NM cops proud of checking for unlocked car doors and leaving notes

[mikeyp]

View: https://www.facebook.com/TheLasCrucesPoliceDepartment/photos/a.123702141049604/2226910430728754/?type=3&theater







Imagine if they spent the effort going after the guys doing these things as they did checking car doors and writing love notes

 

[not new guy]

Land of the free.

 

[deerdad]

So did they lock them or just leave a billboard on the vehicle for all the criminals to see that it was unlocked ?

Greg

 

[Mountain]

Some random smearing of dog poop under car door handles will stop this nonsense.

 

[Bonesinium]

Some random smearing of dog poop under car door handles will stop this nonsense.

Of your own car? Weird flex.

 

[Radtekk]

I have an old beater (2003) Honda as my daily driver. Car owes me nothing, gets 30+mpg average. The savings on payments and insurance allows me to afford my MC and Jeep. I leave the Honda and Jeep unlocked in my driveway. I have liability only insurance because they're not worth putting full coverage. I use my rights as an adult to CHOOSE to leave them unlocked. I figure if some scumbag wants to pilfer the crap I leave in my vehicles (and yeah, it's mostly crap) I'd prefer they NOT pick up a brick and smash a window to get it.

So having some JBT insist that I lock my doors to suit THEIR agenda ain't gonna work for me. And if I'm sitting on the couch watching tv at 2am and a car slow-rolls by and then stops, and my motion sensor lights come on when said JBT strolls uninvited onto my property, he'll be met with 800 lumens and "Who the f*** are you and what the f*** are you doing in my car?" while I'm dialing 911.

 

[xtry51]

I love the police violating the 4th Amendment to pre-crime warn someone about their own property.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

I wonder how many cruisers are left unlocked at the PD lot? Jack.

 

[Hetzer]

These are “STEAL ME” signs to car thieves.

 

[not new guy]

I think it said that the cops locked the cars. Which is of course itself a problem for a couple of reasons.

We clearly have too many cops.

 

[StevieP]

Are these cars in lots or on the street? I can't imagine they're walking up peoples' driveways on private property, are they?

 

[BigTimber]

If chalking tires is now a 4th violation no way this is good to go.

 

[drgrant]

I figure if some scumbag wants to pilfer the crap I leave in my vehicles (and yeah, it's mostly crap) I'd prefer they NOT pick up a brick and smash a window to get it.

IMHO this logic is a old wives tale/fools errand unless you live or are parking a car in a place that is so f***ed up that you know with near-certainty that your window will be smashed. And if that is the case, you probably shouldn't be "there". Additionally I've had friends "there" who did what you did and still got their
window smashed.

Even in most big dump cities the overwhelming majority of car thefts are from unlocked doors. There's an entire class of thieves (probably the majority) that aren't willing to bust windows because of the amount of time, noise, etc it attracts and the cost/benefit payoff. Not to mention on a lot of cars, you work the lock from the inside (via the now broken window) and now in addition to all the commotion you created by smashing the window, now you're setting off the car alarm to open the door. Average hoodrat druggy guy at 3 am in big-dump-city-outskirts doesn't want any of that shit. He'll just walk up and down the street (or wherever) and test door handles till he gets a car that opens and then just quietly take shit.

That having been said, I don't approve of the kopsch f***ing with peoples cars and hanging love notes on them, regardless. I don't understand how that really
is going to help anyone. The people that left their shit unlocked either A. did it on purpose or B. are so absent minded/ADHD/space cadet etc. that they would never remember it in a million years anyways, even if they got robbed like a week before that tag got placed on their door.

-Mike

 

[Hustler One]

Of your own car? Weird flex.

Get out of here with that flex shit. How old are you? Smearing dog poop under either yours or others' car door handles doesnt include showing off anything of monetary value so it isnt a flex.

 

[drgrant]

I think it said that the cops locked the cars. Which is of course itself a problem for a couple of reasons.

