Suggestions for Catching Ding Dong Ditch Teen

[opt2not]

When I was a kid, we called it Knicker Knocker Nine Door. We'd get into an apartment building and start up at the ninth floor, run down the stairs knocking on the doors on each floor closest to the stairwell. Ah the fun of simple mischief back then... now-a-days kids have fun getting pregnant, shooting each-other, and smoking crack. 

[ChadTower]

We knew it by the ethnic variation too.  I bet the "knicker" variation is just a misheard version of that.  It's too close to be anything else.

[Mikezilla]

When I was a kid, we called it Knicker Knocker Nine Door. We'd get into an apartment building and start up at the ninth floor, run down the stairs knocking on the doors on each floor closest to the stairwell. Ah the fun of simple mischief back then... now-a-days kids have fun getting pregnant, shooting each-other, and smoking crack. 

  then after thinking about it 

It was always ding dong ditch in my neck of the woods. Gotta love that alliteration.

[AtomSmasher]

Post this news article on your door:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/15/ding-dong-ditch-shooting-kentucky_n_877711.html

[ChadTower]

Am I the only one who pictures knicker knocking as some really old fashioned way of saying they're too horny?

[HungryDave]

I'll toss in my $.02. I thought someone was doing this to my house for the longest time. One day I noticed someone go up to the neighbor's house and ring the bell and my doorbell went off. Then it dawned on me, we have the remote battery operated buttons and they must have been on the same frequency as the neighbor's set. I changed that around and all the mysterious doorbell rings went away.

Check that out if you have that style of doorbell.

[HaRuMaN]

I'll toss in my $.02. I thought someone was doing this to my house for the longest time. One day I noticed someone go up to the neighbor's house and ring the bell and my doorbell went off. Then it dawned on me, we have the remote battery operated buttons and they must have been on the same frequency as the neighbor's set. I changed that around and all the mysterious doorbell rings went away.

Check that out if you have that style of doorbell.

Nope, hardwired.  They've been hitting the neighbors, too.

[ChadTower]

Set up a second switch on the doorbell.  Run a trap door with a boxing glove on an extending arm.  Next time you see a neighbor wit a black eye give 'em a second one.

[HungryDave]

I'll toss in my $.02. I thought someone was doing this to my house for the longest time. One day I noticed someone go up to the neighbor's house and ring the bell and my doorbell went off. Then it dawned on me, we have the remote battery operated buttons and they must have been on the same frequency as the neighbor's set. I changed that around and all the mysterious doorbell rings went away.

Check that out if you have that style of doorbell.

Nope, hardwired.  They've been hitting the neighbors, too.

Shoot... then I suggest a stakeout in the bushes with a pellet gun.

[Well Fed Games]

I'll toss in my $.02. I thought someone was doing this to my house for the longest time. One day I noticed someone go up to the neighbor's house and ring the bell and my doorbell went off. Then it dawned on me, we have the remote battery operated buttons and they must have been on the same frequency as the neighbor's set. I changed that around and all the mysterious doorbell rings went away.

Check that out if you have that style of doorbell.

Nope, hardwired.  They've been hitting the neighbors, too.

Maybe if a neighbor called right away, you could catch them at your door?

[hypernova]

Also, I doubt the phone call person and door knocker are the same person and I doubt EITHER one of them is the TEENAGER next door (by the way, am I the only one here who knew ding dong ditch by a much less politically correct term).

Knocking and running is a grade school prank. I remember lots of kids doing it in grade school, and I think I even did it myself once. However no one was doing that by the time I was a teenager, it is just such a lame prank.

That makes me clear the teenager in question based on the fact that a teenager doesn't fit the psychological profile of who would do something like that.  (My guess would be a boy of about 11, he is probably skinny, as fat kids can't run away reliably. Anyone on the street fit that description?) In fact, it is probably a trio of boys around that age (boys tend to get in trouble in groups of three).

As for the phone calling, that is the domain of 13-15 year old boys, although I severely doubt they would target (or even have) the telephone number of their elderly neighbor. Why hang up on grandma jones when you could hang up on Samantha from homeroom? Is there any talking with these phone calls or are they just hangups or beeping?

Got any statistics to back up your anecdotal story and personal experience?

Bored teenagers with inattentive and/or uncaring parents end up doing lots of things, running the gamut from mundane to the criminal.

[Malenko]

I think hes being PC with "knicker knocking" we called it ---Bad words, bad words, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when saint censors you?--- knocking. Cant wait to see what the auto-censor does to that.

[CCM]

Also, I doubt the phone call person and door knocker are the same person and I doubt EITHER one of them is the TEENAGER next door (by the way, am I the only one here who knew ding dong ditch by a much less politically correct term).

Knocking and running is a grade school prank. I remember lots of kids doing it in grade school, and I think I even did it myself once. However no one was doing that by the time I was a teenager, it is just such a lame prank.

