My last German Shepherd was Panzer (left photo), he passed at 13+ just before I deployed, an old man.
My new GSD is Aiko (right photo), he is young, strong, and sleeps on the floor next to my wife, rides in her truck wife her, and doesn't leave her side. My wife is getting one of Aiko's cousins, a two year old female.
Like toomanyrocks said, my spouse does not want to push the sheriff angle however I am working a tactic with Thumper that should get the desired results. Discretion is probably best.
I am looking at the way ahead, the way forward. The incident and the lack of response by the sheriff are the past. I need to emplace effective security measures to document/gather evidence of repeated violations and demonstrate a pattern of behavior and promulgate effective deterrence. That is my goal. The sheriff matter is a crisis of leadership and ability, there is nothing that I can do about that. Their lack of action on previous violations have created a crime conducive environment whereby violators know what the are able to do, the exact point that is likely to stimulate a law enforcement response. Frankly, that standard has not yet been discovered. I also need to limit the battle damage assessment and intelligence regarding the psychological impact that this has had on my wife by limiting the exposure that would allow the subject to assess the impact of the attack.
The best counter insurgency tactic I had considered was early on in the relationship. I wanted to hire him to assist with the fence. That would have endeared him to the fence as a source of accomplishment, provided monetary reward in exchange for actual work, and established a good repore. The early and immediate breakdown in communications sidetracked that mission. I also may be totally wrong, it may be that another subject is responsible.
In any event, I am prepared to spend the $5-8K or more that will improve my security posture, foster my wife's confidence in the farm and our rural lifestyle, provide for evidence collection, and provide the best protective measures possible.
This is the reality of the circumstances. jinjimbob, I had not thought of the tamper-proof protection for the lights, thanks. Thanks to all, some really good ideas out there.