Essential Workers?

[ultrarunner]

Looks like a small shift in crime and punishment may have begun.

Cities across the region are asking for more essential workers including funding to train and hire more Law Enforcement...

I hope those in power realize this doesn't happen overnight and damage that has been done with many in law enforcement continuing to plan their exits...

Sometimes you have to see bottom before a real change can happen.

On a side note a recent Home Depot mob smash and grab netted pry bars, sledge hammers, hammers, etc...

Turns out items stolen needed for future smash and grabs...

Need transportation, tools, etc... just steal it... now this includes sledge hammers in mass.

I do think it is worthy getting the news out because its foolish to think what happens clear across the country can't impact me when clearly it can and does.

I met with local council member one on one to walk the business district from the point of view of someone in the trenches... pointing out the shuttered and boarded up businesses that had once been thriving...

He took a lot of pictures and had meetings with city departments asking them why little to no action...

It's the first ray of hope... and a few small improvements noticed...

 

[Hay Dude]

So if you are a low income person with a vehicle worth under $1,000 and you are carjacked, does the carjacker not get charged with a crime?
If that’s the way it’s going to be, then it’s a bad law because it discriminates against poor people, right?

 

[grsthegreat]

in calif, even if your convicted of stealing a $75,000 Mercedes, i doubt they get time. they cought a big batch of the kids doing the flash mob thefts of over $400,000 in stuff, they let most of them off with $0 bonds.

https://nypost.com/2021/12/03/14-arrested-for-l-a-smash-and-grab-robberies-all-released-on-zero-bail-policies/

what a useless state

 

[ultrarunner]

in calif, even if your convicted of stealing a $75,000 Mercedes, i doubt they get time. they cought a big batch of the kids doing the flash mob thefts of over $400,000 in stuff, they let most of them off with $0 bonds.

https://nypost.com/2021/12/03/14-arrested-for-l-a-smash-and-grab-robberies-all-released-on-zero-bail-policies/

what a useless state

One thing seldom spoken about in public is the huge shift in morale in Public Safety.

Law enforcement friends confided they would not risk their life on property crime since there are basically no consequences... Just about all have arrested the same person more than once in the same week...

Many are just keeping their head down and counting the days... in my minute circle of older LEO

Fire EMT get numb responding to same overdose calls week after week.

The very people we depend on are often no longer supported... and Chiefs come and go... I think we once had 4 chiefs in a couple of months.

The mandatory vax is just one more factor...

 

[Hay Dude]

All the smash and grab crime just causes everyone else to have to pay more.
I don’t think anyone actually believes that merchants will take the hit on stolen goods and increased insurance rates. WE all pay for that with higher prices.

 

[ultrarunner]

Insurance is always lagging indicator.

Insurance Companies have pulled out of CA before over perceived risk...

SF Chronicle says upscale shopping districts sea of plywood... most on shops so far unscathed... just as precaution when its happening in the neighborhood.

I wonder if there is really anyplace safe.

Some that know me have read my connection from time spent in Europe and how USA is a great place to visit but few emigrate here.

This last year I have noticed a crack in that and have met some families that have done it or looking into it

They no longer want to stay in Germany, France, Holland, Austria.

These are all people with good careers, property, etc... well established

I said you think it is better here?

Most believe the US is so big you can find a little slice of heaven in the wide open spaces... they are NOT looking to move to NY, SF, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, etc... but Arizona Texas and Florida...

 

[plowhog]

vehicle worth under $1,000 and you are carjacked, does the carjacker not get charged with a crime?

Theft at $950 and under is a misdemeanor. Such as smash-and-grab, shoplifting, etc.

Taking property from others under force, or threat of force, is robbery. That is still a felony.

 

[Hay Dude]

Theft at $950 and under is a misdemeanor. Such as smash-and-grab, shoplifting, etc.

Taking property from others under force, or threat of force, is robbery. That is still a felony.

Some of those smash and grab guys rough up store employees and guards pretty good!

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Insurance is always lagging indicator.

Insurance Companies have pulled out of CA before over perceived risk...

SF Chronicle says upscale shopping districts sea of plywood... most on shops so far unscathed... just as precaution when its happening in the neighborhood.

I wonder if there is really anyplace safe.

