OutfieldDan Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 (edited) The comments - I don't think they could even be real...they have to be planted for entertainment. Nobody, not even a complete moron incapable of feeding themselves, could possibly be that stupid....sadly though, I think its just part of the *thug* lifestyle. Remember though that thug life....its a culture - you need to respect the culture, else you be a racist!One of them called me a racist when I was talking to them in the tennis court. The sad thing is that a few times when the gang has been on the basketball court, there have been younger kids hanging around them.Lately there is diminished activity at Halbert Park. Maybe it's because many of them got arrested, but it's probably mostly because of the construction that's made the park less desirable for a hang out. Edited November 3, 2011 by OutfieldDan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I got hit last night...they jumped a 10' wood privacy fence in the alley to gain entrance to my backyard. They then kicked the back garage door in (regular person size) and stole a bike, a power drill, a jig saw and a circular saw.....So far as I can tell they exited by throwing all the stuff over the 10' fence. The burglar left a grocery bag full of other junk in the alley, most likely also stolen...including some unopened perfume, a radio, a clock for a mantle (also new in a box) and an unopened veterans desk top flag kit.....I have no idea what time they got in, but the area is very well lit and inside of a 10' wood fence....the front is 4' rod iron, and all gates were locked....based on the junk I found I think it was one person who just climbed the fence, but I really have no idea.I have so much stuff in my garage that they could have taken but did not it seems that they were there for the bike and just grabbed random stuff on the way out...My thought is that my bikes hang from the ceiling so were visible from the street through the garage door windows (which I should have made non-clear with window film) so they came around back, jumped the fence grabbed the bike, which is what they wanted and then saw some tools they took too.....They were clearly not in a huge hurry...they took all the tools out of their carrying cases and left the cases in my yard...Not sure of the odds of them coming back for the other bike and mess of other tools that they did not take....My wife is concerned they will return for the rest of it, since it is all more valuable than what they took....I will be ready for that eventuality though....I have added a siren to the door that I can hear from inside the house, and upgraded the door jams to steel so they can not be kicked in....Hopefully they wont return and I dont have to see how well the steel door jams work.....probably does not matter much though since the door is 60% glass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwki Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 That is a standard MO for these thiefs, happened to us 3 times over 20 years and all from the back alley, nothing but a Ho Chi Minh Trail for criminals. We trapped a pair in my backyard about 7 years ago, HPD sent in the dogs to flush them out and busted them when they went back over to escape mauling. We havent had a problem since neighbors and I closed the alley by combining fence lines after Ike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0123 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Stick this in your garage so you can get a nice picture of them for HPD... http://www.amazon.com/LOFTEK-Newest-CXS-2200-Wireless/dp/B004GWQBWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323871288&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 My thought process has always been that if I make my house just a little harder to rob than my neighbors house then they will just pass me by and go for the easier target....I am re-thinking my strategy...if I planned to live in this house longer than I do I would make several permanent strategic upgrades, but for the time being - an alarm on the garage with motion detectors and cameras is going to have to suffice.When I think about what is in my garage versus the house, the value of the contents in the garage is close to 4 or 5 times the value of the contents of the house....I mean my TV's are 3 years old or older, and after them the only thing of any value I own is guns which are in a safe I know they are not going to get into, and then after that its dishes....Ive never known a thief to steal dishes....I quit trying to keep up with new technology...I dont even own a blue ray or video game console....so tools/guns are basically the only items I own of any value...to say a thief who broke into my house would be disappointed is an understatement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Lately there is diminished activity at Halbert Park. Maybe it's because many of them got arrested, but it's probably mostly because of the construction that's made the park less desirable for a hang out.I just figured they were all at home studying for finals :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcook2002 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Mark make sure if you park a car in the garage that they didn't take an opener (gate if you have one) or garage out of the car. not saying you leave your cars