Thief in my Building Complex

**sidster** · 07-04-2008, 01:59 AM

This is a bit of a strange story. I live in a multi-unit townhouse complex.
There is a shared gated garage. A shared storage area with iron doors
for entry and then wooden doors for each unit.

This past week I noticed something missing from the storage unit. But
I couldn't be sure if it was misplaced or if it was really missing. The item
was in a black plastic back with some other "junk" and the bag is missing
too. Just because the entire bag is missing I'm less inclined to think I
misplaced the item. This is because I never remove the entire bag. I last
used this item two weeks ago, but removing it from the bag and placing
it back to best of my recollection.

Note: on purpose I'm not going to mention what items are missing

I had to use this item again last weekend and that's when I noticed the
bag and item missing.

Today, as I enter the garage, one of my neighbors approaches me and
asks if I've seen any suspicious people/activity lately in the garage. I
told him no. He told me someone had tried to jimmy his car's trunk lock.
He showed it to me and it looked like some amateur job. The trunk wasn't
opened according to him though. He told me he has placed a "hidden"
security cam to monitor the garage just in case.

As we are talking another neighbor pulls up. The first neighbor (A) asks
the neighbor (B) that just parked his car the same questions and told him
about the attempted theft. Neighbor B says, no but he has had 3 items
stolen from his storage unit. This got me interested so I asked him what
they were. Three fairly small items that one could just grab and go. Two
of the missing items were (without getting too specific) powertools. I
told B about my missing item, and he told me how two other neighbors
(call them C and D) got stuff missing/stolen from their storage units as
well. Again, smallish items that one can easily walk away with.

Later tonight I went to my storage area and looked more carefully and
it turns out I am missing at least one other item. One powertool that
is exactly like one neighbor B is missing!

Since the storage area requires a common key to get through the iron
doors, and multiple neighbors have had their storage units "hit", I'm
very suspicious that this is all another neighbor's handy-work. Someone
who keeps coming back for more. Has easy access to the area and
apparently is good with picking door locks (for the individual storage
locks).

Sign... sorry, this is long. But thanks for reading so far if you have.
Now I want to put my own "hidden" camera in there. Anyone know
of something fairly inexpensive that I can use? Something that can
work either on motion detection and allow recording to a remote
hard-drive? I say inexpensive, because I don't want to risk putting
a multi-hundred dollar unit out there just to have it vandalized and/or
stolen

This is one I'm considering for use: Micro ball self recording unit also
sold here. But I'm trying to find more info on it (seems like a brand-new
item).