From victora@mda.vnd.TEK.COM Tue Oct 15 18:57:14 1996 Return-Path: Received: from inet1.tek.com (inet1.tek.com [134.62.48.21]) by ursula.ee.pdx.edu (8.7.5/CATastrophe-2/10/96-P) with SMTP id SAA10329; Tue, 15 Oct 1996 18:57:09 -0700 (PDT) for Received: by inet1.tek.com id ; Tue, 15 Oct 1996 18:56:51 -0700 Received: from tektronix.tek.com(134.62.48.24) by inet1 via smap (V1.3) id sma048167; Tue Oct 15 18:56:45 1996 Received: from tekgen.bv.tek.com (tekgen.bv.tek.com [128.181.44.33]) by tektronix.tek.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id SAA12262 for ; Tue, 15 Oct 1996 18:58:49 -0700 (PDT) Received: from Ariel 3 (ariel3.vnd.tek.com) by tekgen.bv.tek.com (4.1/8.0) id AA06318; Tue, 15 Oct 96 18:56:35 PDT Message-Id: <9610160156.AA06318@tekgen.bv.tek.com> Date: Tue, 15 Oct 96 18:56:40 -0700 From: "Victor J. Albert" Organization: Tektronix X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1 (Windows; U; 16bit) Mime-Version: 1.0 To: thunder5@ee.pdx.edu Subject: Theft Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Status: RO X-Status: Lauren wrote: >On 12 Oct 1996, Victor J. Albert wrote: > >> Marc, >> I couldn't find your posting entitled, "Another post....", but I am >> interested in measures that can be taken help take a bite out of crime. >> On Martin Luther Kind Jr Day of '93, my car was broken into and raped of >> about $3000 worth of car audio gear. The system has yet to recover. >> Thing here is that my car was one of 5 cars broken into that night. This >> would leave me to believe they weren't "after me", just breaking into >> anything they could. Bad luck? Also, the neighbors mentioned that when >> they first moved to Portland (OR) they're car was broken into 5 times. >> They bought an alarm system and it had yet to be broken into again. >> >> I don't know what you have in mind, so lets start with a question or >> twelve; (these are just at random) >> >> Why do theives steal? > >Beacuse they are too lame to work for a living and buy their own gear. > >> What tips a thief off to a system? > >Stickers, CD's all over the interior, big woofers and amps in the rear >window(for a hatch), Power/RCA cables visible (this shouldn't be anyway ;) >Plus of course the deck in the dash, kick panels would be a good >indicator, etc. etc. > >> Why would the thief choose car Z over car Y to break into? > >Location of the car, Look of the car, too many things to mention. > >> How does the outside appearence of the car effect the thiefs judgment? > >I have no idea. A clean car, with rims and chrome fender trim <:P> would >probably draw more attention. I should ask my girlfriend, she has a BS in >Sociology and Psychology. > >> How many thieves does it take to screw in a lightbulb? > >None. Theives do it in the dark. ;) > >> What components attract thieves the most? > >If _I_ were a thief, I would look for easy to remove, in plain sight >components, I would defintately look for kickpanels, that indicates >high-end audio is inside......the components that attract theives are the >ones that they can easily sell. This is all that matters to a thief. > >> What are the most secure ways to mount equipment in the car? > >Large bolts, locks?, amp racks bolted down, sub boxes bolted down, go >stealth!!!!!! > >> What kind of uncommon screws are available to help keeps things where >> they should be (in my car not in their arms)? > >T-nuts, Torx head screws, allen (hex-head) screws, look around at the >local hardware store for screws you have never seen before. Get the tool >to use them, and get them. :) > > > > How effective are alarms? > >this is relative to the place, the thief, and the alarm. A novice theif >with a $500 alarm in the middle of nowhere, will get your stuff, because >no one is around to hear it. A pro thief, with a $100 alarm in a well-lit >parking lot, will still probably get your stuff, because he can get in the >car, pop the hood, and cut the wires, and even if the alarm sounds, no one >will care, because no one pays attention to alarms anymore but us. > >> How can you defeat an alarm? > >There are a few ways, one involves cutting wires (duh), some others I have >heard about are: shorting out one of the parking lights with a piece of >tinfoil and steeing the alarm off: when the alarm tries to flash the >shorted light, the fuse pops-no siren. I also heard (but this one may be >bullshit) something about taking a battery and shorting the battery to the >car body, there by reversing the ground of the car, and popping the alarm >fuse? (I think this one is a bit impossible??) > > >> What is out there for alternatives to factory locks? > >Keyless entry systems, Automated door lock actuators that work with your >alarm, fingerprint and retinal scan car entry (give it a few years, >especially the fingerprint one :) > > >> >> Maybe this would be a better way to organize this; >> >> List all the possible ways a thief would/could; >> a. Choose to break into my car break the window, or a lock >> b. Get past the alarm Cut the wires--see above >> c. Actually enter the vehicle break the window--see above >> d. Remove the equipment crowbar applied to amp screws will remove most >amps.. > > >> >> List all the possible things that can be done to prevent a thief from; >> a. Choosing to break into my car GO STEALTH! >> b. Actually getting into the car nothing >> c. Getting past an alarm system back up battery, hide the wires for the >alarm, hide the valet switch. > >> d. Removing the equipment--nothing. I f thief wants your stuff bad >enough, he WILL get it, whether you like it or not. I learned the hard >way. > >-Chris > > > >> Thanks in advance, >> Victor Albert >> >> >> >> > >