unlocked or leave house keys/openers etc sitting in the car but they are much more likely to try and come back if they have keys and/or an opener and this is something that often goes unnoticed for a few days. Also something to consider our side garage door and main garage door when opened are set to automatically trigger the main alarm when the alarm is set on any setting. you can probably have yours programmed to do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) Mark make sure if you park a car in the garage that they didn't take an opener (gate if you have one) or garage out of the car. not saying you leave your cars unlocked or leave house keys/openers etc sitting in the car but they are much more likely to try and come back if they have keys and/or an opener and this is something that often goes unnoticed for a few days. Also something to consider our side garage door and main garage door when opened are set to automatically trigger the main alarm when the alarm is set on any setting. you can probably have yours programmed to do the same.Cars were in the driveway - mine is always locked with the alarm set....the wife's was open, but we dont think they messed with the car....I would have heard the car door through the baby monitor....not missing the garage door or gate opener....if it were missing we would know...its her only one and she would not have been able to leave.The only keys that were in the garage were to the gates at our ranch, and they were unlabeled....unlikely to ever figure out where that is...even more unlikely to be able to find it as it has no address...I have not checked to see if they keys are still there...i will do that.my garage is detached though, and it is not wired into the existing house alarm....I am betting that it would cost more than it is worth to wire the garage to the rest of the alarm system...its way back there and there is no easy way to bury the wires now that we have a pool. Edited December 14, 2011 by Marksmu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcook2002 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Just something we had happen near our house when a neighbor garage got broken into so figured i would give you a heads up. the burglars took his openers and keys and actually hid them under the house behind one of the "windows" for the pier and beam airway so when they came back easy access!Our garage is detached also but we have an alarm for the apartment on top as well as the garage which are zones off the main house system. however its been installed that way for some time and the distance to wire them together isn't nearly as big as yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerloop Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I had my garage added to the main alarm system a couple of years ago. Rather than bury the cable, we were able to run it around the perimeter of the yard along the fence.The thing to remember about having a garage on the alarm is getting the car in and out relatively quickly. You'll want to set the arm/disarm time long enough to open the door and get the car in or out plus get to the keypad to deactivate the alarm when entering. I keep a neat garage so I can do it in less than a minute, but if you've got restricted access then you'll need to plan for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Sorry! This sucks.I think one of the best things about my block is we have neighbors who come and go, literally, at all hours. Two men on the street work weird night hours, leaving any returning anywhere from 10 pm to 5 am. An artist, 2 SAHMs, an elderly couple and the guys who work nights are all out and about during the day. We all make it very well known that people are on our street all day long. While I do have an alarm on my house, these comings and goings are what make me feel safest. I know it's not possible to hand pick your neighbors this way, but we are really lucky and appreciative of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 We have a dog, which helps a lot. Sometimes we dogsit a friend's pup too, who is a bit more dominant and barks at anything that moves in front of our house.We also have a pain in the butt neighbor who complains that our dogs set off the neighbor's dogs, which sets off another dog, etc etc. during daylight hours, when someone is near our property. Of course, she isn't home during the daytime, but god forbid that prevents her from complaining to me. (as a sidenote, any suggestions on how to deal with a neighbor like that?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutfieldDan Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I used to leave my garage unlocked, but behind a locked gate of the fence around the back yard. A couple of years ago someone got inside the fence, maybe they climbed the fence, dunno. Anyway, they stole my bicycle, a mid-priced Giant and some tools out of the garage. They went out via the alley by opening the garage door that faces the alley. Since then, I lock the garage and my new bike is locked inside the garage to my workbench with a cable lock. I've had no incidents since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Well, I added a full function alarm to my garage...In the process of doing so I discovered I was missing another tool...of course it was my most expensive one that I seldom use...was not very happy about