Crimes I've just heard of

[Hunt Stoddard]

I vote for the Orwellian solution, GPS ankle bracelets for everyone on the island. You'll always know where everyone is.

[Hunt Stoddard]

I actually tried the GPS tracker idea a few years ago when things were being stolen from my farm shed. I put it inside a crappy ottoman. Unfortunately, the thief had better taste than me and never stole it.

But if he had, I would have been able to track him right to his storage location on Google maps. Pretty cool, but I would recommend (highly) for anyone doing this, go to the cops at that point. Never know what a cornered person might do. There's no guarantee the cops are going to react well to your vigilante approach. In fact, who wants to bet they'd be kind of pissed off?

These days I have several fake bubble cameras on my house, but hearing what I'm hearing, I better up my game.

[PaulW]

No need to get hysterical, people.

[PaulW]

It is, however, time to assume that you WILL be broken into, and to make preparations for that day. It may never happen, but you should assume it will.
If everyone did prepare then the crooks would have to give up or move on.

A wifi or cell-connected camera inside to get their faces and a camera outside to get the vehicle (and plate) would be very good.

A GPS tracker would be great too. Any ideas for one? I've read a lot of reviews, they all have problems (limited battery life, monthly fees, need a clear view...)

[randomq]

PaulW, see if you feel the same after you or a close friend has been robbed. I've seen just how ineffective our police can be, even when presented with identification, video evidence, and the location the criminals are illegally squatting.

"It's your word against theirs."

"We can't enter without their permission."

"I got out of my car and told them to stop but they drove past me. What could I do?"

[kalakoa]

GPS ankle bracelets for everyone on the island

Let's start with ankle bracelets for everyone "in the system".

Probation? Bracelet.

Out on bail? Bracelet.

Work furlough? Bracelet.

Related: there are GPS trackers that can be fired at a fleeing vehicle so that it can be found later. Too dangerous to chase? No problem, wait till they roost.

Clearly HPD just doesn't have enough budget to deal with the problems, even if they really wanted to.

[PaulW]

I have been robbed. Still no reason to put heads on spikes.

[geochem]

In terms of tracking devices, I bought a Vyncs tracker for my wife's new vehicle last year. You can get the device for ~$90 that generates locating pings every three minutes (while the vehicle is operated) that you can track on your computer with no monthly fees. You can up the frequency with a higher fee. It is about gut-simple to install - it goes into the data port for the vehicle and once you boot it up the first time, my experience is that it continues to operate pretty flawlessly. They tell you that, if there is a problem, disconnect and reconnect and it will re-boot. I did a fair bit of investigation of what was out there at the time and this seemed like the most cost-effective way to give you some chance of recovering the vehicle without going all paranoid and spending hundreds of dollars a year without much additional protection.

It wouldn't be hard to deactivate by a thief - if said thief is smart enough to know it's there - but for the money, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

It also provides you with your gas mileage and any alerts that the engine computer generates.

[PaulW]

That sounds great geochem! Pardon my ignorance, but where is the dataport?

[PaulW]

Hmm, maybe they've changed their policy. I can't see any Vyncs you can get without paying a yearly fee. Which is, of course, the same as paying a monthly fee.

As for the data port (from the website):

This is a small device that plugs into your car's OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostic) port. It's the port that mechanics use to diagnose your car. It's usually found in the area below the dash above the gas pedal. If you live in US or Canada and your car was built after 1994 then your car has an OBD-II compliant port. The Vyncs Link has a cellular network connection which communicates with the cloud just like your phone.