RMCG -
Sorry for your loss.....it is almost like losing a family member and can keep you up at night for days if not weeks. Good luck coping bro.
I do have some ideas as I have been in a constant battle with my 26 year old step son who finds a way to get my stuff at least once a year.
1st Thought....if you have absolutely told no one about your grow and you are clueless think about this. ....if I wanted to find every local grow in my area how would I do it?......Make friends with a meter reader or get a job myself as a meter reader and take notes.
2nd - Bump keys are usually what the pros/punks use....they can open your door no matter how expensive the lock in about 5 seconds or faster (google it you will be scared)........so key locks are useless throw them away. Also watch out for keyless locks that have back up hidden key holes in case you forget the combo. It is actually very hard to find a non key back up system but here is 1 I found:
http://www.gokeyless.com/product/408/1/simplex-7100-deadlatch-pushbutton-lock
Same technology the pentagon uses on their locks this is the way to go.
3rd If you can afford it get a serious security door like pharmacies etc.... use. I found this one at home depot:
I also recommend the security plate to prevent credit cards slipping the latch:
http://www.gokeyless.com/product/983/87/don-jo-nlp110-latch-guard
security hinges and steel welded frame is crucial. You must mount door so it pulls not pushes and screw/carriage bolt the hell out of it when mounting also layer (3) 2x6s or 2x4s on each side as well as header on top.....this will make it impossible to knock down without the use of a bulldozer.
3rd - If you are growing in a garage frame up all windows from inside and double plywood both sides of frame. I screwed outside plywood with 5 different types of screws (square peg, Phillips, star, regular and finally huge nails with ribs on them) on the inside I screwed the hell out of it and did from inside so no one can loosen screws unless they are already in garage. Key thing is to get some of those pull down shades (spring powered self rolling kind) and place it on outside of framed plywood so from outside it simply looks like someone pulled the shades down with no visual of plywood without breaking glass and screen.
4th Put door behind doors so once they get into my garage they have another door to get through before they get to the goods. Dead bolt and standard locking doorknob is what I have but for not that much extra I will be upgrading to one of these soon:
http://www.gokeyless.com/product/285/3/trinity-788-fingerprint-door-lock
This extra door will make it harder for the burglar and also buy me some time to get to my garage/call police after I get notified via text (see below)
So to date my place is pretty secure but I still have weaknesses. I have a cancer patient (stage 4 hodgekins - very bad) that tried growing himself and did all the security stuff to a extent and when the burglar/ex friend decided he could not get through the door he actually brought a screw gun removed the siding and took out a sheet of plywood and entered in between the 2x4s. For the record this guy got robbed 3 times (THEY ALWAYS COME BACK) and finally gave up. This guy was on pure cannabis oil and was making progress until all the stress came after his 3rd robbery. The jerk actually took all the plants and then took all his lights and even fans......they are ruthless. I am donating medicine to this guy for as long as it takes (karma goes along way and I got a friend for life)
My next move is to get 4 motion lights with recording cameras built in...this is what I have my eye on:
http://www.advancedgadgetshop.com/servlet/the-49983/CLOVER-PAC0410-4-dsh-Channel-DVR/Detail
Also another key thing I am trying to do is wire up a regular motion light up to a door bell system that will play a loud dog growling sound when the light kicks....my friend did this and he always knows when someone pulls in his yard because the door bell rings automatically. I am also going to try to back up the hard drive on this motion/night vision system to a server on a off site location if you can find a tech guy you can get it set up so your back up server send you a text message every time there is movement that kicks on the camera. A extra hidden camera inside your grow room is a good idea also (better chance of getting a clear view and also helps if they manage to disable outdoor cameras or maybe wear a mask which they might take off once inside.)
I know a lot of this sounds a little silly but if you have been ripped off multiple times from a punk that has never had a job but thinks he's smarter then everyone on the planet you'd probably be right there with me on this shit.
Love the sand idea that is being proactive and not reactive and that is the way you need to be. Try to think like a burglar would.
So to top everything off going this route you are going to need to invest in a central air system which is the real $ killer ($5k with installation for a 4 ton system/42,000 btu's)
I am a legal caregiver with all the paper work and don't really worry about the government knowing what I do. I personally feel the trade off is a fair deal. So if I ever get ripped off again I will be reporting to police and handing over all videos and pressing charges. If you want to permanently stop these guys you really gotta do this part otherwise you are only allowing a perpetrator to continue to victimize due to your non victim/non crime activities. If you do not know who is on your video I would literally make photo posters and hang them around the neighborhood telephone poles and offer a reward for information about the person while also letting everyone in the neighborhood know to look out for this guy.
Lastly the full proof catchem if all other security fails....I would think about getting several of the pet micro chips that cost about $50-$100 make sure to attach your chips to the best looking stuff you are growing and obviously hide them well maybe even a small incision in the stock itself. If they ever take the plant you can contact the microchip company and they can guide you to within about 50 feet of your stolen property well worth the $100. I have a 12,000 watt light setup so it clearly justifies my security but again I know for many this is just not feasible so please go easy on me I am only trying to help.
Good Luck Everyone
GI