# My Neighborhood Vigilance



## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

There has been 7 houses close to my house in Mexicali since Sept. that have been burglarized, starting with my house. My neighbors had a meeting at my next door neighbors house and I was invited. It appears there is a rooftop cat burglar working from his aunt's house 3 doors down from mine on the street behind my yard. Two of my neighbors, the one behind me and one of them beside me have installed barb wire and razor wire on my 10ft. high block walls and the one on the right has a floodlight shining on my carport and has taken down the top row of the lamana [3ft] I had for many years screwed to the part of my steel fence which is half way down between mine and his lot in my carport to my 10 high block wall so his 2 yard dogs could see into my yard.

One neighbor saw a young guy on the roofs crossing from house to house. Another saw a young guy jump off this roof and chased him down the middle of the street with a metal pipe, but he was too fast to catch. Both recognize him as the nephew of a retired lady living 2 doors down from the guy's whose roof he was on and he went to talk to the aunt. She was insulted and kicked him out of her yard.

I said why not go to the police. All burglarized said the called them, but have no hope unless this guy is caught doing something again.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm afraid that the same attitude is common in the States also. Some years back some friends of mine had their house robbed and the police said the same thing. They didn't have the manpower to investigate it even though everyone knew who did it. (a neighborhood kid had been seen leaving the house at AM). So the homeowner decided to open a few windows and sit in his living room with a shotgun and wait. (the gun was loaded with salt--hurts but not deadly) When he told the police what he was doing he was told to be sure the kid was inside the room before he shot him. Three nights later the kid came back and was caught. Shot in the butt with salt and unable to run. 

FYI-this was in Cleveland Ohio and not a small town. The homeowner was charged with discharging a fire arm within the city limits and fined $10 and put on probation for 2 years but the robberies stopped. 

Life ain't much different wherever you are.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

pappabee said:


> I'm afraid that the same attitude is common in the States also. Some years back some friends of mine had their house robbed and the police said the same thing. They didn't have the manpower to investigate it even though everyone knew who did it. (a neighborhood kid had been seen leaving the house at AM). So the homeowner decided to open a few windows and sit in his living room with a shotgun and wait. (the gun was loaded with salt--hurts but not deadly) When he told the police what he was doing he was told to be sure the kid was inside the room before he shot him. Three nights later the kid came back and was caught. Shot in the butt with salt and unable to run.
> 
> FYI-this was in Cleveland Ohio and not a small town. The homeowner was charged with discharging a fire arm within the city limits and fined $10 and put on probation for 2 years but the robberies stopped.
> 
> Life ain't much different wherever you are.


+1 

With the advances in technology, if you have a computer or iPhone lost or stolen, you can activate a program that will tell you exactly where it is.

A local person wrote an article about how he tracked his MacBook to a home in the Twin Cities, and from there, to a university on a different continent.

When he called the police to tell them, "My computer was stolen. It's at 1234 Thief Ave," they told him they didn't have the time to go get it.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Stopped break ins*



pappabee said:


> I'm afraid that the same attitude is common in the States also. Some years back some friends of mine had their house robbed and the police said the same thing. They didn't have the manpower to investigate it even though everyone knew who did it. (a neighborhood kid had been seen leaving the house at AM). So the homeowner decided to open a few windows and sit in his living room with a shotgun and wait. (the gun was loaded with salt--hurts but not deadly) When he told the police what he was doing he was told to be sure the kid was inside the room before he shot him. Three nights later the kid came back and was caught. Shot in the butt with salt and unable to run.
> 
> FYI-this was in Cleveland Ohio and not a small town. The homeowner was charged with discharging a fire arm within the city limits and fined $10 and put on probation for 2 years but the robberies stopped.
> 
> Life ain't much different wherever you are.



At the meeting the woman across the street from me said this young guy was probably working out of my back covered patio and watching them. She lives right across the street and the central alarm siren under her eves was cut and she lost her laptop, flat-screen, jewelry, and other things. I lost 4 nice patio chairs and my next door neighbor lost 2 full tool boxes that his son had in their garage. The others lost similar items. My central alarm went off when one of the back doors was pried open. The police came in 5 minutes and the alarm security a minute before. At that time my car was parked for a couple months in my carport when I was down south. If this was some people I might think some tough guys would be sent to pay the young guy a visit.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Police*



mickisue1 said:


> +1
> 
> With the advances in technology, if you have a computer or iPhone lost or stolen, you can activate a program that will tell you exactly where it is.
> 
> ...


