Car break ins on Zealand Road

[zman]

yesterday while driving on Zealand Road we noticed some police activity and then were (politely) questioned by a US Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer (shucks, it wasn’t Anna Pigeon from the Nevada Barr series, http://www.nevadabarr.com/ )


There had been a number of car break ins that day at some of the lots along the Zealand Road and he was warning people not to leave valuables in their cars!!

 

[TrishandAlex]

Is it my imagination, or have there been a lot more break-ins than usual this year?

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Ah, the holidays. I remember back in '07 seeing an officer responding to a break in at Lincoln woods. We asked if he had other calls for it today. He said it was his 22nd call of the day for car break ins. I pretty much stopped going to NH and a lot has to do with this. I travel further and basically stay for a few days at a time so having things left somewhere is going to happen.

I think this is what is meant by the "Live free or" part of the NH slogan.

 

[David Metsky]

There were a series of breakins at Appalachia a few weeks ago too, lots of broken glass and one car even had two windows broken. Yes, overnighters should be careful but there's not a lot you can really do.

 

[Lucky Laura]

It makes a good case for the Forest Service to let people sleep in their cars. I thwarted some "bad boys" once in the Appalachia parking lot when they shined their flashlight on me in my car...they hightailed it out too fast for me to catch their plate.

 

[mirabela]

a series of breakins at Appalachia a few weeks ago too

Can you identify a period of more than three weeks in the last fifteen years when there has not been a series of break-ins there?

Drug addiction and criminality are rampant in the north country. That's not to say they aren't rampant everywhere ... but up here, burglary and theft are certainly the addicts' methods of choice. I'm across the river in the northeast kingdom in VT, and they cut the catalytic converters out of parked cars, steal tools from logging operations to sell for scrap, rip the wiring and plumbing out of unoccupied summer homes, break into elementary schools to steal the computers ... it goes on and on.

Sorry for the thread drift, but the situation is spiraling out of control pretty fast around here.

 

[Maddy]

Can you identify a period of more than three weeks in the last fifteen years when there has not been a series of break-ins there?

Drug addiction and criminality are rampant in the north country. That's not to say they aren't rampant everywhere ... but up here, burglary and theft are certainly the addicts' methods of choice. I'm across the river in the northeast kingdom in VT, and they cut the catalytic converters out of parked cars, steal tools from logging operations to sell for scrap, rip the wiring and plumbing out of unoccupied summer homes, break into elementary schools to steal the computers ... it goes on and on.

Sorry for the thread drift, but the situation is spiraling out of control pretty fast around here.

Thanks for posting this. I go the the NEK and will be taking extra precautions. Looks like we have to be very cautious and think twice about where we leave our vehicles regardless of where we are hiking.

 

[smitty77]

Sorry for the thread drift, but the situation is spiraling out of control pretty fast around here.

And in an age where there seems to be a security cam on every street corner, I'm starting to wonder why one has not been put in the lots in question. After the initial cost for the equipment it's pretty much free patrolling.

And before someone chimes in with the "but who's going to pay for it?" - I for one would gladly pay an extra $5-10 for an annual pass (and even an extra $5 for a weekly pass), with that extra money going toward the purchase of surveillance equipment, so that I don't have to worry about coming back to a smashed window.

Honestly, if we can put up awebcam with live feeds of an eagle nest on a remote island in the CT river (no power or data lines), putting up a series of cameras in the most popular lots should not be that big of a hurdle. They don't even need to stream live images. A system that records the previous 36-48 hours should be sufficient.

 

[Tom Rankin]

And in an age where there seems to be a security cam on every street corner, I'm starting to wonder why one has not been put in the lots in question. After the initial cost for the equipment it's pretty much free patrolling.

It would be too easy to disable out in the middle of nowhere. Most cameras have the 'protection' of being behind a razor wire fence, or in a populated area, or there is only 1 way in to the building, etc.

 

[peakbagger]

There was a individual in the news several years ago that was reporteldy in charge of a gang responsible for more than 50% of the break ins in the west coast. He had it down to an art and trained others to do it. Security cams would probably not stop a professional.

Over the years in the whites, those that are caught are usually one of two types. High schoolers out for a thrill and unemployed individuals that do it until they get caught.

The high schoolers usually are worse in the early summer. They get a buzz on and generally hit a string of lots. On occasion they dump the stuff they just stole along the road. Ineveitably they dont know hot to fence the stuff so they end up with someones garage full of stolen gear they are usually caught fairly quickly if they make it a habit.

The unemployed folks usually work an area until there is a organized attempt by law enforcement to catch them. They usually end up with a garage full of stolen gear. The same person may do this for years until they get caught. If they are caught, rarely do they serve a lot of time and since they have no assets there is no resititution. They really are out for cash and easily marketed stuff, usually as they get more experienced, they figure out where the good stuff is hidden and leave the rest.

