Thread: I'm much too young to identify this thing...

I thought maybe some of you more, ahem, experienced inspectors might recognize it.

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I think is is a burglar alarm. When the pin pulls out the battery powered buzzer goes off.
but I'm not that old either

Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

I think is is a burglar alarm. When the pin pulls out the battery powered buzzer goes off.
but I'm not that old either

I don't get it. Who would pull the pin, and why?

Originally Posted by John Arnold

I thought maybe some of you more, ahem, experienced inspectors might recognize it.

Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

I think is is a burglar alarm. When the pin pulls out the battery powered buzzer goes off.
but I'm not that old either

I think Benjamin is correct
I have seen some like this (only larger) that were from the 70s and still in use in the early 80s

Originally Posted by John Arnold

I don't get it. Who would pull the pin, and why?

A string was tied to a door or across the floor which would pull the pin and cause alarm
Actually some police depts used one similar to this
If you had a problem with break ins at your business the PD would set up a device somewhat like the one shown
They (the PD) would come out just before you closed and run trip wires
The wires were very thin. Idea was the burglar would pull the wire which would trip a switch, and the burglar would not even know he had tripped the alarm.
The alarm was silent but had a radio transmitter.
Within a few minutes police would show up and catch the thief.

I remember the Columbus police using that as late as 1982 or 83

Ah, so! Now I see, said the blind man.

SOS BUZZER Door Window Vigilant Burglar Alarm vtg 1960s in box RADAR BRAND | eBay

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

SOS BUZZER Door Window Vigilant Burglar Alarm vtg 1960s in box RADAR BRAND | eBay

Thanks! Ain't the interwebs amazing?

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

A string was tied to a door ...

Isn't that the same way dentists used to pull teeth?

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Thanks! Ain't the interwebs amazing?

Well, yes
But I think I'm pretty good also , don't you.

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Who would pull the pin, and why?

Brass ring. It only works on metal thieves.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Idea was the burglar would pull the wire which would trip a switch, and the burglar would not even know he had tripped the alarm.

There's another device out there in which a pin is pulled to activate it. It responds much more quickly than the police and by no means is it silent.

Originally Posted by Eric Barker

There's another device out there in which a pin is pulled to activate it. It responds much more quickly than the police and by no means is it silent.

Ah yes, the booby trap
Of course the trap sometimes backfires
Katko v. Briney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Ah yes, the booby trap
Of course the trap sometimes backfires
Katko v. Briney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From that link:

Four years after the case was decided, Briney was asked if he would change anything about the situation. Briney replied: "There's one thing I'd do different, though, I'd have aimed that gun a few feet higher."

My thoughts as I was reading it.

There would not have been a law suit, and by the time anyone checked on the unoccupied house the body would either have deteriorated or animals may have taken care of "the problem" .

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

From that link:


My thoughts as I was reading it.

There would not have been a law suit, and by the time anyone checked on the unoccupied house the body would either have deteriorated or animals may have taken care of "the problem" .

In some areas it is illegal to have a booby trap.
Back in the 70s a local business was fined for cementing broken glass bottles to the top of a brick wall (fence). They had to remove all the glass.
The use of barb wire is only allowed by permit, even then, it has several restrictions.
The use of a booby trap using a firearm would get you a front row seat in court.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

In some areas it is illegal to have a booby trap.
Back in the 70s a local business was fined for cementing broken glass bottles to the top of a brick wall (fence). They had to remove all the glass.
The use of barb wire is only allowed by permit, even then, it has several restrictions.
The use of a booby trap using a firearm would get you a front row seat in court.

In Miami, maybe 15-20 years ago, a food market owner was having a problem with people breaking into the store when it was closed, so the owner electrified the metal screens on the windows, doors, and roof hatch.

So poor dumb soul, bless his heart , tried breaking in through the roof hatch ... the owner found him, dead, the next day as the person was electrocuted on the metal screen.

After discussions and various meetings, the state attorney's office declined to file charges against the owner as the owner was protecting his property and (this is the key part) any person taking part in an illegal activity is responsible for the outcome of that activity, including injuries or the deaths of others, i.e., the poor dumb soul did it to himself.

This was no different than if someone robbed a store and fled in a car driven by a getaway driver, and while fleeing the driver (who was not involved in the actual burglary) caused the death of another. BOTH the person who burglarized the store AND the getaway driver are held responsible for ALL injuries, and deaths, which happen as a result of the crime - in this case the death of the innocent person.

I'm so sorry, sir, but you broke into my house and committed a crime, and, I am so sorry, sir, that you died as a result of it, but .... you caused your own death by committing the crime.

A Zippo lighter w/ radio capability ?