Desperate Times

[Kimberly Berg]

I've owned my car wash for 17 years, and definitely seeing more household garbage, homeless and tweakers in the past 4 months! I'm glad that I have 22 cameras, live nearby, accept credit cards and only dispense tokens (since January 2015). In the town next to me (bad neighborhood), they recently closed down 2 abandoned car washes where the homeless congregated (tore 1 wash down, and the other has a cyclone fence around it). I'm just outside Sacramento, California and our state is voting to end emergency moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures on September 1st. I'm holding my breath and a little anxious how the next few months plays out. My car wash is located on a busy corner, very colorful and popular. All I can do, is stay positive, keep an eye on my car wash, keep it clean and well-lit. Fortunately, there are 3 run-down car washes within a 3 mile radius, that are more attractive for the homeless to hang out. Now is a good time to identify any weaknesses in your system and order new security doors, locks, cameras, etc... Reminds me I need to clean all the lenses on my cameras! Good luck folks!!

 

[slash007]

Yesterday I put in one new lock on a vac door as an experiment as I was hoping that the crew that would break the locks wouldn't show up, and most other homeless only open the doors if unlocked. Well they spent about 5 minutes on it but finally pried it open only to find nothing inside. It's a cam lock, but I really worry about putting big locks and having the doors damaged when they try to open those. Right now they already bent them all some right where the lock is. Wash was super clean and very well lit, but after they finish, it's a disaster.

 

[Kimberly Berg]

So if I camp out one night at the car wash and catch the homeless crew breaking into my vacs, what can I do? Can I shoot them? Beat them with baseball bats? Hold them at gunpoint until the police come? It's getting bad and I need to figure something out.

How about working with a welder to beef up the security on your vacuums? 15 years ago, I had lockbars put on my old square Doyle vacuums, with a lock. Never had another problem until a couple months ago, I arrived to find the locks were all cut! I checked my cameras and got a good visual of the guy. I showed it to a homeless friend I have, and he recognized the kid. I told him to give the kid a message, to stop it or I would turn the video over to the cops and have him arrested. It worked! I'm a petite woman, and don't feel comfortable carrying a gun or baseball bat. Goal #1 Make my stuff hard to break into so they go elsewhere. Maybe increase the lighting, add cameras? Personally, I don't want to escalate the situation where they return and do more damage. I've had good success confronting dumpster-divers (nicely) in the middle of the night and asking them NOT to leave a mess, and inviting them to recycle during the day. Call it crazy, but it works!!

 

[MEP001]

So if I camp out one night at the car wash and catch the homeless crew breaking into my vacs, what can I do? Can I shoot them? Beat them with baseball bats? Hold them at gunpoint until the police come? It's getting bad and I need to figure something out.

You can't shoot them or beat them, but you can (at least in Texas) hold them at gunpoint for the police. Just be careful because when the cops show up they're taking everyone, they'll take your gun and run your info. I had to pull my gun on a homeless panhandling the other day - he came at me aggressively when I asked him to leave, and even though I didn't point it at him he started screaming even louder at me. I flagged down a cop driving by and he ran over to him and said I pointed it at him, which I still would have been in my rights to do. Basically I'm saying they don't handle it well when they see a gun, and it should only be out if you're ready to shoot someone.

 

[MEP001]

Yesterday I put in one new lock on a vac door as an experiment as I was hoping that the crew that would break the locks wouldn't show up, and most other homeless only open the doors if unlocked. Well they spent about 5 minutes on it but finally pried it open only to find nothing inside. It's a cam lock, but I really worry about putting big locks and having the doors damaged when they try to open those. Right now they already bent them all some right where the lock is. Wash was super clean and very well lit, but after they finish, it's a disaster.

I haven't had any real trouble since I added the stainless angle as hasps, other than a lame attempt to get into one. They've left them completely alone for about a month now. Unfortunately now they're dumping the trash cans on the ground to paw through it for treasure. I'll be chaining those down tonight.

 

[Kimberly Berg]

I haven't had any real trouble since I added the stainless angle as hasps, other than a lame attempt to get into one. They've left them completely alone for about a month now. Unfortunately now they're dumping the trash cans on the ground to paw through it for treasure. I'll be chaining those down tonight.

They will occasionally flip the cans and dump the trash on the ground at our place too! We had a couple cans stolen, so we started locking them to a vacuum stand bracket, using vinyl coated steel wire. They can still flip the cans, but at least they don't take them anymore. The wire is long enough so we can easily empty the trash into a larger rolling garbage can. I'd be curious how you chain yours so they don't dump the trash.

