (away from the entrance and the highway where the hobos live), took everything out, and always lock everything.
Shit sucks but you can only do so much to prevent it. Moving is the best absolute solution, but until then be on your toes, buy a gun, and listen for car alarms.
You could probably set up a prop camera and security lights yourself if you wanted to as well.
For the house you can get cheap alarm systems for doors and windows. The louder the better. Also see if you can get some of these:
http://www.mysecuritysign.com/
>>16468743
thank you, i think this is a good idea. we keep our registry information in the glove compartment, but i'll try to arrange it so it looks empty as possible in the future.
>>16468840
do you know what's a reputable place to buy home alarm systems like that? I was thinking that'd be a great way to deter theft- but no idea where to find something that would look authentic. I've seen cheap china ones, but they don't convince me so they probably wouldn't convince anyone else.
are people less likely to break into homes with animals like dogs or cats?
bump for more insight / ideas, p-pls
