To whoever busted out my car window at Arapahoe Bar parking lot yesterday...

[CO2]

It certainly wasn't appreciated!! Not saying it was anybody on here that did it. But I got back to the car, window busted, center console rummaged through - I'm convinced if I had left keys right there my car would have been stolen. Luckily my deductible for the window isn't that expensive. Pieces of my window are still laying on the ground in the parking lot as a warning to others.

 

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[Loco-Digger]

Sorry to hear about this incident. I had the same thing happen in Nashville TN in a bar parking lot back in 1981 (Flanigans). They got my speakers and a couple of other items from my car. They broke out a vent window on my Plymouth Fury III and gained access.

 

[KevinInColorado]

That really sucks. Were you in the little dirt lot west of the freeway or the bigger paved lot by the bathrooms? I've seen broken glass in the dirt lot before

 

[CO2]

I was at the dirt lot west of the highway. There is a paved parking lot with bathrooms? I was looking forward to coming back with the bazooka but now I don't trust that dirt lot. Apparently nothing was stolen, not even any of the items that were ejected out of my console.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Just downstream of the freeway bridge there's a city/open space park. Very civilized ;-)

 

[CO2]

Well that would explain why the police officer had to call me to find out if I was still in the area, then said she'd be there in 5 minutes. I will have to use that parking lot in the future.

 

[utah mason]

Sorry to hear about that. Glad they got away empty handed. that sucks about window and extra time out of your day to get it fixed. Especially when that time could have been spent running bazooka! Thief's suck! I have had a few things stolen out of my truck, or off job site. But never while out mining. I've thought a few times while being up running sluice or just up for a hike " hope all my tools are still there when we get back" there's usually at least 20 things in the back bed that could be used to smash out windows. Most people in my area are pretty honest, a tad judgmental but honest. Sounds like other parking lot Kevin mentioned is a little more secure. I would listen to him, he always has good advice and probably knows the area better then most people on this site. I'll be out in Parker for abour a week this spring to build a outdoor kitchen for my friends who just moved there this week. Sounds like I know what parking lot to avoid. Good luck out there CO2, hope this was a isolated incident. And let me say again THIEFS SUCK!

 

[Jeff95531]

Smash and Dash happens here in CA too. Since I don't have a trunk in the explorer, I try to leave gps, radar detector, loose change, etc at home on prospecting outings.

When I retired in FL, we had a huge yard sale. Our acre+ was fully fenced and gated...lived there 11 years with no problems...but a week later someone jumped the fence and ransacked both cars. Now everything gets locked every time no matter what but if they want in, they will so plan on it.

 

[Anduril]

In our company trucks (vans & SUV's), we have at least one safe installed in each.
We use & transport some expensive radio test equipment and the last thing we need is a smash-and-dash!

Anyway, after seeing the wide array of vehicle safes available, I decided to put one in my personal vehicle as well (a Jeep Patriot 4x4).
Yes - it will fit, though you do lose some storage space.

Will it 100% stop a determined would-be theif. No, given enough time.
But it will sure s-l-o-w them down!
We had a keylock break on the van safe once and it took 90 minutes with power tools to drill out all the pan-head bolts to gain access to the drawer.
Of course, we were trying not to damage the safe, but even without that constraint it would still take a good 30 minutes with a big, heavy pry bar - and draw lots of unwanted attention in the process.

Vehicle safes aren't the solution for everyone, of course.
But they do give you peace-of-mind.

I think some a-holes will smash a window just to grab the loose change in the console.
It's important (safe or not) to keep "valuables" out of sight. Even if "valuables" sometimes means $0.45 laying about.
It's unfortunate, but that's the world we live in.

 

[Bonaro]

It certainly wasn't appreciated!! Not saying it was anybody on here that did it. But I got back to the car, window busted, center console rummaged through - I'm convinced if I had left keys right there my car would have been stolen. Luckily my deductible for the window isn't that expensive. Pieces of my window are still laying on the ground in the parking lot as a warning to others.

A half dozen empty shell casings laying on the ground wouldalso be a good warning to others

 

[enamel7]

Only one cure for those types, lead poisoning!

 

[CO2]

I just spent an hour with the shop vac thinking how much nicer it would be if it was gold flakes and not thousands of pieces of my window I was vacuuming up. Maybe that was the point of this experience. If the glass in my car represents the gold distribution in the creek, I'd much rather go to let's say the "passenger seat" than the "inside of the dash underneath the speedometer".

 

[Terry Soloman]

A half dozen empty shell casings laying on the ground wouldalso be a good warning to others

Never waste good brass, even if it is for a good cause.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Never waste good brass, even if it is for a good cause.

Maybe some single use aluminum then!?

 

[Goldhock]

It certainly wasn't appreciated!! Not saying it was anybody on here that did it. But I got back to the car, window busted, center console rummaged through - I'm convinced if I had left keys right there my car would have been stolen. Luckily my deductible for the window isn't that expensive. Pieces of my window are still laying on the ground in the parking lot as a warning to others.

That really sucks...thanks for the heads up on the "other" parking lot Kevin!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Reminds me of when my car got broken into while parked in my own driveway. Only thing they took was the cheap speakers out of the back. What made it funny was that they used my own tools from my tool belt to snag them and then left the tools which were worth a LOT more than the speakers.

 

[utah mason]

Reminds me of when my car got broken into while parked in my own driveway. Only thing they took was the cheap speakers out of the back. What made it funny was that they used my own tools from my tool belt to snag them and then left the tools which were worth a LOT more than the speakers.

It's funny the things people steal and leave behind. I had similar thing happen when I was living in Portland. Except they didn't have to break in, because I left door unlocked Whoops. Took all my stereo equipment, but left my tools. All I could think was well no music for a while, but at least I have my tools to make more money to buy more stereo equipment. Would have really sucked to loss the things that pay the rent.

 

[Capt Nemo]

That's the reason I didn't have windows on my van. With $100K in pro audio equipment in the back behind the cargo wall, I didn't want a smash n grab. Power door locks were also disabled in the back.

 

[mytimetoshine]

I don't understand why people do that... If your trying to scare someone with a chicken **** move? Oh.. Very scary... So scary that you have to do it while I'm not there.

 

[russau]

for the last 3 weeks in a row some f88king jerk broke into my lawnmower shed! the first time I was out of town visiting a friend that has Parkensons . they didn't get in but destroyed the doors ($160.) so I decided to buy some video camaras , and while I was out getting them they got into the shed and got $600. worth of lawn equipment! pzzed aint the word for it! and I started hooking up the camaras and motion detector lights. while not having everything dialed in the came back that weekend and tried to steal my utility trailer that was locked on the hitch but when they kicked the wheel chocks away it started rolling down the driveway and some metal pieces started falling off and dragging down the driveway at 12:30 AM and that woke the neibhor up and he turned on his lights and it (??) scared them off. tree limbs blocked the view of them!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW I have everything cut that blocks any view of anything! last Thursday I was still in the process of hooking up MORE lights when I triped and fell DIRECTLY on my bad knee...................................I don't need to say how BAD that hurt! It seems that ive been being watched and it isn't just a coincidence that these happened out of chance! BUT on the good note now EVERYTHING is alarmed / videoed /and locked and loaded for the possible next go-around! Ive lived here for 25 years and NEVER had any problems. ive pushed snow of 7 of my neibhors drives for free for 23 years. changing times bring crackheads everytime!