"Keep an honest man honest with a lock" is a quote that echoes in my head every time I put a padlock on an AC cage.  I'd like to add to that quote- "Keep an honest man honest with a lock...or a $20"  Please read:

Donald Peppers, (who is an outstanding property manager, by the way), loves to regale our office with war stories from his long career in property management.  One day he came into my office with a big smile on his face, as usual, and told me about how the day was going.  The smile dropped from his face, (not usual), when he told me that a house we manage had been vandalized, with most of the copper plumbing stolen.  It seems like no amount of locks or security will keep a determined thieve from his goal, and we tossed around ideas to prevent this particular house from being vandalized again. 

Donald then proceeded to tell me that several years ago he was in charge of managing a home in the same area, that had the same problem.  The home kept being vandalized, and the owner had had enough.  He told Donald to tape a sign on the front door that read something like "DO NOT VANDALIZE THIS HOUSE...If you need money, just call 555-5555, and someone will come pay you $20."  Donald laughed.  He told the owner "OK, just send me a wad of cash, because I have a feeling I'm going to go through this like a hot knife through butter".

The owner sent Donald the cash, and Donald posted the sign.  Sure enough, every so often Donald would get a phone call, and a potential vandal would be at the house, calling to order his $20 of "protection money".  Donald would drive over to the home and meet the would be thief on the front porch, hand him his $20, and send him on his way.  The home wasn't vandalized again...Unbelievable!

Donald said the owner spent a few hundred dollars or so, but that in the end it was a great investment.   Not only in for the owner, but for the thief!  Donald inadvertantly converted vandals into honest men...ha!

Obviously I wouldn't recommend doing this all the time.  I've got some war stories of my own where paying people to watch a vacant house backfired.   CW Sparks Management is very, very lucky to have found some innovative ways to protect homes from vandalism, the details of which I won't share here.

Anyway, next time you see a lock that costs more than $20, think twice about buying it...a piece of paper may work much better instead!