How to handle?

[beastmaster]

Two weeks ago my absentee neighbor hired a motly tree service to cut down his back yard that was overgrown with tree suckers and tall weeds. They all had their shirts off, some had tennis shoes on, and I bet not all of them spoke English. They came over and used my green waste trash can with out asking, but all that aside, they did a good job.
My wife told me they were looking in my tool shed, and over the 6 ft block wall fence into my back yard.
Ok now two weeks later this last Saturday, two of my weedeaters and a high grass mower get ripped off. The weedeaters were laying along the block wall fence in the back yard, and my high grass mower was in the tool shead. I got a lot of stuff that thieves could easily sell. I had a 1000.00 in fishing poles and reels next to the weedeaters. No they came just for those Items.
I live on a dead end street and know my neighbors. I don't lock my stuff up because nothings ever been stolen on our street.
I do a lot of small weed abatement jobs But I am now out of the abatement business and someone is starting theirs I think.
I don't think the owner of the tree service is involved, but I am convinced his worker are. Should I go talk to the man? I already found their yard.But what if he is involved? I'll be tipping my hand. I want to do detective work and see if I can narrow it d own as to who did it
. I hate a thief and I am a vigilante and I loved that high grass mower. My saws where in my car just by chance or they would of got them too.
So should I just confront them and put it out there, or deal with it on stealth mode. See I got this lil devil on one shoulder,whispering in my ear, and a angel on the other.

 

[pdqdl]

Did you make a police report? That would be step #1.

It's a tree service, right? Walk right in, ask about work. Case the joint, talk to some of the guys. Get their names. In the end, you might get an offer for employment, but that doesn't mean you have to take the job.

Do some stealth work, after you have checked out the premises. Follow a couple of the most suspicious ones home. See if you can spot your stuff.

Even if you find your property, you won't be able to get it back unless you made a police report first. Even if you don't have a serial number, sometimes a good enough description is enough to force collection. I got a stolen trailer back once, ten years after it had been taken! Even though our homemade trailer had no serial number on it, the police report was detailed enough that we got it back. Naturally, the guy selling it had no title or proof of ownership, either.

Visit all the pawn shops in the area. Again, no police report, you won't get your stuff even if you find it.
Read Craig's list, religiously.

Don't count on your missing stuff being used by someone going into business. Thieves seldom want to hang on to the stuff they steal...they know it links them to the crime. Besides, stealing is usually done for greed, fast money, lack of talent & ambition, or opportunity. You provided the opportunity, but an ambitious thief starting his own biz will still sell your stuff and buy something different.

 

[ROPECLIMBER]

That sucks, I know from your post how hard you work and I am kind of glad I have never caught a thief red handed I think I would be in prison if I had, for manslaugter for beating them to death with my own reclaimed line trimmer, or having their right hand mounted on a plaque, I have to say little prayers and think that God wanted me to have a nicer one some times, I havent been hit in a while but about 10 years ago they cleaned out my garage miller ac/dc stick on dolley bottles torch,backpack blower mountain bike, snapper comercial with robinson 2cycle,2 echo trim saws a o28, a stihl fs 81 line trimmer, hand grinder, in the pouring rain was there 30 min earlier and came back to get somthing and must have spooked them, they left another blower and my girlfriends bike in the street and swinging grage doors wide open, I think I would try to get them on tape stelth, then let the police handle it, mabe get them deported if nothing else, check the pawn shops too
Paul

 

[formationrx]

...

i d check the pawn shops... keep my eyes open for my stuff on yards... and i d covertly follow those bastards i suspected and if i caught them using my stuff i d make them look like this guy... and theyd be lucky...

 

[derwoodii]

police report 1st then a visit armed only with a camera to their yard, a few snaps of rego numbers then a email & calls to immigration, IRS office and local bail bonds City Hall etc. Your gears gone and while frustrating the crooks did not leave a business card so you only gotta yer hunch but some vodoo doll work will get em sorted.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Beasty, I feel ya, have been hit several times in the past. Lock it up tight man, or they will be back, dont think they didnt notice what else ya had, next time they need some cash...........

I broke down and bought a security system. Records and up loads and maintains 16.5 days worth of video, night time as well. If they want it, theyz gunza get it, but then you will have them on camera, and then the fun begins. So far I have not had any major issue, was kinda hoping someone would mess, so I could get him busted, but the word is out about my place being under surveillance at all times, so I doubt the POS will do it.

I hate thieves, stealing from someone who worked to get it, to me , is below low.

 

[KenJax Tree]

An alarm rigged with a couple 5 million candle power bulbs hooked up to a couple train horns should keep em out.

 

[lone wolf]

Stealth mode and track them down and look for the stolen property.

 

[Pelorus]

Read a good thread or two on this subject on the firewood forum here awhile back.
I have done work for one client who had some animals break into his cottage mid-week. After their party, they turned the thermostats down and left the taps turned on in sinks, bathtub, etc. with the drains closed. In the winter time, of course. Guess they were just trying to equalize some economic inequalities, which is kinda the same as what the OP's enterprising equipment liberators (thieving buzzards) were doing.

After a rash of petty thefts in our burg last summer, I lock everything up outta sight at the end of every day. A royal PITA when you come home tired and hot and dry. I really can't afford involuntary equipment donations to nobody.

