The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

(Moved from the PlaniTulsa discussion on street lighting)




Conan, I agree a modest porch light serves a useful purpose under most
circumstances, if installed correctly.
Waterboy's case was an exception because, as he noted, it made goods
easier to spot from the street, creating an opportunity.

By "modest porch light", I would be suggesting a lower lamp wattage just
bright enough to be able to safely navigate the porch, steps, furniture,
and be shielded in a way that it doesnt cast glare as you approach, or
shine in/on your (or your neighbors) windows.  Less is better here.
If a motion-detector light accomplishes the same goal, that's worth
considering (You can even buy porch lights that brighten as they sense
motion).

The reason you would not want to over-light your porch or entrance is that your eyes
will adjust to the brighter foreground, and everything beyond that will
appear darker -- which some people mistakenly try to "fix" with an even
brighter porch light, only making the problem worse for themselves and
their neighbors.

That's part of the flaw in Hoss's setup with the Mercury Vapor lights
that "shine like the sun" in his yard, and likely his neighbors yard and
windows.  The neighbors may be too polite to say anything, and just use
thick drapes or blinds to deal with the problem.  Unfortunately that
solution eliminates those neighbors as "friendly eyes" that could have
otherwise observed any suspicious activity on Hoss's property, as does
the blinding glare of the unshielded fixtures make it harder for
passersby and police to see anything amiss.  Look at all the cars that
are vandalized in glaringly-bright car dealership parking lots, or the
air conditioners stolen under bright floodlights at schools; all lit up
and no one looking but the bad guys.

On a broader scope, Mercury Vapor "farm lights" are out of scale with
residential neighborhoods, their presence implying "high crime area" and
possibly reducing property values.

"Farm Lights" wouldnt have helped in Waterboy's case, either.

The bottom line on any sort of lighting intended for security
is that lighting alone isnt a deterrent, but rather the expectation that
being more visible will contribute to detection.

The most massive light you can install wont repel evil, unless there is
someone nearby who is able to make use of that light to detect a
problem.  The key then is to arrange lighting to optimize human vision
-- to make it easier for you and your neighbors to be able to look out
your windows and see any activity.  You do that by eliminating glare and
maintaining a brightness that supplements -- not overwhelms -- the area.

Motion detector lights are still a good tactic, not so much to "fool"
bad guys but to upset their confidence of not being detected with the
abrupt addition of light.  A light coming on also attracts the attention
of those "friendly eyes" who might then notice more details, such as a
strange vehicle or someone near a door.  Some motion detectors can send
signals through house wiring to sound chimes or turn on other lights.
If you do use motion detectors, adjust them so they dont cast glare at
potential witnesses (or you) and that the detector isnt cranked up to go
off with every passing car or dog.

Back to Waterboy's Haloween decorations...
Holidays are times when we decorate with lights, and those
decorations are vulnerable to mischief, so the game changes slightly.
Had the decorations been on the lawn with a floodlight, it would have
probably been the same.  The only recourse would be vigilance, and some
good neighbors.

Patric, good discussion.  One other deterrent, which still is no guarantee 100% of the time is having a security system and having it posted on a small sign and window/door decals.  It's kind of like a lock on the door though, it's good at keeping the majority of people from wandering into my house, but still won't keep out some crazy SOB who wants to know if I really do serve intruders lead for dinner.

If I had to guess, a loud siren is far more effective than a monitored system (I have both) since anyone who breaks into a home with an alarm knows they've got a head start on the cops of 5 to 45 minutes on a monitored system.  If a loud siren goes off, unless there's something of value within a short reach, they will run like hell when it goes off.

Basically, I do these things because I figure it makes my home appear less worthwhile than my neighbor whose house is always dark and has no alarm system.

I think a yard sign is more noticable than a window sticker, which is what we had when the thugs kicked in my door last year.  The (at the time) unmonitered security system didn't do much good either since TNT disables the system completely if you turn off your monitering service, so you don't even get the nice sirens.