I would think in the US a search warrant would be needed and that would be the answer I would expect from the police, not we don't have time, but we don't have time or reason enough to get a judge to sign a search warrant with what you have told us. I don't usually believe everything I read if it doesn't sound logical.


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## PieGrande (Nov 16, 2008)

That is why the bars and other 'protection' on all the doors and windows.


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## Uecker_seats (Jan 26, 2012)

Even though I don't normally advocate the use of fire arms, but if I was in your situation I would probably invest in a large dog and a small caliber handgun, like a .22. Little more menacing then chasing Speedy Gonzales with a pipe down the alley........


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Uecker_seats said:


> ... a small caliber handgun, like a .22. ...


Probably, hopefully, you were kidding. Not really good advice in Mexico.


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## FHBOY (Jun 15, 2010)

Uecker_seats said:


> Even though I don't normally advocate the use of fire arms, but if I was in your situation I would probably invest in a large dog and a small caliber handgun, like a .22. Little more menacing then chasing Speedy Gonzales with a pipe down the alley........


In Ajijic last year a man did try to resist a criminal - I doubt his widow would agree with you.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We are staying in a beautiful house in town on a privada, yet the front gate, solid steel, has a dead bolt, there is yet another locked door between the front gate and the house. The doors all have locks on them, the terrace entrance to second floor has a locked door and there is wire on the perimeter. To a NOBer this sounds absolutely horrible...it would have to me. But the house is a beautiful place and the idea of security only adds to the wonderfulness of it all.

You need to live where you live, if Canadian unlocked doors are your norm, a place like this would seem a prison, but I must tell you, it sure as heck isn't. It is an oasis, and perfectly OK with us.


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## Guest (Apr 3, 2012)

For all those now in MX still firmly attached to "stuff", why has no one yet suggested "seguros de hogar"?

All this talk of shooting someone, or expecting low paid, poorly educated police to solve the case when their priorities seem to be getting a good gordita at the best price every morning, laying traps, spending thousands on preventative measures such as cameras, razor wire etc - all to protect "stuff"...

just buy the darn insurance and lighten up. Take pictures of all of your goodies, record the serial numbers, sock away your purchase receipts, and use common sense in securing your home. Ask your banker if you don't know how to find it.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

GringoCArlos said:


> For all those now in MX still firmly attached to "stuff", why has no one yet suggested "seguros de hogar"?


 It's not just about "stuff". Someone tried to break into my house a couple of years ago when I was out, and after the police had come and gone, a neighbor stopped over to check out the damage. He looked around and said, "But you don't have anything!" Pretty true in petty burglary terms, unless they somehow managed to toss the fridge or washing machine over my three-meter walls. Repairs cost 300 pesos. The real damage was psychological: As a geezerette living alone, I felt angry and creeped out over the invasion of my privacy, and a little paranoid that they might come back to finish the job. Insurance doesn't help with that.

I ended up installing an alarm system and can't help wondering why more people don't go for that solution. Mine is simple and cost 5,000-some pesos plus a reasonable ongoing monitoring fee. The siren would wake the dead, and the police actually respond because the security company screens for false alarms. This takes just a minute or so (I know the drill, because my dog set it off several times before we got the sensors adjusted properly). For all I know, the "Protected by …" sign is as much of a deterrent as the system itself, but I do feel my place is more secure when I go away, and I don't have to panic whenever a cat activates my "dog alarm" at night.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

GringoCArlos said:


> For all those now in MX still firmly attached to "stuff", why has no one yet suggested "seguros de hogar"?
> 
> All this talk of shooting someone, or expecting low paid, poorly educated police to solve the case when their priorities seem to be getting a good gordita at the best price every morning, laying traps, spending thousands on preventative measures such as cameras, razor wire etc - all to protect "stuff"...
> 
> just buy the darn insurance and lighten up. Take pictures of all of your goodies, record the serial numbers, sock away your purchase receipts, and use common sense in securing your home. Ask your banker if you don't know how to find it.


