In the movies, everyone thinks it’s funny to get shot in the rear with bird shot because because no one gets paralyzed or killed and no one gets arrested for reckless endangerment or attempted murder or murder in the first degree ( lying in wait with a fire arm on a public way could do it ). Because in the movies all the good guys can shoot on public ways and never worry about stray “blanks” hitting anyone.
As discussed before, it is very troubling if the local police do not take incidents like this seriously. This breeds further crimes contrary to the police believing that they are prioritizing their time. They are just making more work for themselves in the long run and breeding an environment of lawlessness. One word that can sometimes make them take it seriously is “malfeasance”. It might be worth having a discussion using this threat. Any public official can be charged with this for dereliction of duty and be thrown out on their ears.
In downtown San Francisco, one area of the city, really just one block where a lot of hi-tech folks live, there were a ton of lap top thefts from parked cars. Locked parked cars. The thief would walk by, see the laptop sitting on the front seat, break the window, and promptly steal it. How long does it take to break a window and pull a laptop out of the car, 30 seconds? They’d often find an old spark plug in the car among the broken glass. That must have been the thief’s preferred method of breaking the window.
This went on for 7 or 8 months, people were complaining every week to the police, not just about losing their laptops, but about the cost of repairing the windows, but nothing the police did seemed to do was effective at stopping it. Every week more lap tops were heisted from parked cars. Just on that single block.
Then one day the police decided to put out their own parked park – unmarked – on the street with a visible laptop on the seat. And they watched. The window was broken and the laptop was stolen within something like 18 minutes! But this time they caught the thief.
Makes one wonder why it took so long to come to use this technique? Maybe the police think the courts would rule it illegal. Leaving a locked car parked on the street with a laptop visible on the seat might be considered enticing the theft. “Entrapment”. Maybe that is why the police didn’t try it until pretty much everything else was exhausted.
George, the people that put left the laptops on the seat, in plain sight were absolute idiots
If you must leave anything of value in the car, at least leave it in the trunk, out of sight
And for god’s sake, don’t leave the charger in plain sight, still plugged in
Another word of caution, make sure the ashtray is closed. Because an open ashtray implies that you may have been using the cigarette lighter socket to power up a laptop, navigation device, iphone, etc.
FWIW . . . I can’t stand theft, but people shouldn’t make it so tempting and/or easy
At my neighborhood associtation meetings, the police officer always warns us about property theft, in regards to parked cars. He said the thieves will first go for the car with the unlocked doors, then for the car with the valuables in plain sight
^
George–Please understand that I abhor criminals and want them punished to the max.
However, that being said, I also think that anyone who leaves a laptop computer–or any other valuable and highly portable item–sitting in a visible position in a parked car deserves whatever happens to their property.
How many brain cells does it take to realize that one shouldn’t leave valuable and highly portable items sitting on one’s front seat?
Yeah, this is the same guy that said the following when I mentioned how his actions might incite road rage in some other driver:
I think we all know who everyone hopes doesn't own or have access to a gun is around here Rick...
The difference is you suggested I might get shot for going the speed limit and obeying the law. I suggested a thief might get shot for stealing someones property.
“How many brain cells does it take to realize that one shouldn’t leave valuable and highly portable items sitting on one’s front seat?”
@same
Apparently more then the high techies in at least one block living in San Francisco. Guess some of us missed our calling. It’s apparently a lot easier to be a techie then a grease monkey. With all due respect to techies, I know few manual laborers who would leave their lap tops out like that. It is dumb… Or is it because they don’t have as many lap tops ? Better get off the bus here. Circular reasoning is coming around again.
With all due respect to techies, I know few manual laborers who would leave their lap tops out like that. It is dumb... Or is it because they don't have as many lap tops ? Better get off the bus here.
Its because the blue collar folks have to actually do work to make the money to buy things. When you actually work for something you tend to take care of it and protect it. Blue collar workers also make alot less than “techies”, you have to work much harder, and much longer than a techie to but that laptop if your digging ditches.
