I spent the day working on the boundary for a new unit of an existing subdivision. Late in the evening as the day was cooling off I started running my control loop through the existing subdivision to the city control points out on the main road. I had the back sight prism on a quick release tripod and was having the robot turn sets of three. I had line of sight to the robot of course, but not to the back sight. I noticed two boys 8-12 years old walk up the street past my robot and turn toward the street where my back sight was located. The robot finished taking the BSD and flipped for the BSR and couldn't find the prism. I gave it a few seconds hoping that they were just blocking the line of sight. Then I walked away from the fore sight to get eyes on the back sight. I only had to walk 30 feet to one side to see that the boys were throwing rocks at my back sight. I used my best military voice to convince them to cease and desist and headed to intercept them as they took off. Meanwhile a builder working across the street from my robot called me to say that his guy had seen the boys throwing rocks at the robot (not the prism that I saw) and that he was following them through the subdivision for me.
With the builder's help I was able to follow them home and watch them make a mad dash for the door when they realized that I was following them. I knocked on the door and told the lady who answered the door what the boys had done and how expensive survey equipment is. She responded "Well sir you should have been with your equipment". I'm sure the look on my face was screaming rage and fury, but I maintained my composure and explained that it is not possible to be "with my equipment" because of how it works. I also explained that if I found any damage to my equipment or saw her boys near my equipment again I would file charges.
My builder friend gave me a ride back to my equipment and I talked to his employee for a few minutes. Apparently the boys were smart enough to stay out of my line of sight while throwing rocks at the robot. When he yelled at them to stop, they told him to F-himself and headed up the road toward my back sight.
I spent the remaining hour of daylight looking over my equipment and making sure that nothing had been damaged or knocked out of adjustment. Everything appears to be ok.
I know I don't have enough evidence to prosecute them, but I'm leaning toward filing a police report in the morning when I'm back on the job site. That will create a paper trail and should prompt the Department to send a officer by to chat with them about my complaint.
> Meanwhile a builder working across the street from my robot called me to say that his guy had seen the boys throwing rocks at the robot (not the prism that I saw) and that he was following them through the subdivision for me.
Ah, the glamor side of robotic total stations used for land surveying work in urban areas.
Tomorrow you should deliver an invoice to that house for your time lost while dealing with this situation. Include the cost for the time of the contractor that helped you. Also include an itemized list of costs for repair or replacement of damaged equipment.
You won't get paid, but everyone will be fully aware of the potential costs if something happens in future. If you end up having to sue somebody this type of evidence will be useful.
Great idea, Steve.
"Mom's" attitude is appalling! This would rattle her tree, which she deserves as much as the hoodlums.
Rick
Yeah, what hope is there for kids with parents like that?
Call the cops. If the local police don't know those kids yet it will be a good intro. Kind of a 'scared straight' program. Sounds like the parents don't care, it may be a nice beginning to a long relationship with the cops for those 2 boys.
We can hope that Mom was just trying to be protective from outside trouble, and gave the boys a sterner treatment after you left.
>She responded "Well sir you should have been with your equipment".
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My reply likely would have been along the lines of "You are responsible for the actions of your children. I suggest taking appropriate personal responsibility."
I think the invoice is a very good idea. By all means include a written narrative of the events, including the verbal abuse by the children.
Geez, what an idiot mom. It's okay to throw rocks at people's property as long as they are not around, I guess. With the mom's attitude, I think I would have made a police report. If you're going to be working in the area further, it sends a serious message to the parents/kids and will put the police on notice if you have further trouble.
I wonder if the "mom" would be OK with you breaking out all the windows in her house tomorrow while she is not home watching it?
JP
File a police report, and a complaint with the police. These little miscreants, with school out, will likely do more damage. If they tossed rocks at equipment that was being used then these are the same ones that would bust out windows in cars or other vandalizing.
My mom would have said "Did you see them do it?" After the affirmative, then it would have been helping you the rest of the day then the woodshed when dad got home. Some kids now days have no respect for anything and it's being taught by their parents.
Vandalized Robot - Follow up
My builder friend called first thing this morning and said that the boy's dad had just stopped by wanting to talk to me about chasing his boys. The builder quickly gave him the other side of the story and let him know that I simply followed the boys to see where they lived. That made my decision easy, I immediately called the local PD and filed a report.
I got the impression that due to the elapsed time that they probably will not send an officer to talk to the boys, but at least my side of the story is on record.
Vandalized Robot - Follow up
Bill, momma is a hoodlum.
Daddy (concerned about guy chasing his kids) is LISTENING to his kids.... his kids LIES.
They are both hoodlums.
They all need DIRECT COMMUNICATION.
N
Vandalized Robot
I agree with the comments about the Mom and the Dad........they need to take this a bit more seriously.
However, I'd be interested to find out how many of the responders here got themselves into similar cases of mischief at one point or another in their pre-teen years. Seems like a lot of comments indicate these kids are headed for a life of crime.
Did you guys all forget what it was like to be ten years old?
Vandalized Robot
Angelo, sure we all did things like that. We also got out butts torn up when we got home. The different in these kids is there doesn't appear to be any corrective action.
Vandalized Robot
Ditto Tommy. We got tore up by mom and then by dad when he got home for work. Then we had to fix what we broke and had to have some sort of work related payback to the party as well.
These kids are learning that it's okay to be vandals because the mom and dad will allow this sort of behavior.
My dad would have showed up at the site but I'd be hanging by my belt loop at his side while dad listened to what happened. He would not have showed up confrontational.
I'm with Deral, file a police incident report! If nothing else, there's a record of these two kid's behavior!
and include a copy of the police report
> She responded "Well sir you should have been with your equipment".
Sounds like mom should have been with her children more than anything else.
I agree with Snoop. Since the mother seems like she doesn't want to discipline her own children, call the cops. They'll just do it again because they know they can get away with it. And then send a bill...
Vandalized Robot
".......they need to take this a bit more seriously."'
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> However, I'd be interested to find out how many of the responders here got themselves into similar cases of mischief at one point or another in their pre-teen years. Seems like a lot of comments indicate these kids are headed for a life of crime.
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> Did you guys all forget what it was like to be ten years old?"
A bit more seriously? How about a lot more seriously? I haven't forgotten what it was like to be 10 years old and it doesn't sound like anyone else has forgotten either. We were expected to be kids, but we sure weren't allowed to be vandals and we certainly were expected to be respectful of other people and their property. Funny, I was actually raised in Forest Hill, Texas - sounds like Forest Hill, Texas and Forest Hills, New York are a world apart.