2:15am my wife wakes me up and says, "Get your gun"...

[ersatz]

To each their own. However I would not confront a subject as you automatically escalate the matter and the potential outcome. With property theft the worse loss is monetary but if you confront the person then the chances for loss of life increase dramatically. You may avert initially property loss but at the risk of losing your freedom and probably more significant monetary loss with criminal and civil defense. Even if there was a home intruder I would not confront/pursue them but wait for them to come to my defensive position. In this manner they are the aggressor so I feel I have more justification for force. But I also live in a two story house so it's unlikely they would enter through the bedrooms on the second floor. Everyone can interpet the law in whatever manner they wish and act accordingly. Should the worse occur and force is required it seems that a court will be interpretting it for you so good luck.

[OlderThanDirt]

Not my experience. Had a new Ford Ranger that started dying on me at 11,000 miles (in dry weather). Couldn't start it, tow truck couldn't start it, Ford dealer said it started fine and had no problem. It did it again - I sold it at a loss. Friend of mine had the same issue with a F250.

And if you find a fine American car out there today, will the spares and service be available tomorrow?

Faulty electronic ignition module; stops working when it is hot, but works fine when the unit cools after being towed to the dealer. Ford acted like there was noting wrong, but finally had to admit that there was a problem.

Regarding the OP's issue, nothing beats really bright lights and a lot of noise. I have a flood light that I can activate from inside the house, which I combine with the car panic alarm. I have only used it once, when someone was letting their dog crap on my lawn (a nightly occurrence). It worked.

[DRM6000]

As far as we are concerned, you get brownie points in heaven for taking out a bad guy.

That made me smile.

i've nothing else to add to this thread

[Nodda Duma]

Really? Like the American auto companies need any MORE of my money. Obama already handed them a nice chunk...they're not getting another CENT out of me. Besides...all the so-called "foreign auto companies" have just as many employees in the United States as GM does.

Ford didn't apply for or accept a bailout. They won a stimulus-funded contract from GSA which acquired 7924 new-model vehicles for federal government use. This is business as usual, but the source of funding was different than normal.

If you didn't want to buy American because you think they all received bailout money, then now you can because not all of them did.


-Jason

[demnogis]

I like reading these kinds of threads. Most everyone fills out the rest of the story saying "you can't do this" and "you can't do that" even those those facts nor scenarios never occurred. Too many jump to the conclusion that going outside armed to see what's amiss in your yard leads straight to "OMG I KILLED SOMEONE OVER MY CAR!"

Again, too many variables are left out, yet somehow most get to the sour ending and lecture on it.

[Doheny]

I have to a agree with Ron Solo Bill, and the other LEOs on this one. Going out with a gun to investigate a car alarm is a terrible idea (although going out without a gun is probably a worse one).

I agree.

I would suggest everyone take a PC832 class at the local JC. There is a lot of good info in it.

A 40 hour PC832 class is a far cry from Solo's (and other LEOs here) months-long academy he/they had to complete, plus their years of experience they bring to the board. I've taken a PC832 class more than once, and I'll be the first to say that a 40-hour class teaches you just enough to get you in trouble.

I'm not calling you out, but what's your background? It would help me (and others) understand what experience you're bringing to the table.

Thanks.

.

[CABilly]

Relevant news story:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/01/BAGC1ASPD6.DTL

(11-30) 18:06 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco man who happened upon men breaking into his car in Visitacion Valley early Monday was shot at least twice and critically wounded, police said.

The victim, whose name has not been released, went outside at Rutland Street and Wilde Avenue to check on his Buick at 4:30 a.m. and saw a man trying to break into it, said Lt. Lyn Tomioka, a police spokeswoman.

The man was shot in the head, and three men were seen leaving the scene, Tomioka said. Police canvassed the area but found no sign of the suspects.

The victim was taken to San Francisco

<snip>

Make your choices wisely. I don't think I'd go outside with a gun for my car. I somehow got full coverage for it and I think the insurance is worth more than the car. As long as I don't keep any valuables in it, a thief would actually be doing me a favor.

