Leveling block theft

[jjson775]

Like most Class B owners, we left our campsite at Miller Riverview Park in Dubuque IA to go into town to eat dinner. When we got back to the campground, someone had stolen 3 yellow leveling blocks we had left in place. We had also left a very nice Welcome mat that they didn't take. Also, when I plugged in, I noticed that they had tried but failed to steal my expensive Progressive Industries surge protector that I had secured with a bicycle lock.

Not the first time we have had things stolen from our site while we were away doing something. Par for the course, but probably a bigger problem for small RV's that don't tow anything. Moral of the story, don't be too trusting.

[granite]

This thread has been quite entertaining. Like a good novel, I had to read every page! However, it wouldn't be so much fun if I were the poster who lost my camping accessories.
There is never a fail safe deterrent to thievery, but, all the replies have given me food for thought on how I will prevent it. Maybe a nice NRA poster, with, "Occupied by a gun owner, returning shortly", or, "Do you feel lucky, today", with a full size blow up of Clint Eastwood?

[stan909]

If you're going to be watching on your phone, why not just pretend to leave then sneak back to the campground and watch your site from the bushes? You could video recorder the offender and turn it over to the authorities who have nothing better to do than nail this leveling block theft ring.

[Heapie]

I guess you have to hide it. Also new cameras can be observed with a smart phone and recorded with a smart phone. Camera might be gone. Bad people will be recorded. This is just an idea.

Heapie

[BudJ]

booster wrote:

Heapie wrote:
Anybody thought to leave a camera tied to a tree so they can observe their campsite while they are away? Also record what is going on. A little cop action might stop this ****.

Heapie

What are the odds the camera would still be there when you go back? 🙂

It won't which is why you need another camera watching the camera that will be taken.

[booster]

Heapie wrote:
Anybody thought to leave a camera tied to a tree so they can observe their campsite while they are away? Also record what is going on. A little cop action might stop this ****.

Heapie

What are the odds the camera would still be there when you go back? 🙂

[Sailordive]

My solution is to leave nothing behind. My campsite looks abandoned during the day. If I have to kick some one out of the site when I get back, well it sucks to be you. I am really sorry but unsteak the tent, pick up your firewood and get out of my site.

Alternatively if I get to really cool place and don't come back, all my sxxx is with me.

[Heapie]

Anybody thought to leave a camera tied to a tree so they can observe their campsite while they are away? Also record what is going on. A little cop action might stop this ****.

Heapie

[1775]

This thread has taken many directions but just to remind everyone this is the Class B forum and a Class B in a campground that leaves in the day to go out sightseeing is different from a large RV or trailer that stays on site. We are coming back - and perhaps it just needs to be a given that if a site is empty with property still on it, this does not mean it was forgotten - and often these are things put there to mark the site as still occupied.

[401nailhead]

I find this to be a great thread. Really gives insight. If you ask me, I'd go by the Golden Rule, and that's the answer, period. I would expect others to as well. Am I really reading posts here that diss the lost and found box principle, and suggest we should save the office the trouble? It kind of comes with the territory that owners of a destination will have to solve what to do when items remain in the lost and found too long, but customers really don't get that luxury. No, a bungee cord does not need to go to lost and found, but items over $5 or $10 do. Finding something in a campground is an easy call, bring it to the ranger or office if nearby. If it has value, leave it with the assumption the owner may come back for it (if they have even really left). Finding something on the roadside is an easy call as well, no lost and found, leave it if it is somewhat obvious the owner will come back for it, help find the owner if the owner is identifiable (wallet, etc.) keep it if there is no likely way to find the owner and value is not enough for them to come back looking for it. It is kind of late in the debate to bring up campgrounds with no manager within 90 minutes. How common are those across the county, and was this discussion about those places, even if they do exist in good numbers in some regions? Golden rule says if in doubt, leave it. I accept the argument of not jumping to conclusions to call someone a thief, but given the items mentioned, if they were not thieves, then they weren't exactly good Samaritans either. It is a no-brainer not to take leveling blocks in any case, ok, maybe 99.9% of the cases.

Scrounging wood may be a different category, especially if you know for certain people have left. Many areas have laws now about transporting firewood, and some people leave wood for others to use. No one really leaves things made out of metal and plastic for the next person to use.

[Sailordive]

DutchmenSport wrote:

When the campground empties out Sunday at noon, and it is now Tuesday morning and the campsites have not been occupied, and you find something there... is that still "theft?"

How about when you go to occupy the campsite you have previously reserved, and you discover something was left by the previous occupant? What do you do then? ... let's see ... a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a kids walkie-talking (only one though, not both), bungie cords, springs that hold those carpet mats to your camper steps, ... oh ... how about all those cigarrette butts thrown on the ground!

What do you do with all of that? Theft!

The State of Georgia has a law on the books: Theft of lost or mislaid property. Basically means the kids rhyme "finders keepers, losers weepers" means that yes it is a crime to take something left behind.

[toedtoes]

ckwjl wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

ckwjl wrote:

jjson775 wrote:
Some of the responses to this post look like they are from the kind of people that do steal things in campgrounds.

Yep… that’s exactly what I was thinking. You were ripped off. Under the circumstances you described, anyone with common sense would believe your site was occupied.

Jfkmk - my comment about being accused of being a thief was in direct response to these posts. They are at what I took offense.

