Christmas_nolagirl28 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 So last night the thing that has always scared me happened. A group of teens vandalized and "Assaulted" our set up.We've already informed the police, filed a police report and are pursuing charges. We were wondering if any of you have had this happen to you, what you have done to prevent it from happening again. We've got the video to prove it too. So that helps.But we'd love to deter it from happening again and we've already got the smile you're on camera sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebuechner Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 It sounds like you've done everything you can possibly do within reason. Short of doing a few things that would be legally questionable. Unfortunately by putting stuff out in your yard there's a certain amount of risk that you take. Years ago I had some vandalism but it was an angry teenage girl that lived next door that had a father that didn't care causing her to be mad at the world. Teenagers in general are hard on the furniture then you get them in a group and they feed off of each other and sometimes bad things happen. Hopefully you catch them and give them that moment that helps set them in the right direction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Arch Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 1 hour ago, Christmas_nolagirl28 said: So last night the thing that has always scared me happened. A group of teens vandalized and "Assaulted" our set up.We've already informed the police, filed a police report and are pursuing charges. We were wondering if any of you have had this happen to you, what you have done to prevent it from happening again. We've got the video to prove it too. So that helps.But we'd love to deter it from happening again and we've already got the smile you're on camera sign. Sorry you're having to go through this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zman Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Sorry to hear that. It is every decorators nightmare and concern. At Christmas Expo the past 2 years I have presented about this topic. On my Website How-To page is a copy of that material. It has a lot of info. However the sad fact is that if someone wants to cause damage, they don't care what you have. Camera's etc... The thing that give folks pause is light. In talking to other decorators, law enforcement, etc... having lights on is perhaps the best detractor. It also accentuates any other things you may have like camera signs etc.... The video just proves something happened. Unless you have facial recognition, which most home systems are not equipped to handle, the video is almost useless identifying someone. Depending on how much damage was done, it could be a felony charge if they get caught. I know we are supposed to be all good and righteous, but turning the other cheek in these situations is a double edged sword. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas_nolagirl28 Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 Thanks everyone. The part that pissed me off aside from the vandalism and the trouble of having to re-do it all is that it was in the middle of the show at 10:11pm and we have the show going on till 11pm. We also going to be leaving most of the lights on from the lightorama to help deter them more. Zman thanks for the link. We'll definitely be looking to what else we can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynee Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) One year we had a piece go missing, but the teenager returned the item a few days later when a schoolmate overheard her bragging about stealing it, and gave the thief's name to me (they both lived in my neighborhood). I hunted down the parents and respectfully asked them to question their daughter about the missing item. The item was returned that evening with tears (from the teen thief) and thanks for not calling the cops (from the parents). The girl later came to our house with a new item for our yard, thanking us for not calling the police on her. The next year we had kids come and dismantle many of the pieces in our yard. Fortunately, only one piece suffered actual damage, but we were able to put everything back together (even the broken piece). At that time we bought infrared cameras that we installed. Last year we had a couple teenage girls come into the yard and dismantle some pieces - nothing stolen or broken. Unfortunately, they were JUST out of the range of our infrared cameras, so while we could see 1) they were girls 2) they had long hair 3) they took plenty of selfies in front of our display and 4) they drove an SUV, we couldn't see anything more specific than that. No idea if they lived in the the neighborhood or not (too much traffic to discern which SUV might have been theirs coming INTO the neighborhood (they came in our yard as they were leaving)). At that point we installed a motion sensor floodlight. Now, if anything even BREATHES in our yard, the light comes on and shines over the entire yard - and enables our cameras to very clearly see anything and everything within range. It's REALLY bright and lights up our entire yard all the way to the sidewalk and beyond (when we installed it, we asked our neighbors across the street if it was too bright since it is basically aimed in their direction (they live "down hill" from us and had a newborn) and they said while it is very bright, it was not bright enough to wake their child with the blinds closed, so they were okay with it and appreciated that it even partially lit up THEIR house at night). Before last season we bought a banner that basically announces you are on camera, but we didn't put it up. We will be putting it up this year. Edited October 10, 2016 by Jaynee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robongar Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I've just upgraded my CCT system plus, set up some PIR's rigged to 3x500watt light via a relay and timer. If anybody ventures, my display will light up like a sports stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75redman Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I have cameras up. So far I have not had anything damaged or taken. The only thing that happened a couple of years ago were kids rearranging my deer. Had all my deer mating each other. All in fun I guess. I didn't even know till one of my neighbors walking by said they liked my "deer scene" with a chuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebuechner Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas_nolagirl28 Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 Omg this is the best! Thanks everyone. You've really helped set my mind at ease that there is more we can do without having to give up. I was at the point of taking it all down and not doing it which would basically mean that the vandals would win. We're also planning on putting it up for Christmas but most likely taking it down before we leave so as to prevent anyone doing this again while we're gone and can't do anything. Any ideas on that? Jaynee you're definitely giving me ideas to put in motion sensor lights at night. We have our cameras set to ultra sensitive now and have them pointing towards areas and one covering specifically the decor. 