[lehn20]

I have no problem confronting anyone at anytime with a firearm, if they are on my property and they dont belong. It is my right. CA has a castle law. I wouldnt recommend it for people without tactical training though and remember insurance will replace a car etc.

Sad that the same case unfolding in TX and CA would yield 2 very different results!!. Even though they are both in the USA!

[jrannis]

Really? Like the American auto companies need any MORE of my money. Obama already handed them a nice chunk...they're not getting another CENT out of me. Besides...all the so-called "foreign auto companies" have just as many employees in the United States as GM does.

Nice info but. THEY SEND THE PROFITS BACK TO ASIA!!

[jrannis]

[QUOTE=Glock22Fan;3429698]Not my experience. Had a new Ford Ranger that started dying on me at 11,000 miles (in dry weather). Couldn't start it, tow truck couldn't start it, Ford dealer said it started fine and had no problem. It did it again - I sold it at a loss. Friend of mine had the same issue with a F250.

And if you find a fine American car out there today, will the spares and service be available tomorrow?[/QUOTE

I have owned three new Chevys, kept the first one for 10 years and gave to a friend. The only problems I had were two water pumps and one AC compressor.
I bought another one. Its going on 11 years now. Two water pumps.
I wish it would die so that I could justify getting a newer model but its like the energizer bunny.
06 Diesel Chevy I bought new for my business. Nothin better!
I have a 04 Pontiac with 135k miles on it and no problem
96 Trans Am running factory strong.
I see my neighbors get rid of their foreign cars every few years and wonder how they must like those $600 car payments.

[macadamizer]

Unlike the police, a private citizen does not have a "use of force" policy governing the arrest of a perpetrator. Private citizens are authorized to use whatever force necessary to effect an arrest. No handcuffs are required to arrest someone, nor is a baton, pepper spray, or any other "less lethal" weapon. The plain and simple fact is that if a private citizen performs a citizen's arrest, he has the same power and authority as a police officer. The only difference is in a civil suit, the attorney bill is paid by the state when an officer is sued personally.

Isn't that a rather big difference, though? Are you willing to risk everything you own, and everything you might ever own? Remember, if you are wrong, and the jury comes back with punitive damages, those damages cannot be made to disappear in bankruptcy.

The clarification: the perp would almost always have something they used to get into the vehicle (screw driver, metal pole etc.) They turn and confront you and threaten you; you clearly tell them at the top of your lungs to put the weapon down; they refuse; you repeat again and again then the are shot stopping the action against you and not your property. A civil case can be filed for just about anything. If you lose it file BK and move on. The criminal matter keeps you out of jail/civil is only money. Just my .02...

The biggest problem here is that outside you house, you lose the presumption of "reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm." If you shoot in self defense inside your house, the prosecution has to prove that a reasonable person would not have had such a fear -- a high burden. But outside the house, it falls on you to establish that a reasonable person would have been in such fear -- and as others have noted, when evidence is introduced that you came out of the house with a gun, this may not be a trivial burden to meet.

[para38super]

[QUOTE=jrannis;3433275]

Not my experience. Had a new Ford Ranger that started dying on me at 11,000 miles (in dry weather). Couldn't start it, tow truck couldn't start it, Ford dealer said it started fine and had no problem. It did it again - I sold it at a loss. Friend of mine had the same issue with a F250.

And if you find a fine American car out there today, will the spares and service be available tomorrow?[/QUOTE

I have owned three new Chevys, kept the first one for 10 years and gave to a friend. The only problems I had were two water pumps and one AC compressor.
I bought another one. Its going on 11 years now. Two water pumps.
I wish it would die so that I could justify getting a newer model but its like the energizer bunny.
06 Diesel Chevy I bought new for my business. Nothin better!
I have a 04 Pontiac with 135k miles on it and no problem
96 Trans Am running factory strong.
I see my neighbors get rid of their foreign cars every few years and wonder how they must like those $600 car payments.