That makes me clear the teenager in question based on the fact that a teenager doesn't fit the psychological profile of who would do something like that.  (My guess would be a boy of about 11, he is probably skinny, as fat kids can't run away reliably. Anyone on the street fit that description?) In fact, it is probably a trio of boys around that age (boys tend to get in trouble in groups of three).

As for the phone calling, that is the domain of 13-15 year old boys, although I severely doubt they would target (or even have) the telephone number of their elderly neighbor. Why hang up on grandma jones when you could hang up on Samantha from homeroom? Is there any talking with these phone calls or are they just hangups or beeping?

Got any statistics to back up your anecdotal story and personal experience?

Bored teenagers with inattentive and/or uncaring parents end up doing lots of things, running the gamut from mundane to the criminal.

umm, you do realize that the quote from paigeoliver was from 2008?  I don't think paigeoliver even posts here anymore.

[lilshawn]

I grew up calling it knicker knocking and had never even heard of the other version until I was 16 or so.

I never heard that term.  It sounds more like an alternative to pantsing.

Which is also very uncool to do to the elderly, on many levels.

It was called "Ring and Run" where I lived.  Don't know a "bad version".

*raises hand*

"knicky, knicky, nine door" was what we called it..   i dunno why we called it that either...

[hypernova]

umm, you do realize that the quote from paigeoliver was from 2008?  I don't think paigeoliver even posts here anymore.

Negative.  Totally didn't realize this was a resurrected thread.  Still needed to be said though, just for general information and whatnot.

I regret nothing!

[lilshawn]

#totallywhathesaid

[crashwg]

I just wanted to throw in my two cents on the "do fire alarms mark the puller" debate...  When I was about 12 I was with a friend when he pulled an alarm.  I booked it of course.  Later that day I caught up with him at his house and he said that the cops came by and shined a black light on him.  He claimed that his arm and if I recall correctly even his chest lit up as if he'd been sprayed.  Of course kids that age like to tell stories so who knows for sure. 

I have a theory as to what could be the the delivery system of the glowing substance if it is in fact not a myth.  The glass rod like thing that you commonly see just below the handle could be made of some fluorescing material that readily sticks to the person.  Probably not true but who doesn't enjoy a good wild speculation!

[ChadTower]

Not sure why every fire alarm doesn't include a fake camera in plain view pointed right at the damn thing.  Few 14 year olds would risk that.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Fire alarms don't mark anybody.  That's an urban legend.

 

http://www.snopes.com/science/poolpiss.asp

http://www.atsclock.com/items/FireAlarms-Accessories-tamper_dye.cfm?catID=16
http://safetymedia.com/detail.aspx?ID=302

Really, sir?

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

That's ink that's been put on the handle and marks hands.  The urban legend is that the alarms spray ink all over you. 

 

Wow, I've never heard that variation. Why in the hell would anyone believe that it sprays it all over you?

[ChadTower]

Because it's theoretically possible and wouldn't be all that hard to accomplish.

[gnateye]

I'll toss in my $.02. I thought someone was doing this to my house for the longest time. One day I noticed someone go up to the neighbor's house and ring the bell and my doorbell went off. Then it dawned on me, we have the remote battery operated buttons and they must have been on the same frequency as the neighbor's set. I changed that around and all the mysterious doorbell rings went away.

Check that out if you have that style of doorbell.

this! totally this! had the same thing happen at my house!

[mountain]

Buddy of mine had this happening to him for a long time. He happens to be an avid hunter and had one of these handy. He set it up, aimed it at his front porch and got some shots. He put them in the kids mailbox, and it stopped.

[Xiaou2]

As per calls, theres a service you can get thru the telephone company that blocks all private callers.

 Meaning, if they want to reach you, they have to use the *82 code to disable privacy, then call... which would leave a traceable called ID log as to whom called.


 The camera thing would be nice.. however, I think it would be more fun to be a bit more aggressive... such as building an decorative overhang that contained a massive cold water container dumper (hmm, maybe instead use something sticky like syrup, or color dye !), (or maybe some sort of actuated -or manual- hose sprayer system) all filmed in glorious HD, and uploaded to youtube.

[Pinball Wizard]

You guys need to just get a paintball gun and when they start ringing the bell, cover them in paint. Then they are marked extremely well and you got to hurt them some.

[DaOld Man]

Or you could just put a drop of crazy glue on the button.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Or you could just put a drop of crazy glue on the button.

You mean with a outward facing thumbtack on the other side of the glue, right?

[DaOld Man]

Well I was thinking just coat the outside of the button right before they usually attack.
Instant stuck finger.

And if the guy tears the skin off his finger trying to run, you can always say it must have been another neighborhood kid playing pranks too, that put the glue on it.

[geomartin]

All these get back at you ideas sound like great fun!  But, one has to remember that kids have much more free time and energy than us and they can get pretty creative/destructive in their payback and usually don't bother to ponder consequences.  I tend to try to stay on the good side of the local teenagers.

[lilshawn]

just stand and wait like a predator... when he comes, whip open the door and field goal kick him right in the nuts.

solves 2 problems:

1:) he will not ring the doorbell ever again.

2:) he will not contaminate the human race