Vehicle Security - What have you done?

[Countryboy59]

I think of it this way: even if something has almost no likelihood of occurring, but would be horrible if it did, I prepare anyway.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Zybane

...

If you want to avoid most crime, avoid big cities and their surrounding areas. This is a great map to include in your trip planning:

http://nation.maps.arcgis.com/apps/O...f4cd840824eef3

Avoid areas amber or above.

Indeed, people should look closely at that map that this poster has provided, and internalize what it signifies. I just looked at it, and if I followed its general premise, I'd end up avoiding significant swaths of area that are embedded in the community where I actually live - areas that are very difficult to avoid because there are key stores, medical facilities, etc. in those areas.

And I live in the tony suburb known as Clear Lake, Texas. Even here, we log "highest crime" areas, according to that map. That has been my exact point all along. This conclusion that there are "safe" areas is arguably not based in reality. But don't take my word for it - read the map.

[Pubtym]

Here's my Security System.

[InterBlog]

Well, here's a sudden reappearance of one of my all-time favorite threads...

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Yes, IB, my late husband was with me when that happened in NOLA, and he did carry a firearm, but he didn’t have to brandish it nor even threaten to do so....not then, nor at any other time in the 6 1/2 years and 144,000 miles we traveled the country together in our Interstate.

And, this guy was annoying but never threatening...there’s a difference.

I don’t carry a gun, have never felt a need for it and never intend to do so.

Now, if someone approached me who seemed high on drugs, psychotic, had a knife or gun in his/her hand or was otherwise threatening, I would of course fear for my safety and respond accordingly.

That has never happened in my 68 years, however...not to he and I, nor to me before he came along or since he died.

There’s also the Lily factor...a very big bark, big white teeth, and fiercely intimidating on a seconds notice. Anyone who meant me harm would have to kill her to get to me, tho she has never been intended for that purpose that’s just the dog she is.

I maintain the firm opinion and belief that this is a generally a safe country, and that most people mean us no harm.

I’m not saying there are not unsafe people and places out there, because of course there are...which is why we stay alert and aware and make decisions accordingly. You may run across one of these folks, but if you use common sense and good judgment it is unlikely, in my experience.

I worked for a living going into the worst parts of town, knocking on doors and going into strange homes...the housing projects and other areas where the criminal element congregates...dealing with felons of all types, drug dealers/users, child abusers, wife beaters, prostitutes, pole dancers and their pimps.

You name it, I’ve met them, and not once been harmed nor threatened.

I took the police with me at night...just common sense...and if that was indicated by the particular person I was visiting and the reason for that visit. On a few occasions, I did not go to their homes but required people come to my office...because common sense dictated that.

99% of the time, I went alone, smiling and saying hello to those I came across, and always passed safely in and out.

I do not fear people who don’t live, dress nor look like me. I don’t fear beggars nor homeless people, and this last trip spent a WalMart night just feet away from homeless people living in their cars.

I wasn’t afraid, but did feel somewhat embarrassed by my good fortune vs their situation. In the morning, I purchased gift cards, walked up to their windows, and passed them out, directly into their hands.

Seriously, unless where you live and choose to travel dictates it, don’t electronically arm your Interstate to the teeth, anticipating danger and harm around every corner.

It’s just not a realistic fear...in my opinion, and significant experience...and can affect ones overall experience.

Maggie

I’m still with this, 3 1/2 years later...no problems, no additional security found to be necessary.

I will take this opportunity to recommend a really excellent book I’ve been reading and rereading the past few months.

The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker, about knowing when you are in danger.

https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Sur.../dp/0440226198


I know more than your average bear about human behavior, but learned a tremendous amount from this man, who articulates and defines clearly things many of us know instinctively but can’t necessarily put into words, sharpening our perceptions and assessments of others.

One can be in physical danger, one can also be conned...the book is applicable to both.

There is even a Goodreads Quotes...

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quote...e-gift-of-fear


I read the ebook version, then bought the paperback so I could mark it up.

It’s that good.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

For the trope-minded, maybe? Of a traditionalist sort? This guy is shockingly dark.

This quote below doesn’t even remotely resemble me. As a female with two degrees in a field where only 15% of the graduates are women, who has spent decades working in male-dominated fields, I’ve been far more afraid of getting injured or killed by women than by men. I’ve never seen a man consumed by jealousy and rage to the point of irrationality at the prospect of anything I happened to be in the middle of accomplishing. I saw that routinely with women. I still see it at times - in fact, this week I just got done writing a warning letter to a corporate attorney for that reason, on account of a board member who publicly lost her bubblehead to hatred directed at me. Safety-wise, I wouldn’t trust that one as far as I can spit.

Of course, there is a pool of criminals on the street and that pool is male-dominated - that is true. But safety is largely a numbers game. I’m not on the street in high-crime areas as frequently as I’m around nasty women. Statistically I think I have more to fear from the latter.