Pictures of stolen 'stuff' don't work well here. You would need several witnesses to swear that you did own the item, and they would have to be able to identify it. The best 'proof' is to have the original receipts for everything....... True!
Also: Police don't solve crimes in Mexico; nor do they investigate them. That falls to another agency, the Ministerio Publico, to which you must make formal reports, in Spanish, with witnesses; then, wait ...........

Lots of things are different here.


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## kcowan (Jul 24, 2010)

Yes we found that when we bought our property insurance. Good luck with making a claim if you don't have evidence of a break-in. First get the perimeter nailed down, then check for invasion from above. Once everything is in place, then proceed with what RVGringo says...


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Your B&E*



conklinwh said:


> We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.


I am very sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident. Where you away from your home for a long time? I keep my extra pesos on my person in another pocket and if I need to pay for something it is in a different front pocket and a little American money in my wallet. Yes I have washed money sometimes when doing laundry, but also have found money from last winter inside an inside jacket pocket and did a little jig dance.


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

conklinwh said:


> We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.


So sorry to hear that. Hope you're not too shaken.

Sent from my iPod touch using ExpatForum


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## Uecker_seats (Jan 26, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> Probably, hopefully, you were kidding. Not really good advice in Mexico.


The OP stated that the intruder was young and fast. Back "in the day", we used to refer to that as "punk kids". I very much doubt a individual like this might likely have a butterfly knife on him (at best). A knife you can get away from someone, it's not like the movies though, you will more then likely get stuck.


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## PieGrande (Nov 16, 2008)

Uecker_seats said:


> Even though I don't normally advocate the use of fire arms, but if I was in your situation I would probably invest in a large dog and a small caliber handgun, like a .22. Little more menacing then chasing Speedy Gonzales with a pipe down the alley........


The reason the moderator assumed you were kidding is that .22 in the hands of a foreigner may well get you five years in prison and then deported if you survive the five years in prison, even if you do not actually shoot a Mexican. In the US, it would be different.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

The only thing now is my back yard and the 20 feet from the street to my house in my front yard on top of my block walls with the barbed wire and coils of razor wire are unbecoming to me and an eyesore. Sitting on my back patio I feel like I am in a prison yard.



The steel wrought iron style front fence in Mexicali makes for a good view of the street and makes sitting outside or looking out the window more enjoyable. Very few neighbors enclosed the front of their homes. Most places use wrought iron style steel fences on the border, even the public schools and buildings so you can see the openness not the same as central Mexico where enclosed compounds are more the norm.


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## FHBOY (Jun 15, 2010)

PieGrande said:


> The reason the moderator assumed you were kidding is that .22 in the hands of a foreigner may well get you five years in prison and then deported if you survive the five years in prison, even if you do not actually shoot a Mexican. In the US, it would be different.


WOW! Holy $^#! You know, I sort of like that...yeah the criminals have guns...bad thing that...but at least you won't find kids going into schools and shooting them up because of stray handguns.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Metal pipe*



Uecker_seats said:


> The OP stated that the intruder was young and fast. Back "in the day", we used to refer to that as "punk kids". I very much doubt a individual like this might likely have a butterfly knife on him (at best). A knife you can get away from someone, it's not like the movies though, you will more then likely get stuck.


I would think the neighbor who chase him down the middle of the street knew about knifes being popular and that is why he had a metal pipe. He is about 55 I would guess. My neighbors are older and many retired now.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*B&E*



conklinwh said:


> We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.


I guess this is a reality of sorts. My house has been broken into 5 times in the 25 years I have owned it. Twice when my ex brother in law and his friend rented it for 14 years. The first time was a major heist. They installed a central alarm system then. The second time for them their dog was drugged that was in the yard, but they did not get much because of the alarm went off.

When they moved out it happened again and the luz was shut off and they got 2 large propane tanks, a very old stove and fridge etc. The third time was just after I remodeled it and my ex wife's lazy nephew was paid to keep the luz paid and clean the yard. Again the luz was shut off and they got 2 new 1 tonne air conditioners and even took a big mirror screwed to the wall. I moved into the house then. The third time they got most of the tools and an extension ladder out of the laundry room and when going further into the house the alarm scared them off. The alarm security and police went in and did not touch anything as I had valuables around twice as the alarm went off again before I showed up to replace the broken window. This last time they took my nice patio chairs and the alarm scared them off when prying open a back door. All the times they cut the heavy chain on the driveway gate.