that. But oh well. I bought a pretty neat alarm, upgraded the siren...inside the garage is an 80db siren, but outside its 220db....its not just loud - its obnoxiously loud....It has a dialer and it can call anyone you want....Im not going to put that on my monitoring...just going to monitor it myself. I'm betting I have a faster response time than HPD for an alarm anyway.I have a pretty active block, and I have two dogs, plus a full fence - My neighbors across the street work from home, and are outside much of the day - though they can not see that part of my garage b/c my house blocks it....I also have another neighbor who is retired and he is there ALL the time...I seldom see him leave, and none of it mattered. When they are coming over the fence in an alley, their chances of being seen are almost zero at night...now if they enter the garage they are going to have all of a few seconds to get the hell out before I meet them....and I am pretty sure they do not want to meet me....I will not be gentle...ironically...or not...I got a flyer for the constable patrol on my gate Friday....Either its really good timing or they follow the police reports and hand one out to everyone that gets robbed....I think I may cancel my home alarm monitoring, have my alarm programmed to call me, and then just pay for the constable patrol. Its probably much better/faster than using the alarm company that will just call HPD, who will put it as a low priority call....about the same cost too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Well, I added a full function alarm to my garage...In the process of doing so I discovered I was missing another tool...of course it was my most expensive one that I seldom use...was not very happy about that. But oh well. I bought a pretty neat alarm, upgraded the siren...inside the garage is an 80db siren, but outside its 220db....its not just loud - its obnoxiously loud....It has a dialer and it can call anyone you want....Im not going to put that on my monitoring...just going to monitor it myself. I'm betting I have a faster response time than HPD for an alarm anyway.I have a pretty active block, and I have two dogs, plus a full fence - My neighbors across the street work from home, and are outside much of the day - though they can not see that part of my garage b/c my house blocks it....I also have another neighbor who is retired and he is there ALL the time...I seldom see him leave, and none of it mattered. When they are coming over the fence in an alley, their chances of being seen are almost zero at night...now if they enter the garage they are going to have all of a few seconds to get the hell out before I meet them....and I am pretty sure they do not want to meet me....I will not be gentle...ironically...or not...I got a flyer for the constable patrol on my gate Friday....Either its really good timing or they follow the police reports and hand one out to everyone that gets robbed....I think I may cancel my home alarm monitoring, have my alarm programmed to call me, and then just pay for the constable patrol. Its probably much better/faster than using the alarm company that will just call HPD, who will put it as a low priority call....about the same cost too.If you need any more convincing, we've had very, very good responses with the Constable patrol. A few calls for nuisance-type stuff that was followed up on very quickly, a few calls for suspicious persons that was followed up on in under 5 minutes, and a panic call (possible attempted break-in/home invasion) that had 2 cars (3 cops) there, guns drawn, in under 2 minutes. Worth every penny, if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0123 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 If you need any more convincing, we've had very, very good responses with the Constable patrol. A few calls for nuisance-type stuff that was followed up on very quickly, a few calls for suspicious persons that was followed up on in under 5 minutes, and a panic call (possible attempted break-in/home invasion) that had 2 cars (3 cops) there, guns drawn, in under 2 minutes. Worth every penny, if you ask me.I'm curious, but how does Constable patrol work in your area? In Midtown, they are contracted out to patrol the neighborhood and are available for every homeowner if they call them (usually get them in two minutes). Do you have to individually pay for them in the Heights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I'm curious, but how does Constable patrol work in your area? In Midtown, they are contracted out to patrol the neighborhood and are available for every homeowner if they call them (usually get them in two minutes). Do you have to individually pay for them in the Heights?Yes, we pay a few hundred bucks a year and have a dedicated phone number for subscribers only. They patrol the entire Heights area I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanith27 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Heights proper has one, Woodland Heights has one. Not sure about the other neighborhoods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Heights proper has one, Woodland Heights has one. Not sure about the other neighborhoods.http://www.houstonheights.org/newsletter/index.htm#ConsMapPlus the Woodland Heights one just about covers the whole area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I'm curious, but