1 hour ago, Jaynee said: One year we had a piece go missing, but the teenager returned the item a few days later when a schoolmate overheard her bragging about stealing it, and gave the thief's name to me (they both lived in my neighborhood). I hunted down the parents and respectfully asked them to question their daughter about the missing item. The item was returned that evening with tears (from the teen thief) and thanks for not calling the cops (from the parents). The girl later came to our house with a new item for our yard, thanking us for not calling the police on her. The next year we had kids come and dismantle many of the pieces in our yard. Fortunately, only one piece suffered actual damage, but we were able to put everything back together (even the broken piece). At that time we bought infrared cameras that we installed. Last year we had a couple teenage girls come into the yard and dismantle some pieces - nothing stolen or broken. Unfortunately, they were JUST out of the range of our infrared cameras, so while we could see 1) they were girls 2) they had long hair 3) they took plenty of selfies in front of our display and 4) they drove an SUV, we couldn't see anything more specific than that. No idea if they lived in the the neighborhood or not (too much traffic to discern which SUV might have been theirs coming INTO the neighborhood (they came in our yard as they were leaving)). At that point we installed a motion sensor floodlight. Now, if anything even BREATHES in our yard, the light comes on and shines over the entire yard - and enables our cameras to very clearly see anything and everything within range. It's REALLY bright and lights up our entire yard all the way to the sidewalk and beyond (when we installed it, we asked our neighbors across the street if it was too bright since it is basically aimed in their direction (they live "down hill" from us and had a newborn) and they said while it is very bright, it was not bright enough to wake their child with the blinds closed, so they were okay with it and appreciated that it even partially lit up THEIR house at night). Before last season we bought a banner that basically announces you are on camera, but we didn't put it up. We will be putting it up this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Arch Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) Not my picture - but it should work. http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/MegaArch/Mobile Uploads/IMG_5289_zpssie1lbtz.png Well sorry. Picture won't load right now. But trust me - it's funny. So laugh at me or with me - but laugh. Edited October 10, 2016 by Mega Arch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Arch Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas_nolagirl28 Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 Thanks everyone. My fiance and I have done eevrything we can to get the show back up and running tonight. I'm still a bit jittery about it all and still very frustrated/pissed off and very anxious about it. He's angry and pissed beyond all belief and we've notified local groups on facebook about it. As a means to either get the word out, deter it, or have the parents recognize the teens. You just never know. We did notice in the video that one of the teens looked to be recording the whole thing so we're keeping an eye out on social media but God knows thats an insane task. How did you all manage to get over it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 13 hours ago, zman said: ... but turning the other cheek in these situations is a double edged sword. This might be the best line I've seen all year. You can bet I'll be using it ad-nauseum. I just about choked when I read it. What a flood of witty rejoinders it brought to mind - most of which would probably get me dumped back into moderator time out again ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 I wonder if a trigger devise to sound off a machine gun audio clip firing over loud speakers would do the trick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebuechner Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 3 minutes ago, Santas Helper said: I wonder if a trigger devise to sound off a machine gun audio clip firing over loud speakers would do the trick. The way I would do it as an audio clip that comes on with the spotlights with the sound of a police officer demanding someone to lay down on the ground with their hands over their head and the sound of dogs in the background. (Or any Justin Bieber song that'll send them off screaming) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas_nolagirl28 Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 1 hour ago, Ebuechner said: The way I would do it as an audio clip that comes on with the spotlights with the sound of a police officer demanding someone to lay down on the ground with their hands over their head and the sound of dogs in the background. (Or any Justin Bieber song that'll send them off screaming) Yes! I think this needs to be sequenced and sent around for us all to have. I love this idea. We're installing flood lights with motion sensors tonight. Along with making the smile you're on camera sign. We are also debating leaving the projector on at night saying you're currently being recorded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robongar Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 (edited) I was thinking of setting a spare tv in the front window. Showing live images from the CCTV. But wondered if that would make things worse, by watching them selves act the ar$se Edited October 11, 2016 by robongar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebuechner Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 2 minutes ago, robongar said: I was thinking of setting a spare tv in the front window. Showing live images from the CCTV. But wondered if that would make things worse, by watching them selves act the ar$se I do a lot of work with surveillance equipment and in my experience if you let them see the image from the camera they figure out where they can hide from it. You're better off leaving them guessing where the gaps are. But when I set up a store we put the cameras out in plain view so people know that they're being watched. I have many of Priceless videos of a thief who's looked up to see a camera practically in their face and they get the expression on their face like oh crap I've been caught. I get a lot of compliments from law enforcement about of my system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zman Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 3 hours ago, Ebuechner said: The way I would do it as an audio clip that comes on with the spotlights with the sound of a police officer demanding someone to lay down on the ground with their hands over their head and the sound of dogs in the background. (Or any Justin Bieber song that'll send them off screaming) So something in my material talks about a trip line. I provide a link to a product that is for a trip line 12guage blank set up. You trip it, the shotgun blast goes off, you have a mess to clean up in the yard, and the perpetrator in their pants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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