 

[pdqdl]

Cameras only help diagnose the thievery. Unless it is someone you know, or you have HD cameras, a good camera system does little more than tell you how they got in, what they took, and what time it happened.

I have had several thefts, several with gates removed and large quantities of equipment taken. The only thing that really works is a monitored alarm system that makes noise the moment they enter. I have had NO breakins since I wired my perimeter with an alarm circuit.

I even had a guy sneak up to my building casing the joint, he stole the glass out of my office window without breaking it. Then he shined a light around the interior, saw that we had indoor security cameras as well, then he left...taking the window glass with him. I had the whole thing on video, but I wouldn't have been able to arrest the guy if he was standing across the street the next morning laughing at me. Surveillance video isn't good enough to make arrests.

 

[Kottonwood]

Damn Beast, that sucks. I just had a 200T stolen off of a job. My guy left it sitting on the truck, came back to nothing. I feel so violated whenever I get stolen from.

I wish I had as much evidence as you have. I would definitely file a police report and then go at it stealthy style. I filed a report here and I just got a letter from the cops saying they are not going to do anything to pursue them and to please not contact them unless I have specific information of the wherabouts.... Either way you got it on file that it's stolen now, if you take it back that is your right. ..... sometimes in these situations it is best to not get even........ get a little ahead..... just in case.

 

[beastmaster]

I didn't even bother fileing a police report. I don't know the serial no. on anything, and how common are echo and craftmen weedeaters. I bought that high grass mower on craigslist and put a new motor on it. I don't even know what brand it was. It's not so much the value of the stuff, that's is part of it, but the fact they plotted against me and entered my property at night.... What if my wife or daughter had been out there for some reason? No I rather there be no police report anyway.

 

[pdqdl]

Not putting in the police report is how criminals keep getting away. Be a standup guy, and go through the hassle, annoyance, and risk of reporting the crime.

1. For all you know, there are robberies everywhere that tree service goes. Don't you think the cops would like to know about it?
2. You may find that the cops patrol your house a little more.
3. In the event that you actually find some of your stuff, you will be able to do more than recover it: you can prosecute! (cops love it when you tell them "Yes! I will prosecute")
4. You may be one of those guys that has always considered cops to be an authority figure to be avoided. This would be a chance to meet one when you haven't been caught doing something wrong. Getting to know the local cops is a good thing. Sometimes they even need their trees trimmed.

I don't see a downside, except possibly expecting a full criminal investigation and subsequently being disappointed when the cops only fill out a report and then leave.

I have recovered my own stolen items 4 different times; it would never have happened if I hadn't put in a report. I put two (former) employees in jail, recovered a long lost trailer, and tried to force prosecution on some thieves.

Don't just talk about getting even...Do something that might actually make a difference. If you get robbed again, will you report it yet? How about the next burglary after that... At some point, you will wish you had started making reports sooner.

 

[Kottonwood]

I didn't even bother fileing a police report. I don't know the serial no. on anything, and how common are echo and craftmen weedeaters. I bought that high grass mower on craigslist and put a new motor on it. I don't even know what brand it was. It's not so much the value of the stuff, that's is part of it, but the fact they plotted against me and entered my property at night.... What if my wife or daughter had been out there for some reason? No I rather there be no police report anyway.

I identified my 200t in the report because it had the name "Keith" written but faded on the air filter cover and a small crack on the handle......... it was one of three saws I have ever bought new and the only 200t I have ever bought new....... sigh

 

[pdqdl]

I have recovered a chainsaw from a pawnshop, a wormdrive skilsaw from a pawnshop, a trailer from a guys front yard, and a battery out of the thieves car.

I never had a serial number nor "proof" that it was originally mine. In each case I had a police report, a discovery of the stolen property, an "owner" that had shady circumstances, and enough information to convince the cops that it was really mine.

Most people with stolen equipment hand it willingly over to the cops rather than attempt to prove they came by it legally. If they can't prove it is theirs, and there is sufficient evidence for the cops to think it might be stolen, the new "owner" is looking at facing charges of "receiving stolen goods". In a shaky case that the prosecutors won't pursue (most of them, actually), the cops will lean on the "owner", they take posession of the property, and return it to the rightful owner.

No thief to prosecute, at least you get your stuff back and the cops feel like they did some good. They get a closed file, too.

 

[pdqdl]

BTW: somebody went to jail on the battery and the skilsaw. I couldn't do anything on the other two, but I tried.

 

[treeclimber101]

I am not saying that i advocate breaking the law , but if I find something of mine with someone else I take it back , no cops , reports nuffin just things that go on between a thief and rightful owner .. I find that police have much more "pressing' issues than stolen equipment , I had all my saws stolen and taken to a motel right down the street , got em back and still see the thief daily and I wave and smile at him and let him know that he has never escaped my mind ...:msp_sneaky:

 

[Youngbuck20]

+1 police aren't going to do anything. Waste of your time.

 

[pdqdl]

Imagine a society without police...


Sure. Making a report often seems like a waste of time, but it is the RIGHT thing to do, it covers your butt very nicely when you take your stuff back from the thief, and it occasionally works to your advantage.

 

[FanOFatherNash]

My security system

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