“It is understandable that the perspectives of men and women on safety are so different--men and women live in different worlds...at core, men are afraid women will laugh at them, while at core, women are afraid men will kill them.”

― Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear

[Lily&Me]

It is true that women have their own kind of viciousness, in my experience, tho their propensity for physical violence is statistically different.

Your specific circumstances are, of course, yours.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Not exactly. Hell hath no fury like a woman *outperformed*.

Outperformance is the highest effective form of scorn. The fact that it is unintentional and untargeted doesn't matter in the slightest - when insecure but aggressive women come face to face with outperformance by what they perceive as a female competitor, everyone's life is guaranteed to be miserable from that point forward.

Nevertheless, this thread is about vehicle security, and that ugly phenomenon does not typically manifest in this context.

At least, not to a large degree. I have seen it in campgrounds when I have had that tedium inflicted upon me of having to watch my back, but the real security threats to vehicles on the road are organized crime, and violent crime.

[InterBlog]

An interesting security footnote:

The Houlton Maine Police Department has agreed to store my husband's work computer in their evidence locker when we cross the border this year, under the same contractual terms that they offer for firearms.

My husband is a government contractor and his work computer, which contains information on federal programs, cannot leave the United States. It's a major criminal violation if that occurs - nothing to fool with.

Every year when we go to Canada, he has been forced to leave his computer here in Houston. He tries to do a bit of work from the road, but with no access to 90% of his material, he really can't.

Being able to leave the computer in a secure location at the border will give him the bulk of six on-road days in which to continue working (three up and three back). That's a game changer.

See, if I had not insisted on dragging my weapons all over hell's half acre, I never would have stumbled upon this police department option. The moral of this story is that it pays to push the envelope.

[TN Princess]

InterBlog


Can you provide more info on the firearms holding and Houlton Maine police. I did a search on the Houlton Police website and found no reference nor info.

Thanks

[boldie24]

I am new to the RV community and bought our first Airstream, a 2020 Bambi 22FB, in May. Security was a key concern, not only for storage but when we travel as we plan on leaving the campground frequently for hikes, etc.

I started with the basics. Have both hitch and ball locks and a padlock on the chain. Not theft proof but sure will slow them down and make a lot of noise if trying to cut off.

Next, I bought a Ring Security system. I have solar and a Verizon MIFI so connectivity to the internet is not an issue. Pretty basic. Has door alarm, motion detector and a camera. While I can't use the monitoring service since they won't know where it is when traveling, I get notifications on my phone and it has quite a loud and annoying siren should it get triggered. I know, I have opened the door on more than one occasion without disarming and have been greeted by the alarm. I can check it anytime with the camera (live view).

For insurance, I have Progressive through USAA.

Finally, I am a firearm owner and CCP holder. I travel and carry firearms as appropriate and legal in the states and parks I am in, especially with what is going on right now. I will avoid the states where that's a problem, primarily the NE which is too bad.

My girlfriend has a couple of corgi's but they are not much in the way of security, LOL.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by TN Princess

InterBlog

Can you provide more info on the firearms holding and Houlton Maine police. I did a search on the Houlton Police website and found no reference nor info.

Thanks

They will keep your firearm plus ammunition for a fee of $15/week while you are on the other side of the border. I call it "gun babysitting".

Suggested procedure:

(1) Enter the police station empty-handed except for your purse or wallet, approach the window, explain your purpose.

(2) Once you get the OK from them, THEN go get your unloaded gun(s). Do *NOT* walk into any police station carrying a gun unannounced. That would be bad at this point, especially with all the civil unrest we have.

(3) Fill out the paperwork, hand over your stuff, save your receipt for the later pick-up.

(4) Upon return, pick up and pay in full. There's no downpayment required because if anyone doesn't pay their fee, well, their gun is almost always going to be worth more than whatever is owed, so it's a great piece of collateral, LOL.

You can call their non-emergency phone number to confirm (Google it). I talked to them today. It's a tiny town with only a handful of officers - they tend to pick up the phone right away.

Remember that the border is currently closed to all but a very narrow category of essential travelers and family reunification folks.

[InterBlog]

From Instagram yesterday.

Do you see "L4V" stamped on that supplemental lock, the one that did NOT get breached in this crowbar'd example below?

That stands for "Locks For Vans".

I still have not identified an American source for these products. With the pandemic and the severe reductions in international shipping (planes are not flying as much), I haven't pursued it recently. But some day, we in North America may gain access to these. Some day.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Pubtym

Here's my Security System.Attachment 372436

I stay away from advertising if a firearm is stored inside. I'm afraid it will become the target of petty thieves.
I'm a firm believer in standing up for your constitutional rights, so I have a carry permit although I almost never carry.
In all my years of RV travel, I never felt the need for a firearm, and I spent an inordinate amount of time worrying about it. I just stopped bringing it.
If I were to boondock, that might change.
The truck has a hard tonneau that locks, and the cab has dark tinted windows so things inside are hard to see.
I keep a very sturdy hitch lock, and if an area looks sketchy, I move on.