Years is one thing, can we know mileage. I could own a Chevy for 20 years with only 50,000 with no problem. Or I can own a Toyota for 5 years and have 200,000 on it with no major problems.

[E Pluribus Unum]

A 40 hour PC832 class is a far cry from Solo's (and other LEOs here) months-long academy he/they had to complete, plus their years of experience they bring to the board. I've taken a PC832 class more than once, and I'll be the first to say that a 40-hour class teaches you just enough to get you in trouble.

I'm not calling you out, but what's your background? It would help me (and others) understand what experience you're bringing to the table.

Thanks.

1) I went through a corrections academy that was several months. It was similar to the police academy in that it taught report writing, arrest and control techniques, PC832 written, and firearms, it just did not have the physical training. There was no drill sergeant screaming in your face. Other than that, it is very similar to the police academy.

2) I have always wanted to go to law school. As a means to that end, I worked at a law office for a year. I was basically the paralegal's paralegal. I did all the crap work no one else wanted to do. I spent hours in court watching cases and hours outside of court doing research.

3) I have several close family members in law enforcement.

I will be the first to say that I am no lawyer. I have had a lot more experience than the average Joe. I have had many arguments with LEO's over the law. Everyone thinks that cops know the law. They are not lawyers either and I would say most only know their little piece of the law.

If I am so ignorant, just point out something I have said that is wrong.

[MasterYong]

The plain and simple fact is that if a private citizen performs a citizen's arrest, he has the same power and authority as a police officer. The only difference is in a civil suit, the attorney bill is paid by the state when an officer is sued personally.

FYI-

I have a good friend who's nearly completed his AJ degree, and is in the academy. He told me that BOTH the AJ prof and the academy instructors warned him that if he gets sued personally that the state does NOT pick up the attorney's bills. They told him to get insurance (don't remember what it's called, something specifically for LEOs) that will cover him in the event that he gets sued by a citizen.

I'm not LEO or lawyer, but this is one of my absolutely best friends and he has no reason to make this up. He's also sharp as a tack so I highly doubt he misunderstood his prof and instructor.

[E Pluribus Unum]

FYI-

I have a good friend who's nearly completed his AJ degree, and is in the academy. He told me that BOTH the AJ prof and the academy instructors warned him that if he gets sued personally that the state does NOT pick up the attorney's bills. They told him to get insurance (don't remember what it's called, something specifically for LEOs) that will cover him in the event that he gets sued by a citizen.

I'm not LEO or lawyer, but this is one of my absolutely best friends and he has no reason to make this up. He's also sharp as a tack so I highly doubt he misunderstood his prof and instructor.

I am not speaking in a general sense. I am speaking directly about false imprisonment or unlawful detainment. As long as the officer was acting within the scope of his authority as a pieace officer, he is immune from civil lawsuit.

(b) There shall be no civil liability on the part of, and no cause
of action shall arise against, any public officer or employee acting
pursuant to subdivision (a) and within the scope of his or her
authority for false arrest or false imprisonment arising out of any
arrest that is lawful or that the public officer or employee, at the
time of the arrest, had reasonable cause to believe was lawful. No
officer or employee shall be deemed an aggressor or lose his or her
right to self-defense by the use of reasonable force to effect the
arrest, prevent escape, or overcome resistance.

(b) There shall be no civil liability on the part of, and no cause
of action shall arise against, any peace officer or federal criminal
investigator or law enforcement officer described in subdivision (a)
or (d) of Section 830.8, acting within the scope of his or her
authority, for false arrest or false imprisonment arising out of any
arrest under any of the following circumstances:
(1) The arrest was lawful, or the peace officer, at the time of
the arrest, had reasonable cause to believe the arrest was lawful.
(2) The arrest was made pursuant to a charge made, upon reasonable
cause, of the commission of a felony by the person to be arrested.
(3) The arrest was made pursuant to the requirements of Section
142, 837, 838, or 839.

In addition, I remember reading a section about civil lawsuits pertaining the the Attorney General defending the officer... I do not have the time right now to look it up, but if it interests you that much, I will try to find it tonight.