Thieves
Here we go again. This time my $70.00 macerator extension hose went for a walk. Last time it was my DirecTV 18" Dish. Seems more stealing is going on now than ever in the past at RV parks.
Forum Discussion
A few years ago someone walked off with a Generator a few camp sites from mine. I was one of the hosts at the time and the ranger had us do extra patrols and told us to keep our eyes open for anything unusual from then on.
There was a road that ran around three sides of the campground and the camp site that was the scene of the crime was about 200 feet from the road. There was a three foot berm between the road and the camp sites that was moderately vegetated with indigenous plants.
It seems the thief stopped on the road, walked over, snagged the generator and walked back... well struggled back anyway as it was not a small one.
Several months later I had moved to another camp ground in the district. It was at the bottom of the bluff and could not be seen from the main road. There was an old housing complex on the bluff above the camp ground on one side and the beach on the other.
One end of the camp ground had the entrance road that curved in from the top of the bluff and the other end opened in to natural dunes.
I was the host on duty and the other host was gone for the week.
I woke about 7am to someone knocking on my door to file a theft complaint.
I wrote down all the information and proceeded to do my rounds. By the time I had made m rounds I had a half dozen or so complaints of various small items stolen from camp sites. I went to the entrance kiosk to do my morning paperwork and to call the ranger station. Before I could, one of the district maintenance staff drove in and reported smoke from the dunes about a hundred yards off the end of the camp ground.
I reported everything to the ranger when he came on duty and he went to investigate around 08:15 or so.
I went to the picnic table of the camp site closest to the center of the camp ground and spread the word for anyone that was missing anything to report to the site. I took detailed reports and while everyone was still there the ranger called and asked me to send anyone that was missing anything up to the residential street at the top of the bluff via a small path.
By the time I made my way up there the ranger had a suspect in the back of his pickup and a wide array of camping supplies.
Lanterns, ice chest, fuel, pots and pans, all sorts of stuff.
Turns out that three young guys in their early 20's late teens had wandered in to the camp ground, collected everything they needed and then camped out in the dunes! Two of them left when the sun came up and they left their buddy sleeping to take the rap.
With the exception of some steaks and beer and firewood everyone got their stuff back, thief went to the pokey and the ranger and I had a nice laugh at the kid's expense.
The funniest thing was that there was a plastic tub full of kitchen utensils left over and no one knew who they belonged to. Around dusk a guy shows up at my site to report the theft of his stuff. Turned out he was working in the area and was living in the camp ground for a couple weeks during his job. He left for work before the sun came up and never noticed his stuff was gone.
He was amazed when I told him the story of the morning's events while we waited for the ranger to bring his tub back from the office!
Thing is that camp grounds are no different than neighborhoods. Bad elements get in so it is best to keep your valuables either locked up or out of sight.
Most theft in camp grounds is opportunistic so basic safety and security measures will thwart most camp ground thieves.
There was a road that ran around three sides of the campground and the camp site that was the scene of the crime was about 200 feet from the road. There was a three foot berm between the road and the camp sites that was moderately vegetated with indigenous plants.
It seems the thief stopped on the road, walked over, snagged the generator and walked back... well struggled back anyway as it was not a small one.
Several months later I had moved to another camp ground in the district. It was at the bottom of the bluff and could not be seen from the main road. There was an old housing complex on the bluff above the camp ground on one side and the beach on the other.
One end of the camp ground had the entrance road that curved in from the top of the bluff and the other end opened in to natural dunes.
I was the host on duty and the other host was gone for the week.
I woke about 7am to someone knocking on my door to file a theft complaint.
I wrote down all the information and proceeded to do my rounds. By the time I had made m rounds I had a half dozen or so complaints of various small items stolen from camp sites. I went to the entrance kiosk to do my morning paperwork and to call the ranger station. Before I could, one of the district maintenance staff drove in and reported smoke from the dunes about a hundred yards off the end of the camp ground.
I reported everything to the ranger when he came on duty and he went to investigate around 08:15 or so.
I went to the picnic table of the camp site closest to the center of the camp ground and spread the word for anyone that was missing anything to report to the site. I took detailed reports and while everyone was still there the ranger called and asked me to send anyone that was missing anything up to the residential street at the top of the bluff via a small path.
By the time I made my way up there the ranger had a suspect in the back of his pickup and a wide array of camping supplies.
Lanterns, ice chest, fuel, pots and pans, all sorts of stuff.
Turns out that three young guys in their early 20's late teens had wandered in to the camp ground, collected everything they needed and then camped out in the dunes! Two of them left when the sun came up and they left their buddy sleeping to take the rap.
With the exception of some steaks and beer and firewood everyone got their stuff back, thief went to the pokey and the ranger and I had a nice laugh at the kid's expense.
The funniest thing was that there was a plastic tub full of kitchen utensils left over and no one knew who they belonged to. Around dusk a guy shows up at my site to report the theft of his stuff. Turned out he was working in the area and was living in the camp ground for a couple weeks during his job. He left for work before the sun came up and never noticed his stuff was gone.
He was amazed when I told him the story of the morning's events while we waited for the ranger to bring his tub back from the office!
Thing is that camp grounds are no different than neighborhoods. Bad elements get in so it is best to keep your valuables either locked up or out of sight.
Most theft in camp grounds is opportunistic so basic safety and security measures will thwart most camp ground thieves.