how does Constable patrol work in your area? In Midtown, they are contracted out to patrol the neighborhood and are available for every homeowner if they call them (usually get them in two minutes). Do you have to individually pay for them in the Heights?Individual households pay for the patrol...it does benefit everyone, but if you pay they give you a "priority" dispatch phone number and a fast response...they also say you can get well checks and vacation watches and other things like that.I paid the first year...I just hardly, if ever, saw him on my street so I did not feel that I was getting any added protection. I see him much more frequently in other parts of the patrol area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 A couple of the neighborhood association newsletters and the Chron all posted stats from last year's constable. Impressive numbers. Sad that there was so much crime but great for subscribers to be getting value from the program. My neighborhood won't even try to add patrol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggold Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I got hit on December 22 in the AM. I was on my way out of the country for Christmas and just got back last night. I don't know if they saw us packing up the car or it was just a coincidence that they hit our house about 1.5 hours after we left for the airport. When the alarm company couldn't reach me, they dispatched the police. They eventually found my backup, who happens to be my mom. She went and helped with the cleanup, police, etc.Sounds much like the others. They came from the alley. First, they turned off all the power at our breaker box, then they broke in through our back door. When the alarm went off, they found the siren and ripped it out of the wall. They found jewelry, watches, and took our computer. The financial loss was fairly signifcant and the sentimental loss was greater. A lot of my wife's stuff was passed down from grandparents or she got when she was pretty young. The computer had photos and videos of our kids that were not yet backed up. Probably 3 months worth of stuff plus the usual documents that I wish I had backed up. Before someone jumps in with advice about backing up computers, we do, but when we upgraded our mac os, it was no longer compatible with our NAS. It was something I had planned to remedy during the New Year's holiday weekend. The police seem to think they might have scared the robbers away, but we will never know.I talked to one other person who was hit the same day. I happen to know him and heard a rumor that he was robbed. I think they went straight from my house to his. The timeline seems to work out. He told me (so this is second hand) that he knows one other person in the Heights that was hit the same day. I don't want to give my exact address, but I live in Heights proper between Studewood and Beverly and between White Oak and 11th (that should be broad enough that no one will decide to come visit).For what it's worth, we pay for the constable and even have the sign in the front yard. That was clearly not a deterrent. I was also told by my neighbor that the constable never showed up, even after the call went out to the police. I don't know much about police frequencies, but I would assume the constable would be on the same frequency as HPD. We will definitely talk to him as soon as things settle down and find out why he didn't respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 The Constables and HPD don't talk, or didn't the last time I checked a few years ago.. Different frequencies, different dispatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Wow - that is quite a bit more brazen than what happened to me and some of the others. This sounds quite a bit more sophisticated than the smash and grab that was my house....The fact that they cut the power off is even worse....Had they cut the phone line the alarm would not have even worked (unless of course your alarm is cell based). For what it is worth you can buy an outdoor siren that has its own battery back up for like that $40.After I was hit I upgraded my sirens to 220 DB that will blare for 25 minutes on its own battery if the AC power is cut. I mounted it with a ladder on my garage and drilled a hole through the wall to feed its regular 12v power adapter...plugged it into the outlet on the ceiling for the garage door opener. My wife accidentally set it off this past weekend and she said it hurt her hears just trying to get to the keypad....wont stop a thief but it sure might speed him up a bit. I now have 4 sirens. One in the house in a hallway, one in the attic, one in the garage, and one on the outside of the garage...unfortunately they dont all talk to each other...the house has 2, the garage has 2. After you get robbed is always the worst time to upgrade your security, but I bet a nice safe would have saved you everything you spent on it.I got hit on December 22 in the AM. I was on my way out of the country for Christmas and just got back last night. I don't know if they saw us packing up the car or it was just a coincidence that they hit our house about 1.5 hours after we left for the airport. When the alarm company couldn't reach me, they dispatched the police. They eventually found my backup, who happens to be my mom. She went and helped with the cleanup, police, etc.Sounds much like