This is true, particularly on cars with f***ed up locks, etc. ... like what if I was driving an old junk and had a defective cylinder or something on the lock, so I had to leave it unlocked on purpose... and now the kopsch locking my car has now made it so that I can't get into the car anymore? That's effectively worse than a bad guy coming in and looting the change cup....

-Mike

 

[not new guy]

This is the equivalent of the cops hacking into your computer to update Windows for you.

 

[appraiser]

Keep an older Honda or a older Chrysler mini van with the lower option levels ( base trim has no chip key immobilizer)unlocked and chances are some junkie will steal it if they find it unlocked.

I can write the damage appraisals for most of them in my sleep.... Between Lowell, Lawrence and surrounding communities I must have done a couple of hundred recovered thefts in my career.

 

[Mountain]

Of your own car? Weird flex.

Weird flex? How did you know?

Here I am, working up another deposit for under my car door handle...

 

[Dadstoys]

They must be bored to hell.

 

[Mesatchornug]

IMHO this logic is a old wives tale/fools errand unless you live or are parking a car in a place that is so f***ed up that you know with near-certainty that your window will be smashed. And if that is the case, you probably shouldn't be "there". Additionally I've had friends "there" who did what you did and still got their
window smashed.

Even in most big dump cities the overwhelming majority of car thefts are from unlocked doors. There's an entire class of thieves (probably the majority) that aren't willing to bust windows because of the amount of time, noise, etc it attracts and the cost/benefit payoff. Not to mention on a lot of cars, you work the lock from the inside (via the now broken window) and now in addition to all the commotion you created by smashing the window, now you're setting off the car alarm to open the door. Average hoodrat druggy guy at 3 am in big-dump-city-outskirts doesn't want any of that shit. He'll just walk up and down the street (or wherever) and test door handles till he gets a car that opens and then just quietly take shit.

That having been said, I don't approve of the kopsch f***ing with peoples cars and hanging love notes on them, regardless. I don't understand how that really
is going to help anyone. The people that left their shit unlocked either A. did it on purpose or B. are so absent minded/ADHD/space cadet etc. that they would never remember it in a million years anyways, even if they got robbed like a week before that tag got placed on their door.

-Mike

I'm going to have to disagree a little here. Obviously anecdote != data, but my experience is different.

In the middle of a Sunday afternoon on Annunciation, across from the Greek Orthodox church next to Northeastern/ Wentworth, someone smashed the window of my then-13 year-old Corolla. They were rewarded with an ashtray full of change and some CDs for the trouble.
I had to replace the glass and repair my dash.

That said, I still choose to lock my doors, but won't pretend that smash-and-grab isn't still real

 

[Blackmore]

Those NM cops would be apoplectic if they came across my car parked, unlocked, with the key in the console while I go into the bank or post office.

 

[Bonesinium]

Get out of here with that flex shit. How old are you? Smearing dog poop under either yours or others' car door handles doesnt include showing off anything of monetary value so it isnt a flex.

It’s a joke, not a dick. Don’t take it so hard.

 

[01906]

My keys are always in the ignition. Drives my wife crazy!

 

[01906]

Those NM cops would be apoplectic if they came across my car parked, unlocked, with the key in the console while I go into the bank or post office.

I usually leave it running. Haven't lost one yet.

 

[Uzi2]

They'll probably continue to do it until some idiot rigs an explosive to a dome light circuit, then they'll be all hands off of other people's property.

Saw a dash cam film once of a deputy somewhere who goes over and checks an apparently abandoned car. He open the door and kaboom. The film then cuts to the coroner dumping his remains from a kitchen waste basket size bag onto the stainless steel exam table.

 

[Radtekk]

IMHO this logic is a old wives tale/fools errand unless you live or are parking a car in a place that is so f***ed up that you know with near-certainty that your window will be smashed. And if that is the case, you probably shouldn't be "there". Additionally I've had friends "there" who did what you did and still got their
window smashed.