Some that know me have read my connection from time spent in Europe and how USA is a great place to visit but few emigrate here.

This last year I have noticed a crack in that and have met some families that have done it or looking into it

They no longer want to stay in Germany, France, Holland, Austria.

These are all people with good careers, property, etc... well established

I said you think it is better here?

Most believe the US is so big you can find a little slice of heaven in the wide open spaces... they are NOT looking to move to NY, SF, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, etc... but Arizona Texas and Florida...

Arizona, Texas and Florida??? Boy, they must not know anything about America... Not necessarily my idea of a slice of heaven...

 

[Hay Dude]

Insurance is always lagging indicator.

Insurance Companies have pulled out of CA before over perceived risk...

SF Chronicle says upscale shopping districts sea of plywood... most on shops so far unscathed... just as precaution when its happening in the neighborhood.

I wonder if there is really anyplace safe.

Some that know me have read my connection from time spent in Europe and how USA is a great place to visit but few emigrate here.

This last year I have noticed a crack in that and have met some families that have done it or looking into it

They no longer want to stay in Germany, France, Holland, Austria.

These are all people with good careers, property, etc... well established

I said you think it is better here?

Most believe the US is so big you can find a little slice of heaven in the wide open spaces... they are NOT looking to move to NY, SF, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, etc... but Arizona Texas and Florida...

We just hosted 2 women from Belgium and the Netherlands that play on my daughters college field hockey team for Thanksgiving break. They love it here. The one thing they kept mentioning is “freedom” they feel here compared to back home.
We are pretty highly taxed and restrictive here in my state.
Arizona, Texas and Florida are amazing places to live. Low taxes, great weather and great people!

 

[ultrarunner]

How could they...

I think it is the wide open spaces if the West with reduced snow or the tropical appeal if Florida plus tax laws...

Actually the West is quite steeped in legend and myth... all those old Westerns I imagine...

Funny thing is those I know that moved to Texas from Austria proud to call themselves Texans... honest.

It's the unbelievable freedom they have here...

Simple things like being able to shop on a weekend or open a business... you can't open a flower shop until you have completed a apprenticeship and become a master florist... same for a locksmith, mechanic, etc... all require years of training... same for cabinet maker and carpenter...

If you want to be anything more than labor or cleaner there is prescribe study to accomplish.

Motor home rentals blow them away because her they can rent a large motor home and travel...

There additional study and tests and age requirements apply...

Same to have a sailboat or outboard motor and the list goes on...

 

[Torvy]

Turns out that most, not all, of the Californians moving here are right leaning. Most of the exceptions are those whose companies moved here and they just came to keep the job. My old job was about a mile from Toyota's new HQ.

 

[ultrarunner]

I can't say but it sounds right...

If someone was not so inclined why would they ever leave the SF Bay Area...?

More than a few divorces after such a move I personally know...

More often the husband embraces the new location and the wife maybe not so much...

A few have moved back but then decided they no longer liked it here as much as they thought.

I say this as I said goodbye tonight to a dear friend moving to Arizona.

She sold her home with movers coming Monday...

She loves her neighbors but no longer the Bay Area and decided to move closer to her many friends that already moved to AZ...

 

[plowhog]

plead it down to a misdemeanor as a ‘lesser included offense‘ and let them basically have a freebie for the first 5-6 arrests.

It might be a freebie for an unlimited amount of times. This issue is a current controversy and disagreement between the CA Governor and DA offices. The Governor claims you can "stack" misdemeanors (such as multiple shoplifting incidents) into a felony, the DA offices say that is a fabrication and complete misunderstanding of the law.

btw, CA laws lessening penalties for such crimes were voter-approved, later voter-re-confirmed.

From the linked article:

"Newsom has repeatedly said prosecutors can “stack” multiple misdemeanor thefts into a felony charge. But Pierson, the district attorney, said that "reveals a significant misunderstanding of the law in the wake of Prop. 47.”

Subsequent court decisions require that the repeated thefts involve the same victim and conduct eventually amounting to a loss exceeding $950, which Pierson said “is very difficult to prove."

“The law here in California is very clear - we cannot simply stack petty thefts into a felony,” he said."

