Greg,
I've discussed it briefly with the cops. Apparently, we shouldn't worry too much. I guess that in an ideal world, the best option would have been to not be seen, as you said.
But in a real world situation - just out of bed, before my first morning coffee, I just didn't have that reflex. Plus, having been born and raised and having spent most of my life in Canada, I just don't have it in me to continually apprehend an aggression, even if I'm very territorial - I once ran out completely naked w/ a frying pan in my hands - first thing I saw - in the middle of the night to chase a prowler in our backyard, back home... lol
Anyway, I'd have to face them in court, and if they're in for retaliation, I am only one of a few people who called the cops on them. How far are they willing to go and how much are they willing to risk?
That being said, we are dealing with some pretty weird thieves, so it's hard to figure out their reaction. They have Facebook pages and are friends with each other, all their info is available to the public - that's how I know so much about them, that they have kids and all. Not all that clever if you're planning on earning your life as a criminal.
They were caught trying to steal from a house in full daylight, on a Monday morning at 11:30. I mean this isn't like a lonely house in some remote location - there are neighbors all around. Someone spotted a vehicle that looked suspect and called the cops.
So the question is - would those guys who have all been filed take the risk of committing a series of much more serious crimes, to which they would be linked pretty much automatically? According to the cops, no. Obviously, that doesn't prevent me from staying alert, nevertheless.
The landlord and his wife were in town and came for a glass of wine last night. That discussion relieved me quite a bit, simply having the opportunity to voice my concerns.
In terms of robbery, the house isn't an easy target - small street w/ neighbors all around, on all 4 sides. The backyard is closed - there's a 7 feet wall on two sides and a 5 feet wall on the other. The gate is over 7 feet, so you don't just jump over.
So if you want to break in, you either use the front door - which is totally exposed, or then, you have some serious gymnastic to do. And once you're in, you need to take the stuff out. There again, either you have to walk out the front of the house or to jump over the 7' fence, cross the neighbors own backyard, his parking and make it to the adjacent street - all that w/o being seen. Neighbors have dogs outside and I'm hoping that we'll manage to create a sense of community and watch over each other.
Herb - we have our gym downstairs right next to the patio. That's the room one enters if he breaks in through the patio. They will get a hint that they're probably walking into a healthy guy's lair, someone who likes to lift weights and all - we have the bench, barbell, dumbells, cross-trainer and a thread mill and a bunch of other accessories. I love that room, almost as much as my home studio.
The next step is to accommodate my passion for martial arts and boxing. So I'm hoping to be able to add things like a kung fu dummy, a punching bag and such and to include swords both for decoration and to learn to use them... And nunchuks - I used to love those.