Even in most big dump cities the overwhelming majority of car thefts are from unlocked doors. There's an entire class of thieves (probably the majority) that aren't willing to bust windows because of the amount of time, noise, etc it attracts and the cost/benefit payoff. Not to mention on a lot of cars, you work the lock from the inside (via the now broken window) and now in addition to all the commotion you created by smashing the window, now you're setting off the car alarm to open the door. Average hoodrat druggy guy at 3 am in big-dump-city-outskirts doesn't want any of that shit. He'll just walk up and down the street (or wherever) and test door handles till he gets a car that opens and then just quietly take shit.

That having been said, I don't approve of the kopsch f***ing with peoples cars and hanging love notes on them, regardless. I don't understand how that really
is going to help anyone. The people that left their shit unlocked either A. did it on purpose or B. are so absent minded/ADHD/space cadet etc. that they would never remember it in a million years anyways, even if they got robbed like a week before that tag got placed on their door.

-Mike

I'm going to have to disagree a little here. Obviously anecdote != data, but my experience is different.

In the middle of a Sunday afternoon on Annunciation, across from the Greek Orthodox church next to Northeastern/ Wentworth, someone smashed the window of my then-13 year-old Corolla. They were rewarded with an ashtray full of change and some CDs for the trouble.
I had to replace the glass and repair my dash.

That said, I still choose to lock my doors, but won't pretend that smash-and-grab isn't still real

I've been leaving my cars (currently an 03 Honda and 01 Jeep) unlocked in my driveway for going on 10 years now. The most valuable thing in both (aside from the aforesaid crap) is the cellphone charger/bluetooth adapter that allows me to play music through the radio and a couple of $10 umbrellas. No change, no CD's, no cheap sunglasses, nada.

A neighbor leaves his keys in the center console, and hasn't locked his house in years, he said he's not even sure if he has a house key.

Over the years I've had three cars broken in to and 2 stolen. All were locked.

Locks are like gun laws, they keep honest people honest, don't do a thing to inhibit or intimidate criminals.

 

[drgrant]

Locks are like gun laws, they keep honest people honest, don't do a thing to inhibit or intimidate criminals.

Whoever came up with that phrase is a moron, I refuse to call anyone deterred by a lock "honest". Every layer of security is a deterrent. Take 20 bucks put it in a console/glovebox in your honda on a side street in Fitchburg somewhere. Leave your doors unlocked overnight. I guarantee the money probably won't last more than a couple weeks, tops. Might even get hit several times in a month. Then do the same thing and lock your doors. You will likely be waiting years for the window to get smashed, and yet, somehow, the 20 bucks will magically survive. Shocking!

I've seen this validated over, and over and over again. Every time I've had shit taken (mind you this was stuff not left in plain sight) it was because the doors were unlocked. Yes, once in a blue moon someone's
window will get smashed, but I bet if I asked someone at the PD right now the numbers would be something like 100 : 1 or even greater in favor of "soft breaks".

Gun law analogy? not sure if serious. Different class of criminal and different type of resistance. Gun laws are so soft/stupid/weak/pointless that there is no resistance.

I'm going to have to disagree a little here. Obviously anecdote != data, but my experience is different.

In the middle of a Sunday afternoon on Annunciation, across from the Greek Orthodox church next to Northeastern/ Wentworth, someone smashed the window of my then-13 year-old Corolla. They were rewarded with an ashtray full of change and some CDs for the trouble.
I had to replace the glass and repair my dash.

That said, I still choose to lock my doors, but won't pretend that smash-and-grab isn't still real

It's certainly real but my point is that people not locking their doors are basically exposing themselves to being violated at a much greater rate than everyone else.

Also, I lived not far from there for a year, and that neighborhood is the definition of "there". There was a neighborhood behind WIT where all the streetlights were intentionally shot out and it was pitch black every night... gee I wonder why they did that....

-Mike

 

[seanc]

New Mexico must be the safest state in the union.
If they have the resources to have police prioritize crimes like this.

 

[kalash]

Can they send a female rookie officer to see if my fly is open?

 

[Mountain]

Can they send a female rookie officer to see if my fly is open?

Take your pick...