Car broken into last night (ridgeway drive)

Lilpea

 

We live up the hill on Ridgeway, and we finally got a new dog. Last night at about 4am, he kind of went ballistic, but we thought it was squirrels or our kittens that made noise. After reading this, I'll be sure to get up and check it out should it happen again. He has a deep, loud, scary bark thank goodness! I imagine that the kids will travel behind the homes versus on the street. So if you get cameras, place them front and back!

 

We have a 4 camera lorex system, (hard wired) from Costco that was 500. Recently they had a 16 camera system on sale for 1000 which I bought, and will return the other system. The software is easy to use once over the learning curve, easy to output a segment to a thumb drive. I would be interested to hear what other have had success with.

Resolution is adequate, have it connected to the TV VGA input. The motion detection is not that useful, trying various settings you either get nothing or every leaf that blows across the yard sets an alert. There are different camera that are available, some of which have a greater range. I have no doubt there are systems with more resolution, e.g. control4 recommends IP cameras by axis but that gets pricey quick. Don't know what they use on "24" where they zoom on the license plates but have accepted we're not getting there for a while (kidding).

I also like that the lorex has input contact closures.

Keep in mind that if you are putting them inside, the IR illumination (which is how they see at night) will reflect off the windows and you can't see anything.

Eventual system will probably be motion detectors outside, tied into the house automation (to turn on the flood lights). Also besides monitoring I have the alarm set up to send text messages for arming and alarm via a python script, plan to add the motion to that as well. Lighting can be controlled via honeywell vista 20p alarm or lutron radiora. Currently also working a project to control everything (stero/lighting/alarm/etc) via a web page on any computer in the house (using python and an arduino micro).

The motion detectors we use are honeywell and have a combination of IR and K-band radar, have not had one false trip yet.

This is mostly because I am an engineer, not because we've had a problem. Kim also feels better with the system, although her friends kid her that we live in one of the safest neighborhoods but have a fort knox security system.

The system is set up hardwired, with a encrypted transceiver in the garage. One side benefit is that the honeywell remotes have phenomenal range - I can now open the garage door from the end of the cul de sac. Also don't have to worry about someone driving around with a code generator opening doors, and even if they pry the door open they have contact closures anyway which would set off the alarm (and prevents us from going to sleep with the garage doors open). Having the systems independently controlled but tied together is useful in that we can turn off all the lights and arm the system with one button press with the remote in the bedroom.

Remote in the car opens the garage door and disarms the security with one button (I programmed this after I opened the garage door, thought to get the garbage in and the alarm went off), and since the car is always in the garage I don't worry about someone getting the remote. Since I put in a transceiver (as opposed to a receiver) it also has the remote speak the system status.

I also have a late night snack mode that disarms and brings the kitchen and dining area lights up to 30%. I guess this is what a few feet of snow has yielded, will be nice to have the warmer weather again.

 

This could have been the race folks, too, setting up the course since it was on Ridgeway and they do it really early.

 

Yes it it also helped a few months ago when I burned a DVD of our neighbor's teenage son who kept egging the front our house. I wrote a note that if our house is egged again I will turn the current and future footage over to the LCSO...and guess what our house/cars stopped getting egged.

Guess he was pissed that we had footage of his Drunk Driving uncle (from this past summer) who mowed down our neighbor's mailbox and the LCSO ended up arresting him for DUI as well as other various charges.

Either way we sleep much better at night with a security system that has enhanced night vision coverage.

 

I think I would want to find out the facts before I started threatening lawsuits. What the parents did once they found out, were they responsible in making their children accountable, what kind of reparations were expressed to homeowner, etc. Lots of unknowns here and I would think you would want to fully understand the situation before you started spending money on lawyers.

 

The police cannot arrest someone on a DUI charge without actually testing for blood-alcohol-content (BAC) levels.

