Epidemic of Model 3 small window break-ins

[cwerdna]

Some thoughts on law changes that could be (possibly?) helpful here:
...
#3: Getaway cars used in crimes like these could be impounded / forfeitted?

I suspect at least half of the getaway cars are actually stolen. That seems to be the main purpose of auto theft here in CA: use stolen cars to commit crimes and hinder traceability.

 

[TEG]

Police blotters are littered with stories of car window smash and grabs.

Crime Log - City of Roseville

An unknown suspect broke the driver's side window and stole approximately $3,245 of victim's personal belongings. CRIME TIP: Do not leave valuables inside of your car. TAKE your valuables with you. LOCK your car. HIDE the things you cannot take BEFORE you arrive at your destination.

multiple vehicle burglaries at Lifetime Fitness in Roseville. The officers were provided a description of the suspect vehicle. They were able to locate the vehicle and detained six passengers -- all of whom were in possession of multiple stolen gift cards. The stolen property recovered was in excess of $3,000. All six suspects were arrested and transported to the Placer County Jail.

Unknown suspect(s) smashed the rear passenger window on the adult victim's vehicle while it was parked in the parking lot of Chicago Fire Pizza, and stole two briefcases.

An unknown suspect smashed the window of the victim's vehicle and stole two backpacks and two lunch boxes.

 

[TEG]

Driver, 14, in head-on collision after teens’ burglary spree, authorities say

...A 14-year-old and two 16-year-olds were arrested and booked into juvenile hall Friday afternoon after property from several reported burglaries was found in their car after it was involved in an accident, a San Mateo County Sheriff's spokeswoman said...

...A search of the BMW revealed a significant cache of stolen property, and at least three owners had been identified by Friday. The suspects and the BMW matched the descriptions related to several other reported vehicle burglaries in the area.

The driver of the BMW is a 14-year-old boy from San Francisco; the 16-year-old male passengers are from San Francisco and Daly City. Among the other charges these youths could face include vehicle burglary, conspiracy and evading a police officer, all felonies, and possession of burglary tools, resisting arrest and driving without a license, all misdemeanors...

 

[TEG]

Eyewitness Helps Capture 'Career Criminal'

ALAMEDA, CA — An auto burglar zipping around the Bay Area in a silver Jaguar was arrested by Alameda Police after an alert Good Samaritan snapped a photo and provided it to officers, the department reports. APD has labeled the suspect a "career criminal" who is responsible for recent crimes in at least nine cities around the area.

Police reported last week that back in February an Alameda resident saw a backpack being thrown out the window of the Jaguar and took a photo. That was the clue investigators needed to solve a one person crime wave.

The backpack had been stolen just minutes earlier at a shopping center parking lot. Officers found that three other vehicles had been burglarized at the same time.

Property Crime detectives turned to License Plate Readers to identify the suspect and meticulously linked him to other Alameda thefts and crimes in other jurisdictions. The suspect has prior arrests for auto burglary, felony evading of police, and concealed weapons convictions and is currently on probation for burglary.

Now arrested and charged, police say, "This career criminal would not have been identified without the help of the alert witness. So remember, if you see something, say something. Do not put yourself in danger, but try to be the best witness possible."

 

[TEG]

Alameda Police Department

Another successful undercover operation to combat auto burglaries and vehicle thefts in a West End Shopping Center. APD detectives combined with Alameda County Transit Crimes Unit deputies observed two suspicious vehicles in the parking lots. One vehicle was determined to be stolen (driver arrested); and the other vehicle, had false plates and when contacted, the driver was cited for additional drug and weapons violations.

APD detectives will continue with these proactive enforcement operations, but we again remind people to:
-Lock your vehicles
-Keep valuables secured in your trunk
-Keep bags/purses/laptops/etc out of view

 

[Fernand]

I apologize if people think that posting lots of pictures and videos of broken Tesla windows in California is some sort of political statement critical of California. That was not my intention.

It's not the pictures, those are actually helpful. But we're looking for info and solutions here. And you are just riling members up emotionally. So, @TEG, how much are YOU willing to pay for enough police?

 

[M109Rider]

I’m heading to Baltimore this week.
I’m either leaving the Tesla at the port (where the cruise ship leaves), or at the hotel.
Haven’t decided yet.
It’ll be parked for 9 days.

Any significant reports of break ins in Baltimore these days ?

