Vandalism

[ljr869]

Well, my rig got vandalized. The storage yard called me and said I better stop by. Turns out a guy was checking his rig a few spots over from mine and was smelling the strong odor of gasoline. They walked around and saw one of my compartment doors partially open... The generator compartment! Some crack-head yanked my generator out! The manager found it nearby (followed the drag marks) next to the perimeter fence. Looks like they were planning on returning with more muscle or some other way of getting it out of the yard (It's heavy). Some other compartment doors had been jimmied but could have been much worse. And, a nearly full tank of gas is now on the ground.

I'll see how well Geico takes care of this. Anybody have something like this happen to them? Any pointers on dealing with insurance or the repair shop would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[Daveinet]

okgc wrote:
Be selective where you park

Chicago police are no longer responding in person to 911 calls reporting vehicle theft, garage burglary or simple assault in a change aimed at freeing up officers to deal with more serious crimes.

Chicago police no longer responding to all 911 calls

not a real surprise. The likelihood of it making a difference if they catch the criminal does not change if an officer shows up. The fact is most leads in non-violent crime come from the victim, rather than real detective work. There is no real magic that a detective can really do. About all they hope for is that evidence is stumbled on from some other crime.

If you are victim of a crime, you are the person with the most resources to solve it. Either by surveillance, or research. If you ever have anything stolen and hope to recover it, your best bet is to watch Ebay and Craigslist weekly. Pawn shops are required to report goods valued more than a few hundred bucks, but the pawn shops have ways of reporting that gives the appearance of just being sloppy, which makes it difficult for the police to discover stolen merchandise.

[ljr869]

Good question, I asked the owner of the yard about that. I asked if we should move my rig to another spot while insurance is checking it out so the fuel could evaporate faster. He didn't seem too concerned. I'm not sure what his environmental requirements are.

[Pass42]

Not to start anything... who is responsible for the cleanup of the "full tank" of gas spilled in the process of the attempted theft???

[JesLookin]

Our old 5er was broken into a few years ago. They got a $300 TV, and caused $2500 damage to camper. Insurance paid for everything, less $500 deductible. Local cops investigated and got some DNA evidence. Turns out the same guys also broke into a bunch of other campers and storage bins across about 5 or 6 counties. Considering all they stole and the value, they were nailed with a number of felonies. Now I am supporting them as they are resting in prison for 10+ years.

[KJINTF]

Sorry to hear so many horror stories
Got to love the big cities

Bit different here

[ljr869]

A Deputy did stop by and took a report, more for the yard than for me but if Geico needs it it's there. He got one good print off the generator compartment door. But who knows, could have been one of our prints. There is a camera on the entrance/exit to the yard but they didn't use that... they came over the chain-link fence topped with concertina wire.

[rgatijnet1]

My coach is parked in my driveway and hooked up to shore power, so my batteries stay charged. For that reason I keep my dash camera on all of the time. It MAY record someone wandering in front of my coach before they do anything else.
I know that my Son uses digital battery powered game cameras to stake out deer hunting locations. The batteries seem to last several months and they do make cameras that will work at night and not spook the deer. A game camera MAY help to identify the next criminal.

[abom2]

Purple Stripes are a form of posting a "No Trespassing" communication.

[et2]

Yet, the US is sending 1 billion in "loans" to Ukraine to help them survive. Also Obama seeks over 600 billion in funds to boost our economy ( I won't see a dime of it)

Geez did it ever occur to these clowns maybe if we had some of the money we "earned" left in our pockets " we would boost " the economy. But alas, they know how to spend it better than us. Everyone else trims their budgets - not our leaders. :M

[Dog_Folks]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "purple striped post?"

[mlts22]

Problem is that a lot of cities are more interested in spending for the shiny new stadium for the home team than having adequate police protection. I've had to store my rig in a yard that is a county away from Austin, but has a very good enforcement record... and rural Texas still is good ol' Texas, not the LA-wannabe city that Austin is becoming. Not even the meth-heads will try breaking open a gate with purple striped posts and well posted signs.

Austin is completely different. Not as bad as Chicago, but pretty much expect a police report ID for your insurance, and no more. I'm sure that is how it is in most big towns these days.

[okgc]

Be selective where you park

Chicago police are no longer responding in person to 911 calls reporting vehicle theft, garage burglary or simple assault in a change aimed at freeing up officers to deal with more serious crimes.

Chicago police no longer responding to all 911 calls

[ferndaleflyer]

We have a house full of thieves down the road a couple of miles---got caught 3 times that I know of in the last year, while on probation for another B&E, and they just set a trial date and turn them loose. Not much of a deterrent. Scrap dealer near here has been arrested at least 3 times for buying stolen copper wire and he is still there buying more.....So my take is even if the police do their job the justice system lets them walk......If they hit here they got by a pretty good security system with high def cameras, plenty of light, a dog, and the promise of gunfire if I catch them. So far that has worked, so far!

[bsinmich]

Our locals have to be some of the worst. When I was driving a school bus I was passed by a Police car while loading students and flashing reds. Last week one cut me off so short I had to slam on the brakes, made 2 turns without any signals and then cut off another car changing lanes again.

[Daveinet]

J-Rooster wrote:
Sounds like it's time for the police to do some finger printing!

Finger printing only works in movies. Most of the time real finger prints are so smudged, they are unusable. The reality is, they will fake fingerprints to get a confession, but that is about it.