My faith in the criminal justice system is faded.

I just went through an experience with my local police force. On Wednesday, I went out to start my car and found the driver-side door left ajar. Knowing that I never leave my car in such a situation, I investigated further. I found that all of the CD's I had stored within the 'glove box' were missing and, in the trunk, my battery jumper/emergency light/ air compressor was gone. Someone broke into my car and stole these things. I reported this to my local police department. Because my apartment building has camera surveillance, they, the police department, wanted my apartment manager to review the tapes before they would let me file a police report. This went on for a day and a half. My apartment manager said he reviewed about two hours of the tape and that those who are most likely to have committed this crime were juveniles wondering off of the main strip. I went to the police station. I was told that I must go home and report this crime by telephone. At last, two days later, I was able to report this crime to the proper authorities. My apartment manager says there is nothing to see on the tapes. I no longer have any confidence in my apartment manager nor my police department.

Those juveniles may have had a legitimate need for your things or the cash the would bring.

My stuff was stolen, man. I worked my ass off for these things. Regardless of your bullshit, I'm without! F**Kyou!

That we don't know the whole story. It's tough to pass judgment with only half of the facts.

If someone needs something bad enough theft is justified? I disagree. I don't care how badly they think they needed those things, or cash, stealing it from someone else isn't the answer. I'm sure Icymist works very hard for the money it takes to buy those things.

n/t

don't that give incentive to criminals to go ahead and commit these crimes? If the police department is considered as 'ignoring' certain crimes, than doesn't that giver the signal that these so-called 'crimes' will be tolerated within our society?

Where I live, they won't even take a report on a stolen car unless you go to the station and talk to a supervisor. At this rate, within five years they probably won't even dispatch for a burglary. In ten, will they even show-up to investigate a murder?

1st. Insist on filing the report ASAP. Don't let the police put you off just because it's a minor property crime. It's your right, and their duty.

2nd. Insist on reviewing the tapes yourself. The apartment manager won't want to, because if a report is filed it marks his apartment building as a crime area. His insurance goes up. He's better off saying 'I didn't see nothin'.

Here's to life in the big city.

Just this morning he told me that there was nothing to see on the. Yesterday, I finally got to file a police report on this matter. It's only been almost two days since I've noticed that the incident occurred. It is my belief that any tapes have been erased or recycled by now. What the f**k good would it make to have a uniformed officer come and talk to the apartment at this late date?

That's why I said problems, not solutions. Something to keep in mind for next time, if there is one.

I've had my car robbed once, and my apartment burgled twice over the years. I know the feeling of violation, and how it is compounded by those who can't or won't do anything about it.

These days, I leave nothing in the car that I will ever miss, and I leave the car unlocked, to prevent broken windows. As a result, a couple winters ago I had a bum sleeping in my car for a couple days (never saw him, but I smelled him) and have not suffered worse than that.

I'm not saying to make lemonade, or expect this to be one of you fonder memories, but it will be a good conversation point, eventually.

Hang in there. :hippie:

Somebody cut through the ragtop on my brother's car stealing his CDs and stereo. The police predictably did nothing. In the future, I would reccomend burning copies of your CDs to put in the car. That way if they get stolen, who cares?! Plus, it isn't good for a CD to be in a hot car anyway.

Personally, i would keep my car locked. Even if i get a broken window at least i know the bastards had to be inconvenienced.

Big bubbles no troubles. We'er here to serve.

"didn't have the manpower to fingerprint and investigate" when they recovered it (in front of the suspected thief's home no less). The next week I saw them fingerprinting the back seat of a jerk off's car that had had the back window smashed out. I say jerk off because this was a boy who was known to race 60 MPH down our residential child filled street. He took out our maple tree. Grrrrrrrr.

I was involved in a car accident in Sept. 2002. I was the third car in after a head-on collision.

The defendant crossed through an emergency access split on a major highway in PA. He slammed head on into the car in front of me causing the car to spin - I hit the victim in the driver's side door.

The defendant was driving stoned and without a license or insurance. His actions caused the death of the driver in front of me.

The insurance process was settled in January of this year. He was let out of prison a year ago this week - after about 15 months in jail.

