For context I live in a small town that’s trying to become a booming city and I’m in need of a security system as my neighborhood is becoming more and more sketchy. We live with a daycare behind us and a really sketchy trailer park with known and active drug offenders across the road, both have cops/ambulances that frequent the area. The neighbors that live right next to us also partake in some questionable activities and have kids about 7-12, although they are nice enough there is not enough supervision.
The trailer park has had cops over 4 times and ambulances 2 times in the last week. Each time for assaults or domestic disputes. Including screaming matches at midnight.
I own a two car garage not fenced into my property but right next to it. It is currently storing my late grandparents items, my parents items, and some of my sisters things as she is in the process of moving. The neighbors right next to us have been a problem with this garage. When they moved in last year they had family come down to visit and the woman’s father was smoking meth but didn’t want to do it in-front of the kids so he took it upon himself to let himself in the door. The door doesn’t have a functioning lock and is harder to close as the building has been settling. For that incident I was 45 minutes away and in the ER when my sister called me and told me what was going on, as it is my property and I care for the items stored there as if they were my own, I had to call the sheriff to handle the situation knowing I was not in a place where I myself could handle it. (In doing so caused more of an uproar because no one knew what he was doing in there just that he wasn’t given permission to be digging around in our belongings) The actual garage doors themselves are janky and absolutely a hazard so if the kids got in there I’m worried one of them would be injured or even become trapped.
The daycare is notorious for having EMS visit at least once a week but yesterday was really the last straw for me. At 6am a worker showed up and called the police because two women fled from around the front door. She felt unsafe to get out of her car until the property was checked and when the police showed up to check it a man fled from the back of the building where he was also attempting to break in. None have been caught.
We live 3 blocks away from the highway and have had multiple bailouts where they get caught running down our streets or through our yards.
The attempted break in at the day care really opened my eyes and as I’m starting a family and trying to protect that family I want to make sure we feel safe in our own home.
My garage faces away from street view. We keep my dog in there during the night in a kennel because that is her safe space. She is an outside dog so she gets free roam of the yard during the day. We do not have a fence gate. A male dog that has been terrorizing me for YEARS keeps going in my garage and literally shitting everywhere. He is a violent dog. He has chased me at night and sat outside my car growling louder than the engine and radio for hours before he got bored and left. He shreds cords or whatever else he can get to in my garage. He also terrorizes my dog. She has been getting more defensive of our property ever since this dog has started coming over. She now runs into the road and will chase people away from our house. This is a borderline retirement community. We live next to a 90 yo lady and a 80 yo man just moved in across the street. Not to mention the rest of the neighborhood likes to walk or ride bikes up and down the road with the weather cooling off. She has never had these problems before and used to even go put herself in her kennel when the amazon people would pull in the driveway.
My garage door is also janky and if it is shut it will be unable to open unless my dad and husband beat it into submission and last time screws broke loose from the ceiling. The backdoor that goes through the garage is also janky. Sometimes it locks sometimes it doesn’t. You cannot tell if it is actually unlocked from inside and it can easily be pushed in without even turning the knob. I’m afraid the doorknob itself isn’t the issue and it’s the whole door because that gets expensive fast and with our boy on the way we are penny pinching as is.
My older brother also lives on the same block and we found out last week he apparently likes to come over and shoot my husband’s bb guns in the back yard (even though they get put up in the garage) and take my parents ladder out of our garage and leave it leaning against a tree, pull every fold out chair out, leave soda cans, and trash everywhere. Also loves to give out unsolicited advice about how I need to cut a living tree down. (All of which happened while we weren’t even home) He also went into our house through said janky back door, looking for us when my car was gone and there was no knock or phone call. To which when he finally decided to leave he left the backdoor open. I have talked to him about this since and how disrespectful it is. I informed him next time I’m getting police involved I do not care if we are family or not that is not normal family behavior by any means.
Sooo with all that context of everything that is happening I am looking for advice on cameras to put up! (And thoughts on fence gates)
My preferred cameras would have
-no monthly subscription
-solar powered or wireless
-an app that notifies me of activity detected
-can be rotated through app or have wide view
-night vision
-records activity
These cameras would face where our entrance is and the back of the house. I will need at most just the two.
I also need recommendations on what camera would be good to put up in our garage. I would like wireless if possible. Along with a camera that would view the two car garage.
On the gate I need recommendations on automatic gate openers as I’m sure thats what the hubs would want. Worst comes to worst we will have to slide it open.
Now be gentle with prices 😭. I understand safety has a cost but I am a heavily pregnant 20 yo. I do not have a budget in mind but I need quality assurance while keeping it as affordable as possible.
Thank you in advance! Sorry for being long-winded but I feel like these situations are threats on our lives and I’m never sure if I am just over doing it. 💙
