Lafayette break-ins

[albee]

To clarify my previous post, I hope I didn't sound like I was advocating confronting someone. By "catching", I meant catching someone in the act on film for the authorities to handle. That's why everyone should only be armed with a camera, preferably with a decent lens that could zoom in on someone and clearly catch their license plate and at least a partial physical description.

Stay in the bushes under your bug netting. Don't fall asleep. Wear sunblock. Watch out for thunder storms.

Keep your cell phone on in vibrate mode. Call the police as soon as you see something suspicious. Then call other volunteers to alert them of recent activity. Good luck all you trailhead vigilantes!

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

A few years ago, I began leaving notes on the front dash and the back window shelf stating "No cash or credit cards in car or trunk," and have not had a break-in since (knock on wood). However, if there had been a break-in, the perps would have found that my notes did not lie.

As Berlin becomes the prison capital of the Northeast, with most of the prisoners being drug abusers, and families moving into the cheap rents in the area to be near their incarcerated loved ones, I think that break-ins will only increase. I am told by good authority that cash remains the primary target of break-ins to buy ingredients and materials to support meth labs, which are now rampant in the North Country, and one of the biggest expenses in environmental remediation.

 

[Rob S]

A couple of years ago, Dr Wu posted a hilarious description of his car and why no one has ever touched it in a parking lot. He described leaving his car filthy with lots of garbage in plain sight. I won't go into too much detail about the dog vomit or "gatorade" bottle .......

Another poster said he never locks his car, and never leaves anything inside. That way no damage in trying to break-in. I kinda like this idea, but I be worried about the scumbag who only wanted to get inside the car to vandalize.

It's a shame the world is like this. But unfortunately it is. I have contemplated buying a junky old car and "decorating" it ala Dr Wu, but then my luck it would break down on the way to the trailhead ......

 

[erugs]

Just had a call from my friend Brian who had hiked the Osceolas today. When he got back to his car at 3:00, at the Greeley Pond Trailhead off the Kanc, he was disturbed to see that another car in the lot, a new-looking green Subaru Legacy wagon, had had its window broken in. How frustrating. What's with people like that?

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Sorry it took so long to post. My wife had planned surgery and it so far has turned out very well but obviously it was a diversion.

As far as the door. I have broken into a fair number of cars (legally) and was interested how these people did it and what the tool(s) might have been. I have actually never opened a car that way (maybe others have) and the tool involved doesn't look like a xxxxxxxxxx so I doubt it is someone with other than criminal experience, for what its worth. I would have been very disapointed to see the marks of a firemans tool involved. The width and the way the firemans tool is used leaves some fairly distinctive marks that I don't see in these pictures. It probably was just a crowbar or possibly a tactical tool or two. At least that is all I can tell from the pictures there are. Not to pick nits but the angle isn't great so some of the finer details are hard to pick out. Hope your insurance company straightens out your vehicle like new Skimom.

I have smashed the windows and done other things that I won't specify but in many cases the door we are trying to open wouldn't be able to be opened just by being unlocked. Next time I get a chance in training I'll have to try this way to unlock a door that isn't jammed. I actually think we have a training exercise scheduled on vehicle extrication coming up in the next month.

Hope they catch these people. Seriously, what a group of low lifes. I had my vehicle broken into on the Sawyer River trailhead on the Kanc several years ago. On my vehicle they smashed the vent window.


Sorry, not much help,
Keith