Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hubcaps to GPS

I’ve blogged before about CRAVED products: those goods that thieves love to steal because they are Concealable, Removable, Available, Valuable, Enjoyable, and Disposable.  Here is a chronology of some CRAVED products during my career:

       
    
    
 
   
     

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I park my car, there isn't anything visible through the windows, not even to a very sharp eye, that wasn't there when the car rolled off the assembly line.

Anonymous said...

In an ideal world, one could leave an open convertible with the keys in the ignition, with two clear trash bags full of cash on the back seat, and 200 lbs of gold bars on the passenger seat, leave for a week, come back. and the car and swag would still be there. Even the birds would refrain from taking any of the currency for nest stuffing.

When someone finds that ideal world, tell us, because we'll all pack up and move there to live the rest of our lives in perfect bliss.

Until then, crooks are everywhere. In this real world that we live in, anyone normally-functioning and over the age of 10 should know better than to make their property or person a soft target for crime. Three things are necessary for a theft to happen: The thief must not only have the desire and ability to complete the theft, they must also have the opportunity to steal that object of their desire.

Refuse to provide them an easy opportunity too boost your stuff. If you can't totally remove the opportunity, then harden the target.

Anonymous said...

You forgot the horse hooked to the buggy!

Anonymous said...

Say Chief - Wouldn't your early list also include items such as Nehi Sodas, Archie Comic Books, Lucky Strike cigarettes and straight razors? Maybe milk in bottles off of ones porch? (smile)

Anonymous said...

I don't think it matters anymore whether the items are in view or hidden, or whether the car is locked or not. These car break-ins are happening almost daily in the parking lots of The Lodge apartments at 48th and Briarpark. And the crime is now spilling onto the neighboring residential streets, onto my street. Which means these 'thugs' or whoever are now driving or walking up my street in the middle of the night looking for more windows to break and more stuff to steal. Why aren't The Lodge owners stepping up security? Can they be held accountable at all for crimes occuring on their private property?

ARRRRG!!!! said...

Don't forget my favorite thing to steal.

Anonymous said...

There is no such thing as SHAME in our society today. We make excuses for shameful behavior of all kinds. The only Biblical concept that is commonly recognized by most of our citizenry is "Judge not. . . ." Even that is taken out of context.

Gun Nut

Cash said...

"...CRAVED products: those goods that thieves love to steal because they are Concealable, Available, Removable, Valuable, Enjoyable, and Disposable."

I believe the acronym should be CARVED...at least for the items which are harder to remove.

Tom Casady said...

12:04, and 12:04-

You're funny!

Cash-

You're funny, too--and you have a sharp eye. I msut have tranpsosed that list of characteritsics of carved produtcs. Corretcion made!

Anonymous said...

"I don't think it matters anymore whether the items are in view or hidden, or whether the car is locked or not. "

I'm pretty sure that the Chief can destroy that argument, with one hand tied behind his back.

Anonymous said...

Some years ago I remarked that a neighbor kid had been caught stealng CDs out of the front seat of a car, And my mother asked hew he knew they were there. Later it occurred to me that, for the saving generation, CD meant certificates of deposit, and that's what she thought I meant. How times have changed!

Anonymous said...

It's just bling anyways cheif.

Anonymous said...

A few years ago my Wife used to carry a CD case with about 50 CD's in it. Of course, someone stole it out of her unlocked van in our driveway. The thieves apparently didn't like Conway Twitty music as they stole every other CD and threw an old Twitty CD back into the van.

Lesson learned. Lock the car, and if you need CD's, carry about 5 instead of 50. By the way, the CD box was under a rear seat and not in plain view. Had the car been locked, there would have been no theft. Just a crime of opportunity.

256

Peter Griffin said...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Conway Twitty.

Anonymous said...

Most apealing LFA:

1. Visible loot, unlocked door
2. No visible loot, unlocked door (toss car for any loot, maybe even the keys will be in the glove compartment)
3. Visible loot, locked door
4. No visible loot, locked door

As you go down the list, the risk vs reward gets less and less appealing. If given a choice of something higher on the list vs something lower on the list, the crook will almost always choose the higher option. There is always some dummy who at least does #3, if not #2, or even #1. Make sure that you're only offering option #4.

Anonymous said...

YOU FORGOT 1,PSO's.