Hypothetical crime query.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Vehicle in the driveway where I'm living at has been burglarized. Theft of items from vehicles is nothing new, nor is having your vehicle stolen.


Okay then, stuff was stolen from said car because one door actuator is intermittently inoperative, so it was a soft target for a thievery son of a bitch to access entry.
My concern is that there was a "get home" bag in that car that had food, water, box of ammo, several loaded mags, and other things that would save your ass in a time of trouble. Important to note that EVERYTHING in the car was taken, except for two blankets in the hatch area. Lip balm, every last penny, CD's, paperwork/documents, just about everything else that would be useless to anyone who lives in some kind of home. Even the spare tire false floor area was searched for more goodies.

My question is, after you've stolen all this stuff you realize that you've taken someone's "prep" bag. A cognitive thief on Meth would realize ammo involves guns, and you could easily be shot by the people you're stealing from, and that your victim is prepared to deal with an asshole such as yourself if caught in the act. Would you risk coming back to the same property at that point and try to invade other vehicles on the property, or the home?

I'm curious to see what your responses might be....clearly I am not happy about it, and am thinking about several things right now regarding this.

Thank you in advance for your opinion regarding this situation.

OBC

[cstone]

Drug addicts don't think rationally.

Almost anything is worth something to someone so the value of something to a thief is the amount of effort it takes to unload what they stole.

If a target was easy once, it will likely be just as easy a second time. A real thief would have found a car they know they could start and drive away in under a minute. Then they get to part it out, search it at their leisure, dump on a dead end street, etc... Any other thief is just an opportunist.

I hope you are able to replace what you lost.

[Irving]

Since you asked for opinions, my opinion is that smash and grab thieves are opportunists and aren't thinking past what they got and can sell. I doubt they were thinking about repeat business in the area in the first place.

[Brian]

Maybe the reason that everything was cleared out was they found the mags/ammo and thought there may be a gun in the car too, so they dug through everything looking for it...?

Either way, I am no expert, but everything I've read/heard also agrees that it's unlikely that this was anything other than a one time target of opportunity.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Since you asked for opinions, my opinion is that smash and grab thieves are opportunists and aren't thinking past what they got and can sell. I doubt they were thinking about repeat business in the area in the first place.

Agreed. I'm trying to assess and outthink the probability of repeat performance factor. Being proactive following being robbed is a good thing, for me.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Maybe the reason that everything was cleared out was they found the mags/ammo and thought there may be a gun in the car too, so they dug through everything looking for it...?

Either way, I am no expert, but everything I've read/heard also agrees that it's unlikely that this was anything other than a one time target of opportunity.

It's really hard to try and figure out what was in this particular assholes mind in their endeavors, I would think haste was paramount, and my new best friend didn't really know what he actually had until he realized later on what the bag actually contained.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Which brings it back to the original question......given this, would you come back and try it again?

[Big E3]

Since the dirt bag found ammo and mags, he may be thinking late at night I can go inside and get the gun when you’re asleep. Or, he could tell somebody else about the gun stuff and they get brave and stupid. Keep one eye open when you’re sleeping, be safe.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Drug addicts don't think rationally.

Almost anything is worth something to someone so the value of something to a thief is the amount of effort it takes to unload what they stole.

If a target was easy once, it will likely be just as easy a second time. A real thief would have found a car they know they could start and drive away in under a minute. Then they get to part it out, search it at their leisure, dump on a dead end street, etc... Any other thief is just an opportunist.

I hope you are able to replace what you lost.

All replacements were ordered today, and will be in hand within a week. About a $700 loss altogether, monetary. The rape victim factor expense adds more into the total.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Since the dirt bag found ammo and mags, he may be thinking late at night I can go inside and get the gun when you’re asleep. Or, he could tell somebody else about the gun stuff and they get brave and stupid. Keep one eye open when you’re sleeping, be safe.

These are the things that are going through my mind.

[SideShow Bob]

Maybe you should have put out the expense of fixing the actuator and you may have not have had the $700 outlay for all the replacement items and lose sleep worrying about a return trip of the thieves.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Maybe you should have put out the expense of fixing the actuator and you may have not have had the $700 outlay for all the replacement items and lose sleep worrying about a return trip of the thieves.

Ah...kudos, Sir. It was a topic of discussion with the flavor of ..........ass. "I told you so" doesn't sit well with most folks.

[SideShow Bob]

But you are the one to come here and cry & moan about being ripped off due to your own inaction to repair a known security problem, yet you still left valuables in the vehicle.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Wasn't my car bro, ease up a bit.

[spqrzilla]

That sounds far more methodical than most smash and grab thieves to me. Inside job.

[Bailey Guns]

Chances of a b&e while you are home is pretty close to non existent.

Agree with this...though I'd rate the chances at just slightly higher. Residential burglaries overwhelmingly occur during daytime hours when people are likely not at home. Vehicle trespass is a different story...can happen anytime, but it's mostly at night.

On the other hand, I tend to agree with Bob. It's a car that doesn't lock. Don't keep valuables in it. If your stuff is in a bag, take the bag into the house/work with you if it's worth $700.

[Great-Kazoo]

Like Cstone said, real criminals boost the vehicle and go through it in a safe area. Dopers smash n grab in the moment, possibly if not more than likely residents of the area.

[Hummer]

Ah...kudos, Sir. It was a topic of discussion with the flavor of ..........ass. "I told you so" doesn't sit well with most folks.


With respect, there's plenty of 'I told you so' issues that are important to address if one cares to prevent the problem from recurring. Just as people tend to buy safes, security alarms and more guns after they've been burglarized. And that's good. Fixing the door lock would be far more effective prevention than laying in wait with a shotgun every night in case the thief returns.

In nature it is true that predators tend to return to the location where they've succeeded in taking prey. And, they may continue to do so as long as they find vulnerable prey. It's also true that even though a particular predator might not return doesn't preclude the possibility that another predator will find the same vulnerability. So, it's probably best to address all of the vulnerabilities to be better prepared for the next intrusion. Prioritize the solutions based on the probable risk, i.e., door locks, motion detector lighting and surveillance.

Maybe next time the dirtbag thief will run into someone with a shotgun when the motion detector or car alarm goes on.

[OtterbatHellcat]

There is an unsavory element a few homes away, and I've thought about that before this incident occurred.

Yes it's obvious that an intermittent problem with an actuator on one door of one's vehicle should be fixed,....... no shit. However, that isn't the point of asking the initial question, and I do appreciate everyone that took some time to offer their input.

Thank you.

[Wulf202]

Like Cstone said, real criminals boost the vehicle and go through it in a safe area. Dopers smash n grab in the moment, possibly if not more than likely residents of the area.

Then there's the ones who steal a car and smash it thru a store front and grab guns...

[Gman]

Then there's the ones who steal a car and smash it thru a store front and grab guns...
...if it's a Jeep. [Coffee]

[wctriumph]

My thoughts are that most likely the thief was a local guy from your neighborhood that passes by your place every now and then and may have cased the vehicle at an earlier time. Clearly the perpetrator knew he had all kinds of time to rummage through the vehicle so ... They may check it out again sometime because they know it is easy pickings with that vehicle.