That makes me happy the folks who installed my alarm system didn't change the installer code. :P

I'd be interested in seeing the statistics of houses broken into that have the sign out front and working security systems.  I would bet it's extremely low.  I asked my neighbors if they had ever been broken into (they have lived in their house since 1968) and they said no, but their car was broken into in the early 90's.  They have a sign and alarm.  They said the neighborhood (Cherry Street/Swan Lake) was more rough in the 70's and 80's before yuppies and young families started moving back in.

A web site I stumbled on to claims a house without a system is 2.7 times more likely to get burglarized.  Of course that's a web site for an alarm company.

I used to watch this show called "to catch a theif..." which had an ex-theif that would break into peoples houses to show them how unsecure their homes where.  Of course the host of the show would get the homeowners to agree to it, and take them to watch the whole ordeal from a van while the theif broke into their homes and robbed them.  Afterwards they would go back to the house and the theif would bring back everything he took.  Then the host would do a home renovation and bring security up to date and show the homeowners things they could do to protect themselves.  Afterwards the theif would return, at a random point in time, and check the security.  One constant they did was installing an alarm system.  The show was a real eye opener.

I remember that show.  They would break into a home in the afternoon (when most burglaries take place) and for the security renovation, install lots of floodlighting as a cure.  It was very superficial, and the content was heavily influenced by their sponsors.

TNT told me some time ago they only monitor alarms they sell, and will insist on tearing out a much better system so you can buy one of theirs...then they lock you out of the system you just bought.

I've found that local monitoring services like Guardian and TNT are really only interested in selling you service calls.
That Honeywell, Ademco, GE, Moose, DSC etc. alarm panel can be monitored by almost any monitoring service in the world, as long as you can change the toll-free number it dials out on.  You paid for it, no one has the right to assert control over your property.

Actually the ones I saw they installed deadbolts, bolted safes to solid surfaces, even put in prickly plants under windows in some instances.  Windows were replaced with more secure locking mechinisms, and basic security threats were removed.  In fact, I don't ever remember seeing them install flood lights as part of their renovation. You sure we're thinking of the same show?

But it causes problems when you have a good alarm system, and they refuse to monitor it.  And while they don't have the right to assert control over it, they do, and I don't see a way around it.

I don't know if Guardian would refuse to monitor a pre-existing system or not, but they're the ones who didn't lock down the one they installed in my house, so when my contract is up, I could very easily switch to one of the $6.95 monitoring services. Well, I could if I had a phone line. Mine is wireless only, so I'd have to pay a couple of bucks a month extra for that.

It was a weekly series.  I didnt watch each one, but the one where they installed floodlights in response to a daytime burglary just stood out in my memory...  But otherwise, those are good steps to take.


Lets say you take your car to a mechanic for regular service, but decide to use another later on, and find out you cant because the first mechanic did something to your car that prevents any other mechanic from servicing it.
...Or the company that sold you your computer password protected all the settings, and charged you to come to your home every time you needed to change something simple like your desktop, or install a program.
 
You would be screaming bloody murder, or at least consumer fraud.

Guardian has changed over the years.  They were once very dedicated to helping customers set their non-company-installed systems up to be monitored, and you could speak directly to a technician over the phone.
If you want to be monitored by them now, you have to pay for a service call to have a technician delete your installer codes and replace them with theirs, permanently locking you out of the system you own.

Like Custosnox discovered, unscrupulous alarm companies can re-program your alarm system remotely to disable them at will, without your knowledge or consent, by phone or wireless connection.  That should be against the law, but that's why they have lobbyists (and that's also why you should never give your monitoring company your installer's codes.) 

I've heard that thieves will specifically target homes with security signs in the front yard.
It tells the thieves a couple of things, that by virtue of you spending $ for an alarm system, it's likely that you have items in the house worth stealing...
Something to consider.

I'm not saying alarms are bad or anything but putting the sign out seems to me to be the very definition of a false sense of security.

My brother put a sign out in his garden that resembles one of those 'protected by xyz alarm company' signs.