 

[slash007]

For years I would catch them here and there and tell them I wouldn't say anything if they didnt' leave a mess. Heck, even now with a huge mess, it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't get in the vacs. EVen the, if they would just close the doors behind them, I would let it go. But every morning or during the night customers lose money when they try to use the vacs and there is no suction. That's my biggest issue. I do have the wash very well lit and have over 27 cameras, all HD. Just gets me frustrated when I watch them in action. I guess I will put on some stainless clasps. Mep, did you weld them on, or use screws?
I obviously don't want to shoot anyone or even have a gun involved, but 13 days straight of this crap and it getting worse is frustrating. One guy just dumps the bags on the ground now and kicks the trash around with his foot then on to the next.

 

[slash007]

 

[Randy]

Stash007, The best thing you can do is clean out the vacuums every day before you leave or before your help leaves for the day. I’d also cut down the hedge so you can see the vac’s from the street. Most perks don’t like to be seen. If you lock the doors up to well they will rip the door of at the hinge, been there and done that.

 

[KleanRide]

Stash, just an FYI, I had open trash cans (Coleman Tee-pees - by far their WORST idea) when I first bought my wash. After 6 months of fighting crap like you're getting I ditched the open cans and had an aluminum fabricator make me some locking lids with an 8-inch diameter hole. All in about $1600 for nine units and they have made a world of difference. First it cut my homeless traffic by about 80%. Without unlimited trash access, they just quit coming by. Now the ones that still come by will poke around in the trash holes for a few minutes, but they rarely scatter crap all over the lot. I've got abus disc locks on the lids and I've yet to have anyone even attempt to break in.

I'll shoot some pics of the cans over the weekend and post them here.

 

[Twodose]

So they were trying to wash 2 different vehicles for $4.75? I am in the process of installing cryptopay and is good to know things like this that can happen and know what to look for. People are such jerks, wtf the world coming to?

 

[KleanRide]

So they were trying to wash 2 different vehicles for $4.75?

They spent $12.75 between the two of them

 

[Twodose]

I see.

 

[Twodose]

I obviously don't want to shoot anyone or even have a gun involved, but 13 days straight of this crap and it getting worse is frustrating. One guy just dumps the bags on the ground now and kicks the trash around with his foot then on to the next.

Wow! Time to take out the white trash! It is really sad that there is probably nothing legaly you can do about it. I would be setting somewhere with a crossbow and a couple bolts to the legs...!!! Scum.

 

[Rfreeman]

Slash have you tried getting criminal trespass charges on all these guys? At one wash I have 18 self storage units that attracts the homeless like crazy....they used to break into them to sleep, drugs, prostitutes etc etc. I would go by morning or night and run them off. Finally since they weren't getting the idea I called the cops and they issued criminal trespassing warrants on all of them....step on my property straight to jail. Week later caught one coming in for the night I showed up at 530 next morning cops in tow straight to jail.

Fast forward just close on my 3rd wash and guess who decides to pop up? Yup same guy I got hauled off to jail he saw me come out of the equipment room and I quote, "oh shit its you....is this your wash to?" I told him it is now just bought it he said alright you won't see me again. Haha

Side note....I told my guys to give any and all police officers free washes so the local police is very helpful.

 

[MEP001]

I guess I will put on some stainless clasps. Mep, did you weld them on, or use screws?

I haven't done it yet, but I've seen it done. I'll try to get one done so I can post pictures. I'm just going to bolt them, no point in trying to weld.

 

[MEP001]

Slash have you tried getting criminal trespass charges on all these guys? At one wash I have 18 self storage units that attracts the homeless like crazy....they used to break into them to sleep, drugs, prostitutes etc etc. I would go by morning or night and run them off. Finally since they weren't getting the idea I called the cops and they issued criminal trespassing warrants on all of them....step on my property straight to jail. Week later caught one coming in for the night I showed up at 530 next morning cops in tow straight to jail.

Check with police and see if they'll do a blanket CTW for your property. You won't have to show up to tell them they aren't welcome, just call the police from home and they'll come give them the warning and kick them off the property. There's also something they call a criminal trespass notice which is only good for a year, but the person has to give cops an ID. About 1/4 of the ones I've had them run had warrants and went to jail.

 

[slash007]

All good ideas, thanks guys. I think having lids on the cans would cut down on the mess. Trying to catch these guys has been hard as there are so many different ones. They also come at varying hours with no consistency.

 

[jack954]

had same 2 people prying them open for a while and was finally able to get a license plate and call police. bought a rat trap (same as mouse trap but about 3 times bigger) from lowes that i was gonna hide in the vac but that eve the police called and said they caught them. was looking forward to watching the video of hand in a rat trap!
did this to vacs about a year ago and no attempts yet

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I’ve done the same thing but I turned the lock upside down.
This way makes it harder for someone to mess around with the lock.