 

[ElectricLee]

I still think that the drop lock is a great speed bump to prevent some lost. I have even tried to take it out quickly and it’s not easy if you’re in a RUSH. Yes, you have tested with a broken 1/4 window a few times and they had a drop lock in a SMALL opening and a philips screw drivers. Prying it out with that small window would slow you down.

 

[T3SLAROD]

It's not the pictures, those are actually helpful. But we're looking for info and solutions here. And you are just riling members up emotionally. So, @TEG, how much are YOU willing to pay for enough police?

It's not about more police. The point he is tryin to make is that "we" keep voting in these stupid laws that let criminals get away. Any of these people caught with less than $750 worth of valuables is walking away.

At the same time, let's not make it seem like this has never been the case in California. But for those thinking of moving this way, look at these videos and stay away, it's DANGEROUS out here. Look for peaceful Red States like Florida and Alabama, they have the best of everything.

 

[FlatSix911]

It's not the pictures, those are actually helpful. But we're looking for info and solutions here. And you are just riling members up emotionally. So, @TEG, how much are YOU willing to pay for enough police?

Nonsense, it has nothing to do with paying for the police.
It is all about changing the catch and release laws passed in California to reduce the prison population.
The police won't waste their time because they know the criminals will not be charged or prosecuted in the high crime urban areas of the state.

 

[TEG]

Nonsense, it has nothing to do with paying for the police.
It is all about changing the catch and release laws passed in California to reduce the prison population.
The police won't waste their time because they know the criminals will not be charged or prosecuted in the high crime urban areas of the state.

Exactly.

Plus we do need better programs to try to rehabilitate minors who are pulled in the wrong direction (and keep them off the streets when they are practicing these anti-social behaviors.) So, yeah, along with stricter laws, more public funding for social workers, juvenile halls, etc.

Drug abuse and addiction is behind a lot of this as well, so anything we can do to reduce that.

I certainly don't have all the answers, and maybe not even great ideas, but I think our old approach of "ignore this, and pretend is doesn't exist, and maybe it will go away" wasn't working out too well.

 

[Sherlo]

It's not the pictures, those are actually helpful. But we're looking for info and solutions here. And you are just riling members up emotionally. So, @TEG, how much are YOU willing to pay for enough police?

Clearly spoken from someone without any friends or family in law enforcement. My father & brother in-law both serve in the Bay Area and have expressed the need to change the laws.

 

[ElectricLee]

Yes, the police can only enforce a written law. So don’t blame them. Its really your local rep who can change the laws.

 

[Sherlo]

Current California law reads that smash and grab window can be charged as felony burglary only if DA can prove that vehicle’s doors were actually locked. If not, it’s only a misdemeanor theft.

This means the victim of a break-in has to prove in court that the car was locked when the theft happened. Unfortunately, a broken window doesn’t constitute proof. As such, CA Law appears to only protect the criminals.

Last year, SB916 made it through the Public Safety Committee unanimously, but it died in the Senate’s Appropriations Committee without any explanation.

 

[BeachK]

Eh, maybe California was going bankrupt 10 years ago with the rest of the country, but today they are sitting on $20B in budget surplus. Thanks in large part to it's screaming hot economy compliments of tech companies like Tesla.

And continuously raising taxes on the middle class.

 

[Sherlo]

Oh, haven't you noticed that the police never have trouble piling on extra charges when they want to nail someone, say adding jaywalking, endangering babies and reckless driving to a petty theft case? Apparently it's not just "laws", there are other factors.

And as I recall when someone suggested something more effective than this all-talk law-and-order proselytizing, it was slapped down as vigilantism.

Enough of this, @TEG . We're looking for solutions.

Wait a minute, you said earlier in response to TEG:

“It's not the pictures, those are actually helpful. But we're looking for info and solutions here. And you are just riling members up emotionally. So, @TEG, how much are YOU willing to pay for enough police?”

And I reply with a possible “solution” being that weak legislation could be in part of the cause (rather than just defaulting to lack of police enforcement). You instead bring up that police have “no problem adding jaywalking and endangering babies” in order to make to charge stick?

 

[Knightshade]

Current California law reads that smash and grab window can be charged as felony burglary only if DA can prove that vehicle’s doors were actually locked. If not, it’s only a misdemeanor theft.

This means the victim of a break-in has to prove in court that the car was locked when the theft happened. Unfortunately, a broken window doesn’t constitute proof. As such, CA Law appears to only protect the criminals.