Only his reads 'Protected by Smith & Wesson'.

Even if I didn't have a system, I'd still call BS on that one.  The type of thief who would cruise my hood will likely stay away from alarm systems.  Just guessing, but I'm thinking most of them are tweakers and crack-heads looking for enough stuff to pawn to buy a few rocks and an Egg McMuffin.

His (your real) last name is Smith and he keeps a pan of boiling Wesson oil on the kitchen stove?

Hey, more power to you if you believe your sign provides a deterrent to burglars.  Your example of 'crackhead tweakers looking to score $ for a rock and eggmcmuffin' will break into cars, not houses.  I'd think of a better example.

If I were a professional / decent burglar (you know...the type that breaks into houses in broad daylight and be gone in 5 minutes) I'd just know you had some good stuff in there because you're willing to pay extra to try and keep it protected.

What I'd be more likely to call BS on is the claim that homes without burglar alarms are 2.7x more likely to be burgled.  Which you admitted was directly from an alarm company...

There's an alarm on my truck as well.

Either what I've done my whole adult life is working or it's just dumb luck.

I mentioned a type of motion detector that brightens lights (from a dimmed position) when motion is detected.  I've had good luck with a wired version of this, but of late, Heath-Zenith has been offering a wireless version, where you replace your light switch with a receiver and add one or more wireless motion detectors.

(http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/WC-6053-WH_4.jpg)

Upside is much less wiring, downside is you will be replacing the AAA batteries every year.  Both wired and wireless versions are at places like Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Heath-Zenith-Motion-Light-Set-with-DualBrite-White/13029287
http://wirelessmotionsensor.org/wireless-motion-sensor/heath-zenith-sl-6053-wh-wireless-command-motion-light-set-with-dual-brite.html

A description of the "Dual Brite"
http://www.motionlightsensor.com/motion-sensor-light-articles/understanding-the-dual-brite-feature-on-motion-lights.html

Lets be practical:  It also probably makes it difficult for them or their neighbors to spot people that dont belong, with everyones drapes closed because of the nuisance.
Sometimes people just dont think that through, or act like a big glarey light has magic power to repel evil.
If it's on their property line, about half of that light is trespassing, so they are making security lighting decisions for their neighbors, as well.

My neighbor is apparently rather paranoid. In addition to the thirty "I've got a security system" signs, the flashing light on the side of his house that goes off when his alarm does, and the more recently added HPS yard light, and the dog, he just recently set up a camera to keep an eye on at&t's U-Verse box that's outside his fence in the side yard.

Cree. Pee.

I guess it could be worse. He could add a farm light to the mix.

"Have a nice dog that makes a lot of noise and makes a lot of racket, noise deters burglars more than light," Tulsa Police Sergeant Brandon Watkins said.

I could get to like this guy... ;D

"Residential burglaries happen almost exclusively during the day, very rarely do they happen overnight," Sergeant Watkins said.

On the opposite end of the scale, the misinformed midtown neighborhood block captain:

"I've had PSO put in a security light, it lights up the whole front"

FAIL

But Captain outranks Sergeant  ;)
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Tips-To-Keep-Burglars-At-Bay/JHqsdOBkqkyy8PuQwDiobg.cspx

Ever smell any odd chemical odors coming from his house?

No revelations, but newer numbers:


Trend shows burglars strike during day

http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20110704_11_A9_Police763109

Police have identified several new trends in home burglary and auto theft hot spots, weekly reports from Tulsa Police Department show.

In the Gilcrease Division, which patrols northern Tulsa, there have been at least 56 burglaries in the last two weeks. The areas hardest hit seems to be between Lewis and Harvard avenues and from Tecumseh Street to Dawson Road, police reported.

Also, the days when most of the burglaries are occurring are Sunday and Monday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Officers report that the burglars knock on the front door to see if someone answers the door. If no one answers, the burglar breaks into the home.

EDIT:  I dont think those figures included the 5 police cars that were recently burglarized, where it was initially reported that at least one shotgun was taken.