@WheresRick
My son is a techie and works his buttocks off. The hours he puts in are super human. Is it manual labor ? No. but it is demanding. He is very savvy about thievery. But. blue collar workers are brought up with more physicality in their life and IMHO, understand that things like…a pane of glass does not stop a thief. My son gets it but you are right, many don’t. So I can’t lay it to work effort so much as work and life experience.
I remember my older brother who was a contractor and built houses for a living. He would leave his tools in the back of his van, unlocked. He never worried as every one knew he often left one of his two German Shepherds (and sometimes both) in the back too. He jokingly said to me one day, “It’s disappointing that no one tries to steal my tools.”
They were great dogs and I enjoyed them immensely and I always happily dog sat for him at times. But, even though they knew me well, I NEVER would reach in the van while “they were working” without my brother there. They knew their roll well. So a dog would protect that battery !
Well said…
I retract my statement about Techies not working hard. You are right, most do. Most programmers also work insane hours. I was wrong to say that, and I apologize to anyone who works hard and is not a blue collar employee. I will say I think their are a lot of CEOs and CFOs that never put a days work in their life.
You have a point
However, let’s not forget that not all blue collar guys are hard workers. I’ve know several who are basically just handed a paycheck, because they don’t really do squat, and what they do, they don’t do very well, or even do it correctly
Thankfully, there have only been a few at every job I’ve had
I’ve never worked anywhere where the majority of the workers were lazy, dishonest and incompetent
@WheresRick
I sometimes get into the mindset myself that not doing physical work is not working hard…until I stated working. In retirement from teaching which is not hard physically, I relish the thought now of doing manual labor and look forward to doing it. My wife too. Nothing like working outside…when the weather is good.
@db4690
I think what you say applies to all professions. They exist in both the blue collar and white collar jobs.
I sometimes get into the mindset myself that not doing physical work is not working hard.....until I stated working. In retirement from teaching which is not hard physically, I relish the thought now of doing manual labor and look forward to doing it. My wife too. Nothing like working outside..when the weather is good.
Again, very well said! I got into that mindset today because its so cold outside here in Indiana. Sometimes physical work can invigorate you, sometimes non physical work can leave you exhausted.
Doesn’t everybody think they work harder than most everybody else, whether physical or mental? Now I know my surgeon works harder than I ever did and deserves every dollar he makes. Its mostly inside work though so that makes a difference.
@GeorgeSanJose , nevermind laptop theft - up here (Vancouver BC) the police run a bait CAR program that’s been credited for a significant decrease in car thefts.
But yeah, leaving laptops on the seat… wow.
“Doesn’t everybody think they work harder than most everybody else?”
I didn’t say I work harder than everybody else
I’d like to think I am a hard worker, but I’ve always known people who work harder, were smarter, more efficient, etc.
I’m not arrogant enough to think I was the best at any anything I did
"The difference is you suggested I might get shot for going the speed limit and obeying the law. I suggested a thief might get shot for stealing someones property. "
See you have this jaded view of the real world. I don’t believe you actually know the difference but here it is-
I said you COULD get shot (by someone else) for purposely inciting someone. It happens fairly frequently.
You suggested that the person SHOULD lie in wait and shoot someone for stealing their battery. This you feel is justified punishment for stealing something worth $100 or less…
You really cannot see the difference there??
I said you COULD get shot (by someone else) for purposely inciting someone.
So by going the speed limit and obeying the law I am purposely inciting people? And I have a jaded view of the world? You are obviously in a big hurry and get angry when people get in your way.
You suggested that the person SHOULD lie in wait and shoot someone for stealing their battery. This you feel is justified punishment for stealing something worth $100 or less...
First of all a heavy jacket can stop bird shot,
Second of all I was not serious, its stupid to discharge a weapon in a city, out here in the sticks I can fire bird shot in my driveway in any direction and it would not hit my neighbors property. I was being factitious.