Today's tip for people who park at a T stop
By adamg - Mon, 11/02/2009 - 1:13pm.
If you decide you don't really need to bring your laptop, $700 digital camera and Celtics season tickets to work with you, you probably at least want to put them in the trunk, MBTA Transit Police suggest.
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T Police suggestion
Someone will, undoubtedly, object to the Transit Police being this flip, but frankly, I think it appropriately calls out the absurdity of the act. sheesh.
No kidding
I wouldn't park my car in my driveway with that stuff in plain sight, let alone a public parking lot...
or a perfectly stereotypical
or a perfectly stereotypical list of items lost in every insurance fraud.
Doesn't Work
Auto insurance doesn't cover anything that isn't installed.
not auto insurance
but homeowner's or renter's insurance might.
So, did the T police have this car towed to a safe location
to protect the contents of the vehicle? That would really give the owner a good object lesson.
So way, were they stolen or
So way, were they stolen or did a cop doing around just notice them? And if so, did they just put out an ad for an easy target?
It sounds like a guy
It sounds like a guy reported them missing. And the Transit Police tweeted about it.
-Foxed
Today's Tip
The Tweet was designed as another reminder that crime prevention begins with you, the average citizen, whether at home, out shopping, or using the MBTA transit system.
The Transit Police do what we can to prevent crime and apprehend criminals. We rely heavily upon MBTA employees to assist us whenever, and wherever, possible. But, whether you are at home, in a shopping center, or at an MBTA garage, crime prevention begins with you.
Leaving valuables or other desirable items exposed invites those with an inclination to commit crimes to choose your property as their target. Taking a few moments to remove, or at least conceal, your valuables and electronic equipment could very easily keep YOUR VEHICLE from being targeted by a thief looking to commit a break-in.
It would be our greatest desire to tweet about another crime free day on the MBTA. One way of achieving that goial is to encourage MBTA passengers and employees to practice basic crime prevention techniques.
let's hear it for blaming victims for crime
If you did your job, we wouldn't have to worry about leaving stuff in our cars.
Foot patrols? Watching the security cameras? Actually investigating break-ins instead of saying "awww, too bad, you shouldn't have left that nice stuff out" and then TWITtering about it?
Christ, you can't even keep people from stealing bikes from your "secure" bike cage at Alewife!
Cambridge and Somerville police give the same advice
and I don't think it's either fair or reasonable to expect the police to prevent all property crimes. They can't be everywhere at once.
Baah baah, sheeple
The whole idea behind a police force is to keep people honest by making it known that if you do break the law, you'll be caught.
Instead, we've got police departments telling us how to be the best victims, and the criminals are happy to oblige, and crime gets worse, not better.
I love the Cambridge press releases in particular. "Don't walk alone, don't walk with your mp3 player, don't walk in the dark, don't walk on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings, don't put up a fight, just hand over whatever the mugger asks for."
Is it any surprise that Cambridge Common is a cesspool once the sun goes down?
OK, so what should the police be doing?
Let's say that effective tomorrow, you are in charge of the Cambridge or Somerville or MBTA police. How would you deploy your force in a manner that prevents all property crime from occurring?
How Much Would You Pay?
The level of security you are asking for costs a lot of money. Sure, you could probably generate enough police presence to secure everything from everybody ... but at what cost? I think it is cheaper to just not put expensive items in view.
That's just the money part ... then we get all the problems that come along with excessive police presence. Is that the society you want to live in? I'm sure Singapore will let you in ... just don't chew gum or forget to flush the toilet ... unless you like being caned.
there is a huge difference between...
blaming the victim, and suggesting that people take reasonable precautions to make it less likely they will be victimized.
i used to be a rape counselor, and we dealt with this problem all the time. i don't blame rape victims for what happens to them. EVER. but there are reasonable steps that both men and women can take that make it less likely they will become one.
and frankly, if you *don't* give people these suggestions, you are doing them a huge disservice. many crimes are crimes of opportunity. and if you take away the easy opportunity, there is a strong likelihood the crime won't happen.
the study of vicimology has proven time and time again that many victims plays a part, no matter how small, in the crime.
somebody might take an item out of an unlocked car without much thought. but they might think before they break a window -- it's loud, it draws attention, and it takes more time. telling people to lock their car doors, in this scenario, isn't blaming the victim. it's having people take responsibility for their own part in the crime dynamic.
Hey, thanks for this
Hey, thanks for this detailed statement. Most of us appreciate that safety is a community wide effort, not something that we can simply hand off to the police and expect them to baby sit our property and safety. I enjoyed the tweet, and thought it was a good conversation stimulus. Safety tips are always appreciated!