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## nac (Apr 4, 2012)

Sometimes when we don't understand some things we may blame the police. This is becuase if they don't have enough evidence they will not win the case and so may want to avoid an embarrassment.


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## kcowan (Jul 24, 2010)

I wonder how often you have to be robbed before you decide there is a problem with the design of the place? I know that burglers will overcome anything but are you presenting an attractive target?


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Kcowan, I hate to say it but by definition, you are a tempting target. Everyone knows who you are and where you live. We double lock everything in addition to the gate, wall, and dogs. They could well have drugged the dogs. We are in process of shoring up what was the point of attack but police basically said the only deterrent was someone on site 24/7 as if they want to get in badly enough they will.
My thought is sort of like trying to out run the bear. You don't really need to be anything but faster than your companion. In our case, I know can't make perfect but maybe more difficult than other targets.
Unfortunaltely things will probably only get worse and that not a Mexico statement. We have a part time resident that just returned to Boston to find out that there has been a significant uptick in robberies there.


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## Retired-Veteran (Oct 29, 2011)

This is one of the main reasons why I had to install cameras at the corners of my property here in Washington. Once I spoke to the police about the criminals three doors down that were meth cookers and dealers (the Bloods gang). One of their kids that took a stolen AR15 and pointed at me I called the police and made a report. They arrested the parents and recovered the gun and several others but did not arrest the kid that pointed the gun at my head. Why? No proof, they said that any crime would need to be caught on camera in one form or another. 

Since then having the video cameras has proven in court to be very valuable in proving a case of the neighbor threatening me. He looked right into the camera and maid the threat. Then in court he tried to claim the "Wire tapping law" where it's illegal to record peoples voice. It was told to him that goes for a two way conversation over a telephone in Washington State AND does not apply when there are several signs stating that the area is being video taped. 

The judge stated that it "may have" been illegal if there was a reasonable expectation of privacy but when this guy stood next to the signs saying that "Smile your being recorded" and spoke to the camera he had "No reasonable" expectation of privacy and if he continued he would go to prison for a long time. 

I had to spend a few hundred dollars on the equipment but it's well worth it when I need to plea my case. I'll be bringing me equipment when I move to Mexico but until I know the laws the cameras will only be inside of my home in plain view. At some point just as I had done here before I put them outside I will see an attorney to be aware of the local laws first.


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## kcowan (Jul 24, 2010)

Our friend hooked up a remote control camera that he can monitor on the internet. When his maid found out, she quit. What works NOTB does not always work here.

When we purchased our place here, we did so with a specific focus on how we could make it secure. We have iron bars on every potential point of entry. The idea is to make it more secure than the place next door and others in the area.

One of the reasons we did not purchase a distress sale penthouse was because we could not make it secure from a burglar climbing the outside of the building. Our main exposure is inside jobs. Both maid and moso have keys. C'est la vie!


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## Retired-Veteran (Oct 29, 2011)

kcowan said:


> Our friend hooked up a remote control camera that he can monitor on the internet. When his maid found out, she quit. What works NOTB does not always work here.
> 
> When we purchased our place here, we did so with a specific focus on how we could make it secure. We have iron bars on every potential point of entry. The idea is to make it more secure than the place next door and others in the area.
> 
> One of the reasons we did not purchase a distress sale penthouse was because we could not make it secure from a burglar climbing the outside of the building. Our main exposure is inside jobs. Both maid and moso have keys. C'est la vie!


WOW!

That is an extremely HUDGE blanket statement to make about the whole country of Mexico and every house help that has the potential to work is it not?

If any house help had a problem with a CC Camera pointing at an outside window or an door and refused to work would be fine with me. I would just ask or interview the next person interested in the job and bring to their attention that this is protection against any intruder coming in from a locked door or window.

then the statement of "What works NOTB does not always work here." set me back a bit also.

Sometimes a little show and tell goes a long way with people and explaining what you are doing and why. I give the Mexican people more credit for understanding the need for protection.
(I could be wrong as I havent lived there yet, but thats a big statement.)


