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In California, stealing something worth $950 and under is a misdemeanor. Theft is skyrocketing and businesses are leaving. Walgreens has closed 17 stores in San

by cronix 5y ago

In California, stealing something worth $950 and under is a misdemeanor. Theft is skyrocketing and businesses are leaving. Walgreens has closed 17 stores in San Francisco alone in the last 5 years. They recently uncovered a theft ring that had over $8 million in stolen products. Apparently, some people, enough people, take advantage of compassionate laws to the detriment of everyone else. So, I guess it depends on where you compare that $100 theft. https://www.sfchronicle.com/local-politics/article/Out-of-control-Organized-crime-drives-S-F-16175755.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/local-politics/article/Out-of-co...

seoaeu 5y ago
Something tells me that a theft ring doesn't get to $8 million without anyone taking more than $1K. And even if they did, I personally don't see why society should foot the bill for prosecuting and incarcerating someone over a stolen $100 from a private corporation that's probably insured anyway.
- cronix 5y ago
  What they do is have many people steal stuff under $950, every day. It adds up over time. They usually steal things with a long shelf life and then resell it on ebay, amazon and other places. It's an organized theft ring. > that's probably insured anyway That's a pretty poor attitude, imho. You're ok with stealing things as long as they're "insured?" Who pays the insurance, and what are insurance rates based on? Insurance companies are looking at these multi-million dollar losses and jacking up the rates in these areas, or not covering certain areas at all. The end result is businesses are closing, and the community is losing access to various stores because of it. So, who's really benefiting from this?
  - bradlys 5y ago
    The under $950 thing is very spurious. It really should be “we won’t go after anything under 100k” because that’s essentially what it is. Things at the 10k market are routinely stolen and not reported because cops won’t do anything. “Fill out a form. Thanks. You have video of the perp doing it and their name, address, social security number, and the last four digits of their credit card? Sorry, we can’t do anything.” If you have anything of value just insure it and put a low deductible on it. Cost of doing business in these times.
oceanghost 5y ago
Things are so much worse... A friend of mine runs a Equestrian Academy. A couple of weeks ago-- this person who rents a place on the premises invited her "son" to squat on the property. The thing about horses is this-- they're pack animals. You have to be calm around them because, if you excite one horse. all the horses will see that excited guy, assume there's danger, and start running. This is a life or death thing. A spooked horse will trample people, buck, etc. Every "horse person" knows this. It's the first thing you learn about horses. So this individual-- makes a habit of driving his car fast up and down the entrance of the ranch. This spooked a horse and nearly got a little girl killed (who was riding it). The second time this happened-- someone happened to be driving down that entrance and was doing the right thing-- going under 10mph. This person parks his car and then assaults the driver and another person who tried to break up the fight. Police were called, and, "Nothing can be done." Despite 4 witnesses. The dude is back squatting on the property after a couple of days. -- In my county-- A guy drove a stolen car into a Porsche-- stole the keys for the cars-- stole a Porsche-- and was released on 10k bail. Literally, a DUI is 50k bail. Societal order itself is at issue.
- bradlys 5y ago
  Theft and property loss isn’t a loss of life (usually). Also, eyewitness testimony is very bs. I was run into by a car and people on the street started saying it was my fault when the police showed up. I wasn’t the same race as the driver and the folks on the street. (I was blown away how blatant that was) Thankfully, the police looked at the crash and it was super obvious I wasn’t at fault. Imagine if cops listened to the “eyewitnesses” in that case even though it was blatantly obvious? I could’ve been held liable to pay for the other driver’s car and any spurious medical claims they’d start making. Blame your mayor, sheriff, and state government (who are all - unsurprisingly - voted in by locals). They’re the ones setting the agenda. Crimes of financial impact are generally seen as “should’ve bought insurance” type of situations. The agenda is set by those with money and those with money have insurance - so these things don’t bother them unless it’s egregiously expensive.

by cronix 5y ago

seoaeu 5y ago

Something tells me that a theft ring doesn't get to $8 million without anyone taking more than $1K. And even if they did, I personally don't see why society should foot the bill for prosecuting and incarcerating someone over a stolen $100 from a private corporation that's probably insured anyway.

cronix 5y ago
What they do is have many people steal stuff under $950, every day. It adds up over time. They usually steal things with a long shelf life and then resell it on ebay, amazon and other places. It's an organized theft ring. > that's probably insured anyway That's a pretty poor attitude, imho. You're ok with stealing things as long as they're "insured?" Who pays the insurance, and what are insurance rates based on? Insurance companies are looking at these multi-million dollar losses and jacking up the rates in these areas, or not covering certain areas at all. The end result is businesses are closing, and the community is losing access to various stores because of it. So, who's really benefiting from this?
- bradlys 5y ago
  The under $950 thing is very spurious. It really should be “we won’t go after anything under 100k” because that’s essentially what it is. Things at the 10k market are routinely stolen and not reported because cops won’t do anything. “Fill out a form. Thanks. You have video of the perp doing it and their name, address, social security number, and the last four digits of their credit card? Sorry, we can’t do anything.” If you have anything of value just insure it and put a low deductible on it. Cost of doing business in these times.

oceanghost 5y ago

Things are so much worse... A friend of mine runs a Equestrian Academy. A couple of weeks ago-- this person who rents a place on the premises invited her "son" to squat on the property. The thing about horses is this-- they're pack animals. You have to be calm around them because, if you excite one horse. all the horses will see that excited guy, assume there's danger, and start running. This is a life or death thing. A spooked horse will trample people, buck, etc. Every "horse person" knows this. It's the first thing you learn about horses. So this individual-- makes a habit of driving his car fast up and down the entrance of the ranch. This spooked a horse and nearly got a little girl killed (who was riding it). The second time this happened-- someone happened to be driving down that entrance and was doing the right thing-- going under 10mph. This person parks his car and then assaults the driver and another person who tried to break up the fight. Police were called, and, "Nothing can be done." Despite 4 witnesses. The dude is back squatting on the property after a couple of days. -- In my county-- A guy drove a stolen car into a Porsche-- stole the keys for the cars-- stole a Porsche-- and was released on 10k bail. Literally, a DUI is 50k bail. Societal order itself is at issue.

bradlys 5y ago
Theft and property loss isn’t a loss of life (usually). Also, eyewitness testimony is very bs. I was run into by a car and people on the street started saying it was my fault when the police showed up. I wasn’t the same race as the driver and the folks on the street. (I was blown away how blatant that was) Thankfully, the police looked at the crash and it was super obvious I wasn’t at fault. Imagine if cops listened to the “eyewitnesses” in that case even though it was blatantly obvious? I could’ve been held liable to pay for the other driver’s car and any spurious medical claims they’d start making. Blame your mayor, sheriff, and state government (who are all - unsurprisingly - voted in by locals). They’re the ones setting the agenda. Crimes of financial impact are generally seen as “should’ve bought insurance” type of situations. The agenda is set by those with money and those with money have insurance - so these things don’t bother them unless it’s egregiously expensive.