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Comment by operatingthetan | Hacker News Reader

>This is because there is simply no law enforcement response.

You're expecting the police to show up in a 60 second window? Do you realize how little time it takes to smash a window and leave?

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The most unthought response I see every time. “But what you expect cop gonna do”? There are millions things they could do if given insensitive. Imagine a startup that get paid for every busted criminal? Put a honey pot, install cameras, track license plates. It can be resolved in matters of weeks.

People breaking into cars in your area are driving to their thefts? In cities they just walk down the street looking for targets of opportunity.

You think that a few honey pots and cameras will slow them down? Imaginative but unrealistic thinking. Someone stole some wood from my yard, and I have them on camera. What am I supposed to do with their image? How do you suggest I find them? Is it worth my billing rate to walk around the neighborhood with their image asking people where they might be for $30 worth of wood? Say we have a database of petty criminals, if I find them do you think they have the assets to pay for the glass and items from an auto break-in?

The economic incentives are not aligned for a moonshot on stopping petty property crime.

And even if your random smash-and-grab thief does get busted, he's just going to be back on the street in a week or two.

The US criminal justice system is not set up to handle these sorts of offenders, most of whom probably just require detox and social services.

> People breaking into cars in your area are driving to their thefts? In cities they just walk down the street looking for targets of opportunity.

I assumed the same but based on reporting I've seen on SF local news, at least some of them are doing it out of cars. Pull up next to a likely target, dude jumps out of the passenger seat and takes a quick look, smash & grab if there's anything good, drive off.

> People breaking into cars in your area are driving to their thefts? In cities they just walk down the street looking for targets of opportunity.

I've lived in multiple cities and can say that this is wrong.

I find that generally most people imagine these thefts are being done by homeless people on the streets but it's usually actually organized gangs driving in from Oakland.

Same thing when I lived in DC, organized criminals driving in from SE DC to rob the rich neighborhoods.

Well let's flip this on its head. When I pass a car and see something of interest I don't smash the window and grab it. Why not? Sure, it seems wrong, but I also have a fear of being arrested and imprisoned. Is that an irrational fear? I'm confused you have video of someone robbing you and you're asking "what am I supposed to do?". Look, here's a website! https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/get-service/police-report...

The police don't prevent crime. They handle the aftermath. It is the city administration's responsibility to handle social decay.

But they can’t be bothered to handle the aftermath either. What are we supposed to do with that?

What part of their post indicated that expectation?

They suggested that the break-ins occur because there is no police response. Police response would not stop break-ins in any city.

Say I came to your car in the middle of the night and left a strange note on it and then walked away. Do you think there is any way that you could find me with no clues about who I am?

You’ve completely misunderstood. My comment said nothing about preventing car break-ins.

I was pointing out that car break-ins are treated very differently from violent crime.

If there is an inference to be drawn, I’d say it is that we should not act as if the two kinds of crime are equivalent.

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