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## Mr Wahoo (Jan 9, 2012)

*Theft*



Retired-Veteran said:


> WOW!
> 
> That is an extremely HUDGE blanket statement to make about the whole country of Mexico and every house help that has the potential to work is it not?
> 
> ...


Moving to La Mision soon. Hope I dont have a lot of problems there. It is a concern.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

There are robberies NOB.

There are people who take advantage of relatives in order to do bad stuff NOB.

There are police who are uninterested in helping, post robberies, NOB.

The biggest difference, for most of the posters here, is that NOB, we are in the middle class, and the wealthy look much more attractive to the potential robbers.

SOB, we are de facto the wealthy. Whether or not it's actually true.


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## Retired-Veteran (Oct 29, 2011)

I also would like to take this time to say I really don't think that crime is worse SOB than up in America, Not by any means. 
I'm only bringing the cameras as I already have them. I needed them here NOB. If I didn't already have them I definitely would not buy them before I moved or had a need for them.
Also if something did happen were a person broke in through a window I could show the police and people around town what the person looked like.
I wasn't meaning to sound terse (If I did come accross that way) 
(I re-read what I wrote and wanted to make sure I didn't sound to harsh)


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Deleted, duplicate post.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Update*

UPDATE:

My handyman/friend who lives a few blocks from my house in Mexicali called to chat. He has been around with me for 4 1/2 years and knows most of my neighbors and for about a year parks his car in my driveway every night since his van was stolen from his house. He told me that the rooftop bandit has moved from his aunt´s house on the street behind my house 4 or 5 doors down.

The nieghbor on that street 2 doors down who chased him down the street with a metal pipe when he jumped off the roof has reported this to my neighbors on our steet. There were some robberies on both sides of both streets early last summer I was told when there in early July but none for 2 months now.

2 of my closest neighbors walked around and talked to everyone on our street since all this started a year ago Sept. Their vigilance was well noted and people did reprt back to them any activity and rooftop sightings of him which were multiple and one around 11AM and about 1/2 dozen or more at night.


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## tommygn (Dec 2, 2011)

I loved the Cleveland story.


Even then your problem won´t be solved by brute force, you need to outsmart this guy.
take a chip from the Cleveland story...

1- Study his patern, at what times where the roberies? Where people out of their homes? Was it evident? (ie. no car outside?), Where the roberies on weekends?

2- Taking that information, choose the time and conditions that are more likely to get you robbed, and bait him. Leave an empty flat screen box outside or something of the sorts, park your car down the road and leave the light off. Also, leave some window slightly open.

3- Do this in coordination with other neighbors, at least two other and choose big guys. Have hidden cameras recoding the burglars actions. Choose strategic places to hide inside the house, so you are out of sight but within reach of the exits.

4- Ambush the burglar, you could use a stun light to aid your shock effect. Tie him up.

5- Call the police.

6- Prosecute him.

More importantly- BE CAREFUL; BE SMART.



Or is this too crazy of an idea?


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

*Security Systems*

For better or worse, I'm kind of a gadget guy and not a very good one at that.

Recently I've been acquiring some of the gadgets that can be used for home automation and home security. There's no limit to what's out there and it's becoming increasingly more popular, particularly for home security/automation.

I don't live in an area where there's much to fear in the way of crime, and nothing has ever happened to us anywhere, but we would sure be unhappy if anything did happen to us or our neighbors.

Anyhow, I've been acquiring and testing a number of items that, as a gadget guy, I'm quite inpressed with.

I've got a box full of the stuff that I'm going to take to Mexico the next time we make a trip from the States.

Our housekeeper already knows I'm a gadget guy (I think she finds it amusing, even somewhat boring) but she doesn't have a problem with it.

Our doorbell doesn't really work. So one of the things I'm taking is a motion sensor to be placed outside by the front door. When someone approaches, the motion sensor triggers a plug-in "doorbell" inside the house. I think our housekeeper will like that. 

Those sensors can also trigger other things, like turning lights on, and/or sounding an alarm, etc. I don't know how far I'm going to take this, but I do want to master the skills to use these things, should the desire or need ever arise, or until I lose interest, whichever comes first.