After talking to the guy he rents his garage apartment to, it turns out he's ex-DEA. ;)

And if some jackass tries to rob my house during the day, they'll have a surprise waiting for them if the dogs don't scare them off...

Motion lights dont detect movement they detect heat.....

Not completely correct..true, most home units detect heat.  The others use radio emitters.  But both work on the same premise; a disruption in the constant over a given period of time will trigger the switch.  I just installed one and my brother helped me with that and installed hundreds before since he used to do commercial electrical work.  I got a pretty good education on them out of it.

More police cars broken into, vandalized

Four more Tulsa Police Department vehicles were vandalized overnight, which brings the total number of cars broken into or vandalized to nine this weekend.

Three of the TPD patrol cars were parked in the lot for the Joe Station Bark Park, in the 2200 block of Charles Page Boulevard, police said. Two were broken into and the third, along with another was at the main garage, near the intersection of South Union Avenue and Charles Page Boulevard, were vandalized, police said.
The cars had a broken back window, like the five that were discovered in the main garage lot Sunday afternoon.

Sounds like it's time for a stakeout.

Motion detectors can be Ultrasonic, Microwave, Optical or Pyroelectric.

The most common ones are Pyroelectric, which detect changes in heat.  That segmented lens you see in front of the detector is like a fly's eyes that magnify the perception of motion by creating multiple focal points.  When an object travels in it's field of view, the lens "sees" rapid cold-hot-cold-hot fluctuations that it interprets as motion.

I remember as a kid, the ultrasonic motion detectors were somewhat painful, so I was glad they either fell out of favor (or my hearing was falling off).

Apparently the same thing happened in March:

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa police are trying to find whoever broke into nine police cruisers over the fourth of July weekend. Five cars were found Sunday afternoon, and then Monday four more cars were discovered with broken windows.
Investigators look for fingerprints at a Tulsa crime scene.
Corporal Smasal says the cases matches one that happened in March at the same facility. He says police have DNA and fingerprints from that burglary and they're working to see if it matches those taken this past weekend.
The cars were all parked at the city's maintenance yard near Newblock Park in west Tulsa. The suspects broke in through the back, rear wing window.
Corporal Smasal says several things were stolen, including rifle and pistol magazines, knives, and handcuffs. But the biggest concern is that the suspects also took a shotgun.

Sorry to go off topic but I know two occurances lately of break-ins where the TPD told the victims there's no use looking for fingerprints.  So that's frustrating.

I know better than to leave weapons, computers, etc. locked in my car.  The cops advise against it.  ::)

I was told that exact thing when my truck was recently broken into. I also learned that pawn shops cannot tell you if some of your stuff has been presented for a "loan" or sale due to privacy laws. I had some things taken that would have been pretty easily identified and my basic recourse was to check back in after 10 days (items that were sold) or 90 days (items that were pawned) to see if they were put out for sale.

Ok, this I have to laugh at. This is Oklahoma. If they wanted a shotgun, they already had one.  :P

Maybe it involves the disappearance of more than just a shotgun? 

Tulsa police offer ways to avoid burglaries this holiday season

   • Keep the interior and exterior of your home well-lit. Exterior lights tend to keep prying eyes away, and interior lights can make it look like someone is home even when they're not.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/tulsa-police-offer-ways-to-avoid-burglaries-this-holiday-season/article_6755bc63-22dd-5c3d-820c-ea8a3b5f0b6b.html



Because the interpretation of "well-lit" is wide open here, it could lead to a wide range of interpretations that could include some counterproductive enough to actually help burglars.

Lets take this a step at a time. 
Besides locking our doors, a first line of defense against unfriendly visitors is friendly eyes.  That's usually going to be our neighbors when we are away. 

In the daytime (when most burglaries occur) thats easy enough, but at night we might consider supplementing our outside light just enough to assist vision, without accidentally creating a situation where it hampers the ability of neighbors and passersby to detect an unusual activity (like someone kicking your door or you laying face-down in the snow).

