Thieves

[CS]

Yeah the generator would be a obvious steal. Although there fairly large, they can resale for several G's. My mom works for a rather large lumber/ contractor supply company, and I have a few friends who dads are contractors. Construction site theft is a fairly large problem. [Fuel, equipment, tools, raw material, etcetera]

The clear PVC still gets me though. Even I who am interested in potato guns would not steal clear PVC. Its hard to conceal, and it holds no value. [Steal the generator and you can buy probably a thousand feet of the stuff]

About the 'security' bit. I would not suggest any cameras, or laser trip wires (ok maybe not that, but whatever). Prevent, rather then deter. Just bar up the windows as previously stated, and deadbolt the door. While I do not live in a ghetto by any means, I live in a lower class area, and car jacking, and simple B&E's are common. Like for instance, your generator. Did it have wheels? Chances are it did, and they were intact. That makes it all the easier for thiefs to transport that kind of stuff. We have taken the wheels off all of our equipment, and taken basic precautions (bar on windows, locks).

[pyrogeek]

Yeah, but trust me, if theres a way to get in, a theif will figure it out. All you can do is slow them down. Even a cheap hasp and lock will slow a person down, but a screw driver can be used to pry it off. I speak from experience here. Definitely put bars and locks on your windows and doors. And if you really value something, lock it up.
But, then you KNOW the person knows what you have, otherwise why would they bother?

[mega_swordman]

Yep, follow all the advise and it will turn up eventually. My greatest concern is the fact that some random person now has your spud guns. If they were out stealing stuff and using spraypaint for graffiti (supposably), if they were to figure out how to use said cannons, they would cause lots of damage and chaos. Darn those mis-guided youth.

[rna_duelers]

To me this just sounds like a simple B&E from the start with a few items taken.Trust me I have been there gone through that shit and it is often for laughs but you get serious when you realise the shit doesn't hit the fan straight away and you realise you can get a fair bit of stuff from it.

Sounds like a crime of opotunity turned into fairly large haul which was most probably not planned.As for the clear PVC they most probably wouldn't have any idea what it is (as most PVC isn't clear)but taken because it way cool.Hell I would take it.But look around your peers maybe not be a direct contact one but more of an aquantance that might of had word of the guns and how awesome they are/were.

The car break ins do seem a little out of place.But if the opotunity arises and your still on heat from the other hits then it can spiral a little.

Also check your own nest,aka neighbors etc.

[jrrdw]

Sneak thieves who take large items allready have that planned out to some degree. I beleave it's someone you kinda know, or vice versa. Think about it, crimes of oppertunity are normaly small easy to conceal and carry type items, like hand tools, wrenchs/screwdrivers/socket sets ect... Do you have a dog, even though it's been 3 days a sent will still be there, (providing it didn't rain there), put the dogs nose to the foot print and hang on to the lesh tight. Trail them, you might find your stuff stashed in the woods??? You never know. Genarators are kinda hard to hide. How big and deep where the foot prints? That will give some indacation on the size of the person. Where the 3 different sets of footprints all different tread patterns, or the same guy making 3 trips?

[Insomniac]

Damn man that sucks. And they took your AIR COMPRESSOR!!!
I hate theives, they are scum.

My parents had an old Ford Laser, and it was stolen (after my dad was threatened with a knife). I was only a baby at the time and my mum ran to a house across the street with me to call the cops. The guy was recaptured (he had escaped from a high security prison in a nearby town) and we got the car back. But then a few years later (I was 5 or 6 at the time) the SAME CAR was stolen AGAIN!!! Then the people (do theives count as people???) drove it out of town to torch it. They had covered it with fuel and oil and were about to light it when a guy in the area saw them and scared them off!!! If they had torched it it could be claimed on insurance, but instead we were stuck with a car that was oily inside and out, stunk like petrol and was worth next to nothing!!!

[pyromaniac]

OK i had a weird dream about this last night.
You were walking down your road when you see a junkyard. you walk in and see your bike. Some dude names carl sees you and starts trying to shoot at you with your combustion then i woke up it was really weird.
Know anyone named Carl?