Last year, SB916 made it through the Public Safety Committee unanimously, but it died in the Senate’s Appropriations Committee without any explanation.

Quick thought- would a Tesla not have logs concerning the state of the door locks at the time sentry mode catches someone smashing a window to break in? The app knows if the car is locked or not, and must be getting that data from the car, right?

I agree the law needs to be fixed, but in the meantime, has anybody checked on that at least? cops might be marginally more interested if you actually had slam dunk evidence of it being a felony instead of the usual inability to prove it.

 

[Sherlo]

Quick thought- would a Tesla not have logs concerning the state of the door locks at the time sentry mode catches someone smashing a window to break in? The app knows if the car is locked or not, and must be getting that data from the car, right?

I agree the law needs to be fixed, but in the meantime, has anybody checked on that at least? cops might be marginally more interested if you actually had slam dunk evidence of it being a felony instead of the usual inability to prove it.

Agree, perhaps it will just take time for LE to catch up to technology. Good point

 

[TEG]

The Broken Windows Theory

...a vast majority of smash-and-grabs are being committed by roughly 20 percent of offenders. These are typically professional criminals organized into work groups like modern-day raiding parties. The crime itself is usually carried out in less than a minute; one suspect keeps a lookout, another smashes the car window and grabs any available goods, and a third acts as getaway driver. Then the crew flees to another neighborhood, looking for its next victim. In other cases, gang members work in larger groups and will sometimes hit every car on a single block before fleeing. Cops suspect that these roving smash-and-grab crews are familiar with police tactics, often sharing intelligence through word of mouth and social media about neighborhoods that are under police surveillance—including descriptions of undercover vehicles and disguises undercover officers might be using....

...career criminals who were in other fields of crime, such as drug dealing and home burglaries, have migrated to auto burglary. According to Martin, this was motivated by a sense of self-preservation. Drug dealers are at risk of violence from territorial beefs with other dealers and are themselves vulnerable to armed robbery. Breaking into homes, meanwhile, can result in a violent encounter with a resident and heavier sentences for those who are convicted. But to be sentenced for any crime, you first must be arrested. And car thieves, it seems, couldn’t help noticing that, in recent years, there was little chance of an arrest being made in San Francisco. “If you have a 98 percent chance of getting away with a crime, you’ll commit it again,”...

 

[TEG]

http://civilgrandjury.sfgov.org/2015_2016/2015-16_CGJ_Final_Report_Auto_Burglary_in_SF_6_20_16.pdf

...Breaking into a car with the intent to steal is auto burglary, which is a felony under California law; however, because an eye witness account is needed to make an arrest, fewer than two percent of incidences result in charges. An estimated 70 to 80 percent of auto burglaries are committed by criminal street gangs...

...People assume auto burglaries are committed by people down on their luck, i.e., the homeless, the drug addicted, or juvenile delinquents. While such people do commit auto burglary and other crimes of opportunity, SFPD investigators and prosecutors in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office (DA or DA’s Office) believe the vast majority of offenses are the work of organized career criminals comprising less than 20 percent of the pool of offenders. Many are gang members. Some are armed and violent. Most have prior felony convictions. They own cars or are adept at stealing them to commit crimes. They stake out the most lucrative spots for car break-ins such as North Beach, the Palace of Fine Arts, or parking structures like the ones at the Stockton Garage and Costco...

...Law enforcement officials estimate that criminal street gangs are behind 70 to 80 percent of auto burglary incidents. Public safety officials in both the DA’s Office and SFPD agree on the following about organized criminals:

● They are highly proficient at counter surveillance and evading capture.
● They work in teams of two to five people, although different people from the same gang make up the teams on different days. They use mobile phones to communicate with multiple contacts to fence stolen goods.
● Many are known to law enforcement and have multiple felony arrests, some for violent crimes. They switch to other crimes – such as robbery or car theft – if the opportunity arises.
● They operate in target rich areas of the City, such as tourist destinations and large parking structures, and they are extremely active in their crimes. They drive from location to location, breaking into dozens of parked cars in a day, at 30 seconds a break-in, without leaving fingerprints.
● Some are armed, but most avoid violent confrontation because of its attendant risk of being arrested and jailed.
● They are familiar with police tactics and know about the arrests of other gang members through word of mouth and social media.
● Their criminal activity continues as long as it is lucrative and the perceived risk of apprehension is low.