As for the surge protector - I would agree with you, except for the fact that we do not know WHO tried to remove it. It could have been an employee of the park who thought it was left behind, then was told to leave it. We don't know the person who took the blocks was the person who tried to take the surge protector.

I understand that things appear to be very clear for many. I have just found that without actual facts, it's better to give the benefit of the doubt than to go off with an accusation and then be humiliated when it turns out not to be that clear cut.

What are all these benefit-of-the-doubt needers doing with all this merchandise they are taking from the campsites of others they believe (hope?) have been left unoccupied?

When the owner of the goods returns, are you rushing over to their site to explain why you took their things while at the same time vehemently apologizing and begging them to not call the police?

Shouldn’t the lost and found bins of campground offices be overflowing with leveling blocks, 50 to 30 amp dog bones, water pressure regulators, door mats, extension cords, grills, chairs, hammocks (yes, we padlock our beloved Pawley’s Island hammock), bikes, water hoses, coolers and whirligigs?

Do you think you are doing the campground host a favor by getting a head start on prepping the site for the next camper? If so, are you also taking away fallen branches, returning the picnic table to its proper position, raking and cleaning the site, and taking the tag off the post that indicates the site is occupied for two more days? Or are you just taking gear?

Are you also dumpster diving?

Who knows what "all these" people are doing with the stuff. Probably they do a bit of everything you've mentioned plus some things you haven't depending on the person and the reason they took something. Geez, I've forgotten something at a store/restaurant before and rushed back in to see someone with it - when they see me, they give it to me and tell me they were taking it to the register - I guess I should start assuming they were really trying to steal it from me.

None of the campgrounds I have ever stayed at have a campground office, let alone a lost and found bin. So, not sure what you expect people to do - drive 1-1/2 hours to the ranger station?

As for RV parks, what do you think happens to the stuff in their lost and found bins? Do you think the owner of the blocks, after realizing he left them behind, drives back 300+ miles to collect them? Do you think he calls the RV park and has them overnight them to his next park?

Do you think the RV Park, looks in their records to find the prior guest of a site and mails the stuff to their address on file? Do you think they keep this stuff sitting around for years waiting for the owner to re-appear and claim it? Or maybe they hold it for a week then give it out to other guests who realize they left theirs at the last park? Or maybe the employees take them home and sell them on ebay? Or maybe they throw them out with the garbage?

And what does dumpster diving have to do with the price of beans in China????

[loving_retireme]

I am amazed this tread is still running.

[ckwjl]

toedtoes wrote:

ckwjl wrote:

jjson775 wrote:
Some of the responses to this post look like they are from the kind of people that do steal things in campgrounds.

Yep… that’s exactly what I was thinking. You were ripped off. Under the circumstances you described, anyone with common sense would believe your site was occupied.

Jfkmk - my comment about being accused of being a thief was in direct response to these posts. They are at what I took offense.

As for the surge protector - I would agree with you, except for the fact that we do not know WHO tried to remove it. It could have been an employee of the park who thought it was left behind, then was told to leave it. We don't know the person who took the blocks was the person who tried to take the surge protector.

I understand that things appear to be very clear for many. I have just found that without actual facts, it's better to give the benefit of the doubt than to go off with an accusation and then be humiliated when it turns out not to be that clear cut.

What are all these benefit-of-the-doubt needers doing with all this merchandise they are taking from the campsites of others they believe (hope?) have been left unoccupied?

When the owner of the goods returns, are you rushing over to their site to explain why you took their things while at the same time vehemently apologizing and begging them to not call the police?

Shouldn’t the lost and found bins of campground offices be overflowing with leveling blocks, 50 to 30 amp dog bones, water pressure regulators, door mats, extension cords, grills, chairs, hammocks (yes, we padlock our beloved Pawley’s Island hammock), bikes, water hoses, coolers and whirligigs?

Do you think you are doing the campground host a favor by getting a head start on prepping the site for the next camper? If so, are you also taking away fallen branches, returning the picnic table to its proper position, raking and cleaning the site, and taking the tag off the post that indicates the site is occupied for two more days? Or are you just taking gear?

Are you also dumpster diving?

[DutchmenSport]

Funny reading all of this.... I have, in the past, scoured for firewood. I have, in the past scoured empty campsites to see if anything was left behind. I have in the past also forgot and did leave something myself, to return, and find it now gone, or the campsite occupied by another camper. In which case, I conceded ... it was my bad mistake ... get over it, the item is gone!

When the campground empties out Sunday at noon, and it is now Tuesday morning and the campsites have not been occupied, and you find something there... is that still "theft?"

How about when you go to occupy the campsite you have previously reserved, and you discover something was left by the previous occupant? What do you do then? ... let's see ... a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a kids walkie-talking (only one though, not both), bungie cords, springs that hold those carpet mats to your camper steps, ... oh ... how about all those cigarrette butts thrown on the ground!

What do you do with all of that? Theft!

How about if you find something laying on the side of the road and you pick it up and take it? (Which I do quite often)... screw drivers, hammers, electric cords, rope, all sorts of stuff. Who do you give it back to? Theft? come-on ... get real!

Now, to blatantly go into some's camp and take something ... now that is a different matter... I 100% agree there! Use common sense folks. come-on!