DAs, retailers say California needs stronger shoplifting law

“We feel a little bit like we’re under assault," California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin said.

www.kcra.com

 

[two_bit_score]

@plowhog I certainly defer to you on Cali statutes.

As bad as I hate it I think the DA is right on stacking misdemeanors into a felony unless the statute provides for aggregate values and it doesn’t sound like it does.

 

[Torvy]

I have always thought that multiple offenses should stack...repeat offenses, too. The DA is not wrong in this case. I hope no innocents get hurt as the lawlessness continues.

 

[Hay Dude]

Things take a turn for the worse in Chicago. An 11 year old car jacker?
My Lord, where’s the bottom? 1000 murders in cook county alone. The moral decay in these cities and the failure of their leadership is spectacular

https://nypost.com/2021/11/30/11-year-old-boy-arrested-for-carjacking-in-chicago/

Philly sets records for murders 513 on the year as of yesterday.

Philadelphia homicides pass 500, making 2021 city's deadliest year

A new record was set in Philadelphia as the city's homicide rate reached its highest level in more than three decades. As of Friday evening, 501 homicides

www.washingtonexaminer.com

 

[bmg88201]

It is just as bad here in Arkansas, the stats may not be as high but the drive by shootings, murders, car jackings, gang killings in Little Rock and near by Memphis is horrible. Folks are being randomly shot on the expressways. It will get worse cause you can’t legislate morality, can’t legislate Christian behavior and you can’t legislate the 10 Commandments.

When I lived in Albuquerque the police would only go to certain parts of the city only in sets of two squad cars cause it wasn’t safe. Hey, I have an idea, let’s defund the police, lol.

 

[plowhog]

I have always thought that multiple offenses should stack...repeat offenses, too. The DA is not wrong in this case. I hope no innocents get hurt as the lawlessness continues.

But the courts in CA have ruled that multiple offenses can stack only if the same victim is involved. So if you are caught shoplifting at Target, Walgreens, and CVS-- those are separate victims so those crimes cannot stack. (In CA, you would be pretty stupid to get caught that many times-- a separate story.)

Here is how bad things are:
- a huge number of shoplifting crimes are not reported due to the merchant's belief nothing will happen. Police in many cases will not even respond. No one knows just how huge this number might be.
- if an arrest is made, (very rare,) it is splashed across the headlines. Big fanfare.
- But many who are arrested are immediately released under the "no bail" policy. Back on the streets!
- The DA's office is almost always "too busy" and doesn't want to spend time prosecuting low level crimes. Their offices are entangled in court imposed bureaucracy and mandates. Besides, careers are advanced putting away heinous murderers, not common shoplifters.
- Regardless of the charges, many or most crimes never go to court. All charges are typically dropped if the perp agrees to plead guilty to only a single reduced charge.
- There is almost never jail time for low level offenses. Even if a judge sentences a perp to jail, they only serve a fraction of their sentence before they are released onto the streets.

These circumstances existed before Prop 47 was passed by the CA voters. Things got a lot worse after Prop 47 passed.

The perps know this game and exploit it. Law enforcement officers face these circumstances which compounds their frustration. The average citizen has little-to-no awareness of these circumstances.

California Property Crime Surge Is Unintended Consequence of Proposition 47: Policy Report - Independent Institute

California voters had high hopes for Proposition 47, a ballot initiative that passed in November 2014 to lower criminal penalties for various property and

www.independent.org

 

[Hay Dude]

It is just as bad here in Arkansas, the stats may not be as high but the drive by shootings, murders, car jackings, gang killings in Little Rock and near by Memphis is horrible. Folks are being randomly shot on the expressways. It will get worse cause you can’t legislate morality, can’t legislate Christian behavior and you can’t legislate the 10 Commandments.

When I lived in Albuquerque the police would only go to certain parts of the city only in sets of two squad cars cause it wasn’t safe. Hey, I have an idea, let’s defund the police, lol.

I hear ya friend. Waiting for the cancer to spread to my very safe community. Seeing more ”iffy” things happening around here.
The times are a-changing and mostly not for the better.
When 11 year olds are car-jacking and cities are boarding up stores for riots and smash & grab crime, it’s time for BIG change.
Its all about education and parenting.
We need to go back to schools with more strict discipline and reward marriage and good parenting more.
I bet that would solve 75% of this mess we are now in.