I have a number of possibilities, fortunately. I've also gotten a vote for an additional camera outside the back door to the building, but if I can't hide it I'm unwilling, as this obviously will tip off yer man, so what would be the point? I can put one up after I catch him. That's how I'd do it, but again, this will have to be dictated by law in the end. If ordinances stack the deck against me because ninnies (and the MPLS City Council has them in spades) wrote so much fair play into the books as to make it illegal for the aggrieved to trap his criminal by a right-thinking person's methods because the cops are too focused on their doughnuts to watch a property they're supposed to watch, then I may very well camp out in the laundry room after all, and for as long as it takes. And that will make me pissed off at him even further.

Thinking sideways ... If the guy is breaking in to rob the coin boxes, why not convert the machines to tokens. No incentive. Of course, there would need to be a way for users to acquire tokens. Or make the machines free and charge everyone a small monthly usage fee with the rent. The keyed door would still keep the riff-raff out. The overall cost might be less than installing and maintaining a professional surveillance system.

Or is the main goal at this point to catch the perp?

sounded like it to me

I thought I'd been pretty clear on that.

uh huh...

Call me Ishmael.

okay...

yo Ishmael, whatsup


better now?

I'm getting pretty good at this catching-perps thing. I nailed this guy stealing my McNuggets:

(Here's a generic illustration of the modus operandi: - Knowledge is power, folks.)

Humans have only two legs, so that burglar of mine should be a snap.

That's a lady cat. Sure has a criminal look about her.

Really? Oh. Fooled me with that big head and killa vibe. I did think "he" was a bit of a dandy though, what with that fancy designer coat and gloves and jabot and all.


And pissed OFF. "I'm gonna get you for this, sucka."

With that coloring, genetics favor female 3000:1.

Given odds like that, if it's a guy cat it might explain the attitude.

I was away on vacation. You never really said was the perp was perping. Is it the coin boxes on the washers and dryers? Are there additional vending machines? Does he have keys to these things too or is he damaging the coin boxes? Do you have access to these things? Can you or a committe with ledgers and signatures empty and sign for them every night? How much money or other loot is really being taken?

Let us know how it goes. Someone has been stealing lunches from the fridges at my office for years. Although I have never had my lunch stolen, I have limited my options years ago, and rarely place a lunch or a nice lunch bag in the fridge.

Well, I thought I laid out all the extraneous info that I thought was pertinent to the idle curious, considering that I've only posted this to call for helpful ideas on how to catch the guy, period (and I must say there seems to be hardly anyone with a taste for exacting a just vengeance through coldhearted skullduggery among you nice people); but I'll tell you more of the irrelevant details anyway. Yes, he's stealing specifically from the washer and dryer coinboxes (there is nothing else), and on top of that he is rendering the machines unusable until the repair guy comes. I don't have the skills to put a temporary bandaid on that sort of thing. As for does he have a key to the machines?...I already cited property damage, and I believe I did refer to "ripping them open", so I think that answers that, doesn't it. The owner is of the firm policy that he alone should collect the coins (when he remembers, which isn't often, so the haul can be pretty good).

Just conferred with the local precinct re: electronic surveillance of common-use space, and in this regard basically the world is my oyster, so I am most happy indeed with that news. Will cover it again tomorrow with the proper liaison just to square away the fine points. All that's really left is for the owner to balance the immediate pain to his wallet with the greater amount of money he's already lost and stands to lose, and give the okay.


I will.


Good pre-emptiveness in holding onto your own stuff; it only makes sense. Your office could consider stealth - or even obvious - surveillance yourselves, if it's that important. Better yet, people could just stop using the fridge.

But I'm sure you'll forgive me when I say that I have more at stake here than petty theft. To repeat my case, this has now gone beyond merely sitting on my lunch to deflect him to easier pickings. We have done all that and it hasn't been enough, and why should other targeted properties thank me for sending him their way? I don't want him to trespass and steal money from us, OR anybody else, any more. It is now time to catch him once and for all, and IMO it is well overdue.

Here's your solution: Bring 3 lunches, all clearly labeled as yours. One is your real lunch, with a special marking so you can ID it. The other two you fill with live worms or something. Give it a week, and I'll bet your lunch will be safe forever more.

Then, when your supervisor calls you in, demand that he/she cite the specific regulation prohibiting worms or bait in the fridge. With any bureaucrat worthy of the name, his/her head will promptly explode, and you'll be golden. I'm thinking Employee of the Month.