Show elements attacked last night, Christmas trees assaulted

[Denise Brunner]

First, Happy New Year everyone. What a way to start off the New Year. Got home from a New Years Party last night and found the 12 tomato cage trees I have that line the front all smashed and bent over. Straightened them out last night, but they needed welding and light repair. This morning I took all the broken ones. Repaired the ones I could get back into shape and re-welded the trees that the welds actually broke. A few places I had to replace the wire. This really sucks !!!! Vandalism is the reason I stopped decorating 10 years ago, its just not right. But, I will not forget the lady that said she was having such a hard time this holiday season and watching the display turned it around for her. Planning on 5 cameras with a recorder and some IR beams for security. I will catch the brats and I will prosecute to the full extent of the law.

[Guest Don Gillespie]

Denise Brunner wrote:

First, Happy New Year everyone. What a way to start off the New Year. Got home from a New Years Party last night and found the 12 tomato cage trees I have that line the front all smashed and bent over. Straightened them out last night, but they needed welding and light repair. This morning I took all the broken ones. Repaired the ones I could get back into shape and re-welded the trees that the welds actually broke. A few places I had to replace the wire. This really sucks !!!! Vandalism is the reason I stopped decorating 10 years ago, its just not right. But, I will not forget the lady that said she was having such a hard time this holiday season and watching the display turned it around for her. Planning on 5 cameras with a recorder and some IR beams for security. I will catch the brats and I will prosecute to the full extent of the law.

Sorry to hear about the damage, I really get tired of dog owners who let thier dogs pee on my display I have cameras but what I really should get is a pit bull to take care of the vandalls and the dogs that like my display.

[Denise Brunner]

Look at cameras now (a little late) but will be in place for next year

[Denise Brunner]

Any suggestions on what to look for in Camera's

[Guest Don Gillespie]

Denise Brunner wrote:

Any suggestions on what to look for in Camera's

Well its hard for me to suggest anything for you guys in the States as you always get stuff cheaper than we do in Canada, I know there has been discusions on the topic but I can't remember when try a search Denise and see what you come up with if memory serves me correctly some guys were getting them from costco but not totally sure.

[Alan C]

Denise Brunner wrote:

Any suggestions on what to look for in Camera's

It may be worth asking the advice of your local police. For the reasons you are installing them, you need to ensure that you end up with an image that is good enough to be used as evidence for a criminal prosecution. If the recorded images are at all unclear / blurred, you will find they will be dismissed as evidence.

Regards,

Alan.

[Denise Brunner]

Thanks Alan, I am Captain of the Ambulance Corp in town and today did speak with a couple officers today and the Chief. Actually found out they had a problem on my street last night - which probably was the cause, but am going to go ahead with the cameras.

[toddmoon]

I had a similar issue last year. I installed some BW camera's and IR motion activated lights. I did not have any problems this year. It was sometimes annoying to have the motion lights come when someone would drive by but I wanted to have maximum coverage by my system. I did not have any issues this year with my display. I can only hope it continues that way.

I also have a dog that I keep in the yard to help with security. He loves to chase anything that moves. I let him out into my yard last year to do his duty for the night before I went to bed and there were a couple of little b@#*erds trying to steal one of my displays and he chased them out of my yard and up the street. Maybe that had something to do with not having any issues this year.




Attached files

[Surfing4Dough]

Denise Brunner wrote:

Thanks Alan, I am Captain of the Ambulance Corp in town and today did speak with a couple officers today and the Chief. Actually found out they had a problem on my street last night - which probably was the cause, but am going to go ahead with the cameras.

Of course they had a problem on your street last night--it was in your front yard!!



Do they know who the suspects are?

[Denise Brunner]

yea, the have arrests.

[fxdwg]

denise, sorry to hear!!! here is a link that a few of us were pondering last week... i bought the 16 channel model with 8 cameras, already have 8 cameras installed here, but its pc based, this way its self contained dvr unit.

good luck and happy new year!!

http://forums.lightorama.com/forum81/31644.html

[trafficman]

Denise.. Sorry to hear this bad news. Offer a reward like I did last year. If they catch them make sure they help with the install next year. It's funny how kids will tell on each other for money. I have three deer camera's on my display and motion lights.

