Need help catching thief/saboteur

[ggoldy]

I now deal with a sister-in-law with cancer. She lives in a R/V park with lots of pine and live oaks around. She chooses to stay there.
Someone has been entering her rv looking for her pain meds(now locked in a box). She also locks her rv, now. I couldn't believe she left it unlocked for so long. Had to buy her a new lock. Now one of her keys is missing. Also, some one has cut the power steering line on her car, and her rv's water and waste valves have mysteriously been turned off several times. I don't want to just stop this from happening, I want to ID the person on video. I don't have time to monitor a screen, so I'm thinking some sort of trail cam with memory, for outside night time use. What should I be looking for that won't break the bank??

Thanks, guys

 

[Johnny]

awww maannnnnn that is the worst of the worst - the lowest of the low.
so sorry to hear that.

how about getting a motion detector alarm like the one you put in a driveway
to sound off when someone enters the driveway. It has a remote on/off control.
put it in the living room and make it as loud as it will go and up high where
someone can't reach it. Harbor Freight has them for under $30.
That would be for someone entering the house without permission.
The trail cam will be a good idea if you can hide it good enough.

good luck - hope you can provide your sis-in-law a SAFE environment.

 

[JMichael]

I'd go with a decent trail camera. Some models (most) will shoot still shots, XX seconds of video, or burst pics, in day or night, are motion activated, and you can get them for under $100. You'll need a good place to hide it from view but where it can still detect motion and get it's shots within a few yards of where the action is taking place. This is a situation where you don't want to call the cops until you've beat the resistance out of the culprit first.

 

[GTS225]

T'were me, I'd get the lady a taser, or better yet, a Taurus Judge, and teach her how to use it. It's only a small hop from unoccupied burglary to occupied burglary, thus putting her life in extreme danger. Druggies that resort to crime have no conscience, and there's very few witnesses, (if any), in that RV park.

But that's just my opinion.

Roger

 

[AllOutdoors]

Covert mp8. Ebay!

 

[ggoldy]

Thank you, guys. So, can I assume the right trail cam will give me a picture or video good enough to recognise a person, PROVIDED it's within a few yards? I expected a little more distance. Still researching the finer points of different models. Thanks for that link, by the way.
How about a security cam or web cam? Any better quality/distance? Of course, that's assuming I can trigger it and store the pictures. That's why a trail cam was my first thought. All in one package.
I have to have good pictures, BEFORE I talk to the Sheriff and park manager. 30 days without a cigarette after 45 years of smoking, has put me on edge. I don't think a personal confrontation would end well for anyone LOL

 

[overboard]

Better have it well hidden, they will steal that too!

 

[Attwanl]

A friend of mine mounted his in and old electric panel box with a lock, but you wouldn't think it was a camera. Just looked like a service disconnect.

 

[lovedr79]

put a couple of trail cameras up. they might find one but usually not all of them.

 

[DocWatson]

There's instructions here on how to set up online monitoring of a camera....
https://www.ezwatch.com/guides/starter-dvr-remote-viewing-setup

I'd buy one of these as bait....
https://www.overstock.com/Electroni...efccid=APJMXP37H5FJ3ICIJLJ4JF643Y&searchidx=6

And set this one up in a hidden location to get a good shot of the SOB stealing the dummy. :wink: It records to a card and can be monitored remotely. Bait and real camera for under $120.
https://www.overstock.com/Electroni...efccid=APJMXP37H5FJ3ICIJLJ4JF643Y&searchidx=8

 

[ggoldy]

Thanks for the help, guys. Her grandson admitted the first hose may have been chewed, not cut. The second one, I saw, and I think it was chewed. We had some nice video's of squirrels playing around her car LOL. I know squirrels can't turn valves, and she doesn't have a window in the right place to see them. The glowing LEDs are easy to see at night so I can't place the cam outside for those, but nothing has happened there since I've been wandering around the area. A web cam inside has shown nothing unusual, so as long as she remembers to lock her door I think she's OK. I always watch her lock it when we leave for appointments, shopping and stuff. (shrugging shoulders) Best I can do.
Thanks again.

 

[Keystone]

 

[richg99]

Since you really only need the game camera for a week or so, I'd bet a local hunting/archery etc. club would have a member who would loan you one, given your specific needs.

Talk to some sporting goods shops/retailers and see what they can tell you about local clubs.

richg99

p.s. Throw some moth balls in an old sock under the hood of her car. Should keep the squirrels away.

 

[ggoldy]

Since you really only need the game camera for a week or so, I'd bet a local hunting/archery etc. club would have a member who would loan you one, given your specific needs.

Talk to some sporting goods shops/retailers and see what they can tell you about local clubs.

richg99

p.s. Throw some moth balls in an old sock under the hood of her car. Should keep the squirrels away.

Moth balls, excellent, thanks.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

You can put a piece of black tape over the led.

 

[JMichael]

Been using mothballs to keep away the small pest like mice/rats/snakes/squirrels for many years. They will even keep the unwanted cats from using your garden/flower beds as litter boxes.