[lukemc]

i know this probly isnt going to make you feel bettre but i have a bit of a story

my dad owns 75 acres of land for hunting, 4 wheeling and messing around and we live like 2 hours away . there is a trailer there and thats where we sleep and eat. we only get to visit like 5 or 6 times a year so my dad dosent like to keep anything of value threr in case it gets stolen. so we go down one weekend and see the front window smashed we all asume a theif broke in and took what he could so we started to take inventory. After a awhile we couldnt find any thing missing and eventualy we saw a dead goose lying on the ground next to the broken window. we think i maust have crashed in and broken the window. so we boarded up the window and replaced it but forgot to take the boards down so a year latter my dad was down with a friend bow hunting and they where in the trailer and my dads friend asked if he could shoot the cardbord deer that was proped up against the boards on the wall so he shoot it and the next day they realize the window was broken again

[schmanman]

that sucks.

a year or two, a kid from a mile down the road (nearest house) stole $7000 in tools and equipment from my neighbors.

he also came into our house, and took both my parent's cellphones, and my dad's wallet.

he found his briefcase at the end of the driveway.

he was caught, because he used one of my dad's credit cards, but signed his name.


oh, also, our barn looks like it's about to fall down because of the chipping paint, and old shingles (it's not, were going to put a new roof and siding on it this year) so he never even bothered check there.

although there are several thousand in $$$ out there, power tools, equipment, dirtbikes, lawnmowers, ect.

now I have massive railroad safety locks chaining everything down.
the bar on top is literally an inch and a quarter around of hardened steel, and the body is difficult to cut with a acetylene torch.

oh, dont forget the chains! the kind they put between railroad cars, like the locks, in case the mechanism attaching the cars together breaks

[imablackskater]

That ultimo sucks when i was little i got a bunch of stuff stolen car parts gamboys (sniffle i loved pokemon) you name it my dad even beat upa guy trying to steal my grand dads tools hope that makes you feel better

[SpudBlaster15]

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[joannaardway]

Spudblaster has got a good idea there. I'd be watching the local paper's ads closely.

As others have said, Prevention is always the best method to avoiding theft.

But putting a few exceptionally loud alarms around works well. Some cunning trick involving a 130 dB alarm and a tripwire would be excellent - if they set that off, they'd be out of there so fast they would leave a comic book style cloud where they had been standing.

[jrrdw]

Spudblaster has got a good idea there. I'd be watching the local paper's ads closely.

As others have said, Prevention is always the best method to avoiding theft.

But putting a few exceptionally loud alarms around works well. Some cunning trick involving a 130 dB alarm and a tripwire would be excellent - if they set that off, they'd be out of there so fast they would leave a comic book style cloud where they had been standing.

Yea and the 1st bird that lands on it, wind blows a stick onto it and by this time even the nabioring town knows it's there. You want a true friend that will give his life for yours and protect your home? Buy a dog!

[Flying_Salt]

I'm assuming that this guy know you and/or has heard you talking about spud guns. If I didn't know about them and saw one, I would be like "what the heck is that thing? It looks worthless". You said it had a metering system on it, so it was probably pretty bulky. They wouldn't bother with something like that unless they knew what it was.
If the footprints were about your size, then you know for sure that they're one of your peers. A person's foot size matches thier height.
Your best bet would be getting a dog. I have a border collie/husky mix, and she is the sweetest dog in the world, but will tear anyone who she doesn't know apart.
You also mentioned it was at the back of your property? So would they have had to know where to find it? You might want to check your local pawn shop, my friend once found his psp there, and he didn't even know it was stolen!

[risto]

update: GOT 'EM!

HUZZAH!!

3 white males, ages 20-22

they had a local classified ad for our own generator and compressor! dumb bastards!

anyway, they live in the neighborhood next to mine, the one where the cars were broken into. According to the report, they were 'intoxicated'. They knew about my shed and a few others. They broke in, stole things of value from mine and two other houses and then kept them at their house. i got back all my stuff except my stun gun (sadly) because it was "lost" and my cannon. I don't know if i get reimbursed for that or not, but right now i'm too happy to care!

i got back my clear chamber (kinda scratched now)!
my bikes!
my wakeboard!
my empty keg (i guess thats a plus?)
and my compressor!

but sadly, my spray paint(Krylon Fushion) was used up on tagging the other 2 houses they broke into and my other cannon is MIA and the culprits "don't know where they left it".

i also got back my bungee cords and 12 pack of electrical tape which i didnt know they had either.

apparently, they just stole things that they thought were interesting and i guess my pvc, bungee cords, and electrical tape were so awesome, they just had to have them.

anyway, now i can get back to my competition gun!

thanks for the support!

EDIT: oh, and from one of the cars they stole, they had an Ashlee Simpson CD, which none of them will fess up to who stole that one.

EDIT EDIT: Good call Spudblaster (+15 exp.)