I'm also going to install a camera or two. (There are indoor cameras and outdoor cameras, BTW) The cameras can be accessed over the internet when you're away, from anywhere, even from other countries. They can record video and also be set up to trigger phone calls to you, your housekeeper, your neighbors, to whomever, etc.--on and on it goes.

These systems can be quite simple and inexpensive, or really elaborate, where they can become pretty expensive, but you can do a lot for very little.

Whatever I install, we will explain it all to the housekeeper and show her how to disarm it whenever she wants to. We will also invite the neighbors over to show off a little, but also to see what objections or suggestions they might have. (We certainly don't want to have lights come on (and not go off) that shine in their eyes, or on their property, etc., etc.

Gonna take me a while to do all this, but I'll report back when everything is up and running.

Anyone else into this, or interested in geting into this?


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

I don't think it's a crazy idea at all. But I would also go over the plan with your local police department, and try to coordinate the whole thing with them too. That might better your chances of success, and might even keep you out of trouble too.



tommygn said:


> I loved the Cleveland story.
> 
> 
> Even then your problem won´t be solved by brute force, you need to outsmart this guy.
> ...


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

DNP said:


> For better or worse, I'm kind of a gadget guy and not a very good one at that.
> 
> Recently I've been acquiring some of the gadgets that can be used for home automation and home security. There's no limit to what's out there and it's becoming increasingly more popular, particularly for home security/automation.
> 
> ...


I´ve bought from this wholesale for over 20 years and their prices cannot be beat.

MCM Electronics: Home and Pro Audio/Video, Security and Test Equipment


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Northern Virginia, USA, and SMA, MEXICO


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

DNP said:


> Thanks, I'll check it out.
> 
> Northern Virginia, USA, and SMA, MEXICO


Also if you are not sure of what to buy they have an excellent tech. dept, or at least they used to.


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## Heyduke (Jun 17, 2012)

nac said:


> Sometimes when we don't understand some things we may blame the police. This is becuase if they don't have enough evidence they will not win the case and so may want to avoid an embarrassment.


My house was broke into and my laptop, 3 cameras and a flatscreen TV was taken. I told the police that I knew who did it and knew where they lived. They did nothing.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

the police aren't supposed to do anything. You must make your 'denuncia' to the 'Ministerio Publico', in Spanish. It is a formal procedure prior to possible investigation. Police can only act if they actually see the crime in progress.


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## tommygn (Dec 2, 2011)

Yes, good idea.




DNP said:


> I don't think it's a crazy idea at all. But I would also go over the plan with your local police department, and try to coordinate the whole thing with them too. That might better your chances of success, and might even keep you out of trouble too.


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## tommygn (Dec 2, 2011)

Great that you point this out. A lot of people get confused by this here.



RVGRINGO said:


> the police aren't supposed to do anything. You must make your 'denuncia' to the 'Ministerio Publico', in Spanish. It is a formal procedure prior to possible investigation. Police can only act if they actually see the crime in progress.


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## edgeee (Jun 21, 2012)

DNP said:


> I don't think it's a crazy idea at all. But I would also go over the plan with your local police department, and try to coordinate the whole thing with them too. That might better your chances of success, and might even keep you out of trouble too.


Good idea, even if it just gives them a chance to meet you for a good first impression.
And maybe you or someone else knows more, but i saw a tech story -can't find it now - about hacking and how to prevent it, or a link i followed from there.

But the point i have is that there are apps/services to locate and/or to "wipe" stolen laptops and smart phones. Often the data is worth more to you than the lost property.

And merchandise too as added deterrents, like a device-dedicated siren alarm about the size of a deck of cards that guards a laptop. The siren is LOUD. Add a good old fashioned lock cable with the dedicated alarm, along with a wipe app, and i'd feel better about going out for the evening or a weekend.

p.s.
found the link.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/best-to...&pb_list=87c41598-c3b7-4f89-a929-ac5339f1b465


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

My buddy and his wife from San Diego use my house in Mexicali sometimes. Last night they got there and he has all the keys. My friend and handyman parks his car behind mine in the carport and walks a couple blocks home and keeps the gate locked. My friend from SD parked on the street. Someone stole his Calif. plated car last night.


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