Part of the problem with your incident is that the police will never catch the perps in your crime. So there's no incentive to take down all of the information from your case - it's going into the crapper anyway. But you should go after your landlord - see if he actually does have tapes - he may not.

Here is one hat I'm willing to share.

Some years ago my then teen-age son was hit & run while he was bicycling. He was thrown over the truck, he was bruised & and his clothes were tattered. Other than that he was ok. When he came home and told me what happened I immediately called the police, ready to give the description of the truck & driver. The police said that they did not respond to such calls, but we could call their whatever number and request a form to file a complaint.

Fuck them.

on edit: lousy spelling

When I first called police on the day I first noticed that my stuff was stolen, they WOULDN'T LET ME FILE A POLICE REPORT! They told me that I needed to talk to the apartment manager first! HEY PEOPLE! THIS IS YOUR TAX MONEY AT WORK! In almost two days later was I able to file a police report! THIS SUCKS! It lets the criminals know that this type of crime is tolerated, even protected! In their eyes (The criminals) they see "Go ahead and take five hundred dollars worth of stuff! The police will do nothing!

everyday. About 2 years ago a woman at my office had her car stolen. The cops would only take a report over the phone and when they found the car all they did was call and tell her where it was,(an apartment building parking lot) so she could go get it herself. Not even an offer to go with her in case the guy who stole it was still hanging around. Nice....

Most of these reports are just for people to collect on their insurance and many police departments look on minor thefts and break-ins as such. If you're car was broken into, the insurance company is almost always the final determinator here...(if you have insurance)...if you doh't, well most cops couldn't be bothered.

As several others have posted, a rise in crime is sadly a sign of the times. More people with less money, more anger and a lot of time and energy. It's not a good combination in a city.

Also remember that there's a good chance that local PD has less people working than they did a year ago and trying to balance more balls.

insurance companies. This is a sad day for our country. It's as if you are saying "To hell with you poor folk. All we care about is the rich folk!"

I'm not saying it, since I've also had similar experiences, just stating a sad reality in a world where we expect a lot from others.

I grew up in Chicago where a lot of crime occurs that isn't reported or investigated since the load is so overwhelming and the resources so poor and strained. Meanwhile in the gated suburbs, cops in suped-up SUV live off the fat of their radar detectors...more ironies in life.

In Illinois, all drivers are required to have insurance which forces many people to pay an extra "tax" to a corporation just to legally operate their car they need to make a living and pay the taxes.

It's the way of the jungle...

we live a half block from a private religious college in chicago...another 3 1/2 blocks up is a street with a popular bar- we're in between the two.
one night i was up late(a little after 2 a.m. closing time), and i heard some kids coming down the street, laughing, and then some crunching noises- i looked out the window, and saw a couple of them running down the street on top of the parked cars...denting hoods, roofs, and trunk lids...by the time i was able to put on some clothes and get out there, they were already crossing over to the college- by the time i got down to where they were, they didn't see me coming, but were just splitting off to their various routes home. i was able to catch up with one of them, a female(i'm a 40 yr.old disabled male at the time) college student- although it was late, there were people milling about, in front of the school library. i took her by the wrist of her coat, and said that we were going to talk to the police. when she complained about it, i let her go, but followed her into her dormitory, and asked the front desk person to please call campus security(which they were already doing)...the security guy who came was an off-duty chicago cop who, along with the actual cops that showed up tried to get me to back off pressing charges over the damage by saying: "that's what you have car insurance for". they even threatened to charge me with assault for grabbing the girl's coat sleeve.

Luckily, the school has an "honour code", and the school president lives on the corner of our block, and i was able to knock on his door at 5 am to complain to him personally.

as it ended up, 6 kids had to pay to repair the damages to 7 cars, or face expulsion from the school.

no thanks to chicago's "finest".

about ripping off the good citizens of society by writing useless tickets with outrageous fines (such as jay-walking). If your case won't bring in money for the city, they won't bother with it.

:grr:


taught

when criminals of 'certain' crimes are let go simply because 'it isn't worth it to investigate them'? Frankly, I don't feel this is worth my tax money. I feel my money could do better by hiring a private police. What's the law going to do about it? They're a joke! Judging from the responses from this posting, I feel that I may be safer getting a gun and learning how to use it! That's a lot for me. I never thought I would ever need a gun!