One of the groups hitting the Galehead and Garfield lots a few years ago were a group who drove up from Portland as the "picking" was reportedly better.

You cant do much with the high schoolers, but the pros dont want traceable goods in their possesion. Engraving your drivers license number in large letters on the solid goods and writing your name with permanent marker on soft goods will discourage pros from taking it and make it far easier to trace.

 

[smitty77]

It would be too easy to disable out in the middle of nowhere. Most cameras have the 'protection' of being behind a razor wire fence, or in a populated area, or there is only 1 way in to the building, etc.

No one would touch it if it's mounted on a tall enough pole. Some thieves are deterred by the mere sight of one (ie dummy cameras). Something is better than what exists now, which is a once-in-a-while patrol.

 

[dug]

I think this is what is meant by the "Live free or" part of the NH slogan.

I have no idea what this means?

I guess I am just lucky (and will most certainly be regretting this soon enough ), but I have never been broken into, have never been in a lot that has been broken into, and have never seen a car that has been broken into (in the mountains, of course). I did see some broken glass in the Great Gulf parking lot once, 12 years ago.

 

[RollingRock]

You cant do much with the high schoolers, but the pros dont want traceable goods in their possesion. Engraving your drivers license number in large letters on the solid goods and writing your name with permanent marker on soft goods will discourage pros from taking it and make it far easier to trace.

I think the only "goods" they are interested in, based on the two break-in's I've experienced, is a wallet in a glove compartment or food. I never leave my wallet in my car but unfortunately other people do encouraging bandits to come back for more. There could be better signage [not just at the kiosks] that would say something like "Vehicles are being broken into. Take your wallet with you."

 

[Chip]

I'd bet some combination of signage on/in the vehicle would help. Smashing a window is a loud, attention grabbing event, easily avoided if there's less chance of a pay-off or more chance of being recorded/caught. This may only help protect my vehicle, and not yours, but perhaps it would help discourage crime in that area.

 

[Peakbagr]

'Game' cameras are being used more and more by some law enforcement agencies.
Are there particular trailheads getting hit more frequently than others and are some of the break ins during the day.

A camera hidden a short distance into the woods near likely areas might be a way to capture the thieves or plate numbers.

 

[sardog1]

Here's something that would work. Find someone at the Globe who will investigate and report on the rate of break-ins at the trailheads. Arrange for some true quotes from non-resident visitors about how their trips were ruined and they're unlikely to come back to NH. When the retailers and hospitality industry wake up to a PR nightmare, they'll put pressure on law enforcement and "maybe" also support funding from the Legislature for an adequate response.

Until then, we'll continue to see tales of woe here. It's a monthly and weekly occurrence on VFTT, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's a risk that NH taxpayers are all too willing to have their visitors bear, until it hits their own wallets in the form of reduced income from tourism.

Are you listening, Governor Lynch?

(And yeah, I'm a NH resident, for the last nine years. Don't get me started on the tax structure and public expenditures generally in this state.)

 

[dr_wu002]

It makes a good case for the Forest Service to let people sleep in their cars. I thwarted some "bad boys" once in the Appalachia parking lot when they shined their flashlight on me in my car...they hightailed it out too fast for me to catch their plate.

I wonder if anyone has had success putting a manequin or a blow up doll in their car. At night, in the dark, some oxycontinhead might be sufficiently be spooked out enough to leave the area. Especially if somehow you can get the thing to move (like those creepy Christmas dolls that move their arms and stuff...)

I bet that after a while these criminals would figure things out but still, they might think that if you're weird enough to have a creepy doll in your car there won't be anything worth breaking the window to steal. Even criminals don't want a used doll!

-Dr. Wu

 

[TDawg]

Are we "allowed" under the law to beat somebody we catch redhanded into submission? Like, say by whipping the living S#!* out of them with a hiking pole? **

Or will we likely catch an assault charge?

** Yea yea yea... I get it. "You don't wanna put yourself at risk." blah blah blah. But if I come out of the woods to somebody in my brand new Subaru with a window busted out I'm likely to fly off the deep end.

 

[Gillian]

I wonder if anyone has had success putting a manequin or a blow up doll in their car...
-Dr. Wu

Surely somebody has?

 

[HAMTERO]

I wonder if anyone has had success putting a manequin or a blow up doll in their car. At night, in the dark, some oxycontinhead might be sufficiently be spooked out enough to leave the area. Especially if somehow you can get the thing to move (like those creepy Christmas dolls that move their arms and stuff...)

I bet that after a while these criminals would figure things out but still, they might think that if you're weird enough to have a creepy doll in your car there won't be anything worth breaking the window to steal. Even criminals don't want a used doll!

-Dr. Wu

That must be why Giggy has that blow-up doll...