the others. They came from the alley. First, they turned off all the power at our breaker box, then they broke in through our back door. When the alarm went off, they found the siren and ripped it out of the wall. They found jewelry, watches, and took our computer. The financial loss was fairly signifcant and the sentimental loss was greater. A lot of my wife's stuff was passed down from grandparents or she got when she was pretty young. The computer had photos and videos of our kids that were not yet backed up. Probably 3 months worth of stuff plus the usual documents that I wish I had backed up. Before someone jumps in with advice about backing up computers, we do, but when we upgraded our mac os, it was no longer compatible with our NAS. It was something I had planned to remedy during the New Year's holiday weekend.The police seem to think they might have scared the robbers away, but we will never know.I talked to one other person who was hit the same day. I happen to know him and heard a rumor that he was robbed. I think they went straight from my house to his. The timeline seems to work out. He told me (so this is second hand) that he knows one other person in the Heights that was hit the same day. I don't want to give my exact address, but I live in Heights proper between Studewood and Beverly and between White Oak and 11th (that should be broad enough that no one will decide to come visit).For what it's worth, we pay for the constable and even have the sign in the front yard. That was clearly not a deterrent. I was also told by my neighbor that the constable never showed up, even after the call went out to the police. I don't know much about police frequencies, but I would assume the constable would be on the same frequency as HPD. We will definitely talk to him as soon as things settle down and find out why he didn't respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 a friend of mine got hit over the weekend. Same exact thing, alley access, jumped fence and got into garage. It is obvious they made several trips and most likely had help. I have this gut feeling that if the cops don't bust these guys soon, someone is gonna catch them in action and open fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Personally I would rather someone catch them and deal with the problem than have the cops catch them and just have them return in a few weeks once they get out.a friend of mine got hit over the weekend. Same exact thing, alley access, jumped fence and got into garage. It is obvious they made several trips and most likely had help.I have this gut feeling that if the cops don't bust these guys soon, someone is gonna catch them in action and open fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Heights Kids Group families reporting a lot of break ins over the last 2 weeks. One family robbed 2x in a week. A couple of families mention having their alarm boxes ripped off the wall. Complaints of 30 min wait time for police to arrive. Be safe and watch out for your neighbors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 It is safe to assume, if you live on an alley, your garage is going to get broken in to. I think it would be wise to talk to your neighbors (not nice to just install them without notice) and install some alley facing lighting/cameras ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Dont think if your garage does not face the alley you are safe either. Mine does not face the alley. I have no gate or any type of access to my alley yet they still jumped my fence and got into my garage.....I used a game camera I had laying around, but I can see that is not going to work for a long term solution. After one day it had taken 71 photos, and used about 10% of the 6 C batteries.Going to have to upgrade to a camera with AC power and buy a much bigger data card....also thinking about using my cattle charger to put a hotwire at the top on the inside of the fence (where you would put your hand if you were trying to jump over)....would love to have the video of the a-hole screaming when he realized he was holding onto my 100 mile fence charger and could not let go because it was only charging 50' of wire. Cops dont seem to concerned about the rash of break ins though.... I have seen no evidence of increases in patrols.It is safe to assume, if you live on an alley, your garage is going to get broken in to. I think it would be wise to talk to your neighbors (not nice to just install them without notice) and install some alley facing lighting/cameras ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 It may be because there has not been an increase in burglaries...only an increase in ones that you know about. While it is cold comfort to you and the other recent victims, it appears that there are slightly fewer burglaries in the Heights beat this year over last. If that is the case, you won't see much change in police patrols. The recent arrest of a group of burglars in the Heights has probably caused a drop in burglaries overall, though obviously it did not stop all of them.The suggestion to enlist neighbors to watch for burglars is a good one. Remember, cameras are of little use if no one is monitoring them.Note that I used the HPD beat reports online, which are not official totals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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