We would want to provide illumination that doesnt create glare, or pool too much bright light in one spot.  Both of those obscure our vision rather than assist it, and are easy to correct (and often times results in less energy consumption by eliminating wasteful light).

At Christmas, many people substitute their regular outdoor lighting for long strings of decorative lights, which demonstrates the effect of Lighting Uniformity by spreading out the illumination (which reduces hard shadows) and is easier on the eyes.
Floodlighting is the opposite of this, creating both glare (for those unfortunate to be facing the light) and pools of light that trick the eye into adapting to the pool of brightness -- making the surroundings appear much darker and creating hard shadows burglars can hide in.

Rather than leave your Christmas lights up all year, borrow the concept of that uniformity and arrange your outdoor lighting in a way that spreads it out at gentler levels only where you need it.  Low-voltage "landscape lighting" might be enough, if you also have a motion-detector light, or a work light you only turn on when needed.

Consider using a dimmer switch for your outdoor lighting if it serves multiple purposes, or consider motion detector lights that are dim but brighten when they detect motion.  Pay attention that you dont set the motion detector too sensitive that it's constantly flashing off and on with every passing car.

Adding moderate illumination near doors can add convenience and safety at night, and help friendly eyes see who is there. 

Illuminating near windows is more fickle, because you dont want light striking screens or dusty glass that cause a veiling effect similar to looking thru a dirty windshield while driving into the sun.  Most times lighting near windows is unnecessary, but if you feel you have a particularly vulnerable spot, direct lighting downward and off to the sides of windows, and use the minimum amount you need.

Obviously, you dont want to blind yourself by shining a light into your own window, as your neighbors are likely counting on your friendly eyes being able to see their property.  Return the favor by not shining light in their direction.

A good light isnt necessarily a bright one.  It's one that helps you see.
...and helps your neighbors see. 






My advice is to first identify what you expect your lighting to do, and then understand lighting well enough to make better informed choices:

Avoid floodlights.

Avoid "security lights" that the utility company mounts on poles (yes I know we often use these as street lights, but that's gradually changing).

Choose lighting that better imitates natural lighting, and supplements (not overwhelms) any existing illumination.

Aim it down, not in your eyes (or your neighbors).

Shield the source from your eyes. use only enough to help you see, and when you need to see.

Pay attention to color.  Warm light like a campfire is better for your eyes than a blue welding arc.


Oh, and lets be real, none of this is going to affect the majority of burglaries that happen between 1pm and 3pm in broad daylight.
If your neighbors haven't met and shared phone numbers, that would be a good first step.

That stupidly-bright "security" light people put over garages is just a convenient work light for thieves.

http://www.fox23.com/videos/news/thief-pops-lock-on-equipment-trailer/vDSkHD

I had an interesting experience last night that is a perfect example of what Patric is talking about. I was walking at Lafortune Park after dark. They have fairly decent light fixtures which are almost full cutoff but have extremely bright lights. (In a pinch, you could probably perform surgery under any one of them.) Thus, you move from one super bright pool of light to another, but your surroundings are completely black. Strangely, this doesn't make me feel safe - it's more like being on stage and unable to see the audience.

Some teenagers were horsing around chasing each other around near the playground area, and they ran right in front of me. I watched as they ran directly under the light and away from me. As soon as they were about 10 yards away (if that) they just disappeared into the blackness. If we'd been in the wilderness I could have seen them in the moonlight. It was disconcerting.

That demonstrates the flaws in ordinances that dictate arbitrary pole heights while ignoring fixture intensity.  

The idea of uniform lighting is to NOT create pools of light and darkness, but to spread the light(s) out in moderate intensities that compliment existing illumination.  The human eye doesnt work well with the typical one-bright-donkey-light-mounted-over-the-garage model.

The Riverparks trail retrofit turned out to be a much better model once they tweaked it.  It shows an understanding of supplementing instead of overwhelming.