 

Its not a lot of unknowns here. I already talked to the cops and they said that they have SUCCESSFULLY sued the parents to get restitution. If the parents aren't responsible for the kids, we would have mayhem here at the hands of kids. Therefore, parents are held legally responsible for their kid's actions. If some kid damaged my car, my things, or whatever WILLFULLY, then my lawyers will be engaged. I won't take their willful malicious actions sitting down.

If I have to engage lawyers to get their parents to pay up for their kid's willfull damages, I will. Simple as that. I've had a former neighbors sue another kid's parents for damaging their car (One kid had a beef with another kid so he slashed their tires...they were able to haul the kid AND his parents in court and successfully sued them in civil court as the parents didn't keep tabs on their kids in the middle of the night. Judge ruled against the malicious kid's parents and told them to pay up! This was in Virginia, by the way.

So parents DO have a legal duty to keep an eye on their kids and their actions as well. Could you imagine the number of kids who would go around damaging property if the courts never held parents / kids responsible for the actions in the area? We'd have a lot of damaged property and no way of holding anyone responsible!!!

That's why I support the legal system and the courts!!! They are there for a reason!

 

Lilpea-- Could I talk to you about your camera system privately as I'd like to set up such a system but being new at this, I wouldn't have a clue how to set one up...Can you help? Thanks a million!

 

Sure they can...if the person refuses to be tested or fails a sobriety test, they can be placed under arrest. Have three fraternity brothers who are law enforcement officers and they have arrested folks for DUI even if they refused to do (or even failed) a sobriety test. The police aren't going to let someone go back to the car to drive home if they refuse to be tested for BAC.

 

You crack me up! Everybody needs a hobby.

 

In the particular instance that Pea mentioned, the police certainly cannot arrest someone for a DUI based on how they drove in a video. "It was the BEES officer!"

But I think for an actual DWI charge a actual BAC level must be acquired. A field sobriety test can make the determination for an officer to request a breathalyzer, blood or urine sample for suspicion of drunk driving.
As Virginia has an "implied consent" law, you must take one of the BAC tests. If you refuse, the penalties can be worse than a DWI and if serious enough (accident with serious injury or death), the police can always get a warrant and physically force you to give a blood sample.

 

The post never said that the police arrested him because of seeing the video. All it said is they have video footage of him mowing down the mailbox and the LCSO ending up arresting him. I don't think its assumed that the police arrested him for DUI from seeing the video, at least that's how I read it. But regardless, good stuff. I'd like to hear as well what kind of setup the video system is. How does it save the footage and for how long?

 

To belabor the point.
I don't see where interpretation is required in her EXACT statement:

From Lilpea's post: "the LCSO ended up arresting him for DUI as well as other various charges."

 

Wrong. You can belabor it and bold whatever parts all you want, it still doesn't mean that they arrested him after seeing the video.

 

T8 - Horner is correct and I apologize if my post lead you to believe the LCSO arrested our neighbor solely upon viewing the video footage. In fact the footage we provided confirmed eyewitness reports given to the LCSO that our neighbor had destroyed another neighbors mailbox and drove home without reporting an accident. Upon further investigation by the LCSO, our neighbor was ultimately arrested for DUI & other related charges. I hope that clears up any confusion.

From what was reported to us by Deputy Cote, our neighbor refused to take a breathalyzer but failed a field sobriety test. Apparently after he was arrested he ended up having blood drawn and had a BAC of .264, keep in mind this was several hours after the arrest. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to have an interlock system placed in his vehicle as well as serving 10+ days in jail and to pay restitution for the damage to our neighbor's property.

As for posting the footage, I think I would be breaking forum rules as the license plate # is clearly visible in the footage. Any thoughts?

 

Did this guy complete his sentence? I don't think you should post the "footage".

 

How long after the mail-box abuse was it before the police responded?

 

http://www.crimereports.com/map/index/?search= +Ashburn+VA

Looks like 3 other people we robbed that same night. I will be checking ebay and craigslist for my missing stuff. I think we need more 2-4am police patrols. That may help... I don't like the idea of having to spend more cash on a surveillance system.

 

They responded within minutes.