[Guest guest]

Alan C wrote:

Denise Brunner wrote:

Any suggestions on what to look for in Camera's

It may be worth asking the advice of your local police. For the reasons you are installing them, you need to ensure that you end up with an image that is good enough to be used as evidence for a criminal prosecution. If the recorded images are at all unclear / blurred, you will find they will be dismissed as evidence.

Regards,

Alan.

Someone better tell the retail stores that too. Seems every time I've watched a "crime scene video" from one of the retail stores, it's always fuzzy and blurred, but they still use them for evidence. So what makes the difference in that respect?

Or maybe laws (if there are any such thing) pertainining to video clarity is put in place by each state, county or city. Just seems that sometimes what's not good in one area, is fine and acceptable in another.

BTW: Sorry to hear of the vandalism Denise. Stuff like that always irks the beejeebers out of me.

The only item I lost was due to my own stupidity, wasn't a lighted item, I had staked some plastic candy canes (very thin flat plastic) at the end of both sides of our driveway (or the beginning depend on how you look at it), well when I came in last night from an errand to the store, I drove over one of them. OOPS!:shock:

Thought I was far enough away to clear it, nope drove right over it. (actually mounted them to close to the driveway). Fortunately it snapped the stake at ground level, so the candy cane survived. All my wife could say is, "I'm GLAD YOU DID IT, I'd have never heard the end of it if I had ran over it and did that!" And then she started laughing at me for being so stupid, running over my own candy cane. Dang thing has been in the ground for weeks and I ended up taking it out Sunday night, last night of and during the show.

Well I need to get my butt in gear and start taking stuff down. Hope you catch the vermin that did the damage, you should ask your neighbors if they saw or heard anything.

[Alan C]

My understanding is that here, there can be a problem identifying suspected criminals if the video evidence is the only evidence of the crime. I am not sure how it works in the United States.

Regards,

Alan.

[shfr26]

Get a dog like this

Attached files Attachments_2012_01_5.zip

[Scavenger]

halloween 2010, had 7 blowups slashed, 4 tombstones broke, christmas 2010 1st wek december, had 18 blowups slashed, wooden deer broken, lights cut, christmas eve, after spendin a week repairing all but 4 blowups, had 8 more slashed, and lights cut, after 2 weeks the sheriff caught all 8 perps, 4 from the halloween and 1st week december, all 14 years old, and 4 from the christve eve, all 17 years old, after a year in court i received $150.00 on about $ 1500.00 worth of damage.....



but 2011 no problems, have 4 security cams an signs posted, started a neighborhood watch and now have patrols in the neighborhood several times a night.

[DLTSLC]

Sorry about your guys' vandalism. Nothing more frustrating!! I believe it was Cracker said his house got burglarized and his computer stolen!

We have Protect America and our house is freaking Fort Knox with all the sensors it has! Plus, we're planning on buying and installing this setup as we do the lights for this year as we're converting to all RGB LEDs:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11613300&whse=BC&Ne=5000001%204000000&eCat=BC|90607|4802&N=4047297%204294967156&Mo=0&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1〈=en-US&topnav=

We decided on those because they can identify faces

You might want to consider putting a simple fence for the neighborhood pets/riff raff. Vandals will cross them, but it's amazing to see how obstacles can deter traffic into your maze of wiring

Good luck, and once again, sorry you're having to go through this

[rstately]

If you have dark areas, these floods help get a sharp image with the cameras.
They glow red when you look right at them, but they don't through any light you can see with your eye.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180781404599?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1050

[Guest guest]

rstately wrote:

If you have dark areas, these floods help get a sharp image with the cameras.
They glow red when you look right at them, but they don't through any light you can see with your eye.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180781404599?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1050

True, you can't see them output any light at all with the human eye {or you shouldn't, unless they are not true IR lights.} A true IR has NO discernable light output. However, a camera WILL pick it up as a RED illumination, you can usually see this on the camera viewfinder.

So true IR's are really good in this respect because even though they are on, they actually appear to be off, so a crook/vandal in this respectmay not realize they actually are illuminating the area where a camera is watching. They just think it's a regular style spotlight that's been shut down for the night.

[CKSedg]

Just before Thanksgiving I had four single police officers (two who serve in our city) move in to rent the house across the street from me! Best deterrent for vandalism you could ever hope for! Since they work all different shifts, there is always at least one police car in the driveway or on the street in front of the house. Great neighbors!