I never knew lawn care stuff was that hot of a theft item as in the video. It seems more to me that anyone who stole it would not pawn it but use it in their own lawn care business. There would be other things to steal that would pawn off more easy than lawn care equipment. I favor laws that would allow people to use deadly force to protect their own property, it's not just the money value of the item  it's the time and effort needed to buy those items. If a crook thinks it worth risking his life over some item he wants, let him risk it.

I'm not a big fan of porch lighting, it seems to make it harder to see outside and more easy for the crook. Many homes on my street turn  on the porch light at night. My neighbor has a big sodium light in his yard, that light also lights up my yard.

Some remedies you can try:

Use a dimmer bulb in the porch light (or actually install a dimmer) to help pick the level of lighting that assists your vision without overwhelming it.
If the bulb/fixture is in your line of sight, try moving it or shielding the source of light from your eyes.

What Sauer is experiencing is what happens when you have too bright a light directly in front of you.  Your pupils adjust to the brightest thing in their field of view, which makes more distant objects appear darker.  The fix is to not slam your eyes with a bright pool of light.




"Tulsa Police say it's important to make sure there are lights on both inside and outside your home because burglars hate well-lit areas."
http://www.newson6.com/story/39523488/tulsa-police-stress-importance-of-home-security-during-holidays

There's simply too many ways to interpret that to be considered anything but anecdotal, but im sure at one time everyone assumed bright light just repels evil and thieves dont need to see to steal. Then there's the FBI statistics that say most burglaries happen in the daytime...

You have to give some thought to lighting to make it more advantageous to you than the bad guys.
Does it help me see?  Does it help my neighbors see?  ...or is glare working against me?
Are lights on 24/7 really making anyone think this is how I live when I'm home?
Are my inside lights creating opportunity by showing off my stuff in an unoccupied house?
And seriously, what is the definition of "well lit" ?

The article does praise the use of doorbell cameras which, ironically, provide their own infrared illumination. They also have the advantage of showing faces better than "floodlight cameras" that point down and just catch the tops of heads.

Thieves Seen Stealing Lightbulbs In Downtown Tulsa Neighborhood
https://www.1170kfaq.com/story/39699204/thieves-seen-stealing-lightbulbs-in-downtown-tulsa-neighborhood


A Downtown Tulsa neighborhood is having trouble with thieves stealing light bulbs.

One woman says she drove up and witnessed a man taking a lightbulb out of her porch light and managed to capture a photo of him.
“I’ve always been one leave the lights on, leave the lights on,” said Trena Workman, “But they’ve been pretty persistent about stealing our lightbulbs.”

Trena Workman says she was coming home from the gym this morning when she saw a man outside of her home unscrewing a lightbulb from her outdoor light.
She said she then watched him go into the alleyway between her and her neighbor's house.
“I was kind of mad about it because we've had a lot of light bulbs stolen that we just stopped putting one in there so I stuck my car in that little hole right there and told him to put it back,” said Workman.

Workman says the man put the lightbulb back in her neighbor's light then jumped over her car and started running, but she managed to capture a photo of him as he was getting away.
“He had a sack, kind of like a generic plastic sack that you get at the store and it looked like it was full of light bulbs, so he may have just been going up and down through our addition here and getting lightbulbs,” said Workman.

Workman says this isn't the first time her home has been targeted. She says burglaries are not uncommon in their neighborhood and several people have had things vandalized or stolen from their porches.
Workman says people have stolen her lightbulbs before and someone even broke into her home earlier this year while she was sleeping.
“That was the worst feeling that we were upstairs, and this was going on downstairs,” said Workman.

Tulsa Police say burglars often look for dark areas when trying to scope out a home, or in this case, they could be trying to create their own darkness.

“Things like light will keep a burglar from burglarizing a residence because they don’t want to be seen,” said Tulsa Police Officer Jeanne Pierce.


Of course, the light of the midday sun doesnt stop someone walking right up to a house and stealing light bulbs out of their fixtures.
Nor does it change the fact that most home burglaries happen in broad daylight.
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf