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From: mikec@petsd.UUCP (Mike Condict)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.consumers
Subject: Re: Protecting Car Stereos
Message-ID: <556@petsd.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 7-Jul-85 00:26:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: petsd.556
Posted: Sun Jul  7 00:26:34 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Jul-85 05:22:46 EDT
References: <621@terak.UUCP>
Organization: Perkin-Elmer DSG, Tinton Falls, N.J.
Lines: 34
Xref: watmath net.auto:7213 net.consumers:2475

My God, I am aghast at these stories of the same car repeatedly burglarized
in illicit pursuit of stereos!  I parked my '79 Honda two nights in a row
in the deep East Village (Alphabet City, drug capital of New York) with the
doors unlocked and nobody even stole the cigarette lighter.  What am I doing
wrong?

But seriously, unless you live in one of these places, do you really believe
that your car was broken into 4 or 5 times by coincidence, when that's
gotta be way above the average crime rate for your area?  Don't you realize
that the same guy is coming back -- he probably thinks of it as a sport,
or an "arms race".  He doesn't want to show any window of vulnerability by
failing to defeat your next atempt at theft-proofness.

I can't advocate any particular counter-insurgency strategy for others, but
let me say that in cases like these my thoughts would turn to
a few of my favorite movie fantasies.  First of all, you know the guy
is coming back, so you have the advantage, right?  You have all the time
and privacy you need to prepare, while he's got to hit and run.  The
wimpiest thing that I would do is simply install an alarm that sends by radio
to a remote unit, which is beside my bed.  I would make sure that there is
no evidence in the car of an alarm going off.  Then I'd program my phone dialer
to call the police at the touch of a button and when the alarm goes off,
presto.  Of course you could also store various implements of destruction
beside your bed as well, but that would probably be illegal, so you wouldn't
even think of doing that right?  (Most effective implement in unskilled or
expert hands at medium to close range is the weapon preferred by U.S. soldiers
in Viet Nam: an ordinary 12-gauge shotgun, preferably pump action.  Don't
saw off the barrel unless you want to conceal it or you need it for really
close work -- you lose too much stopping power and accuracy at medium ranges.
It is legal to buy a shotgun without a permit in all 50 states, I believe.)

MC

"You want five dollars?  I've got five dollars for each of you."