People who don't lock their cars, or leave them running, and are shocked when they are stolen (vent) (person, member)
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I put this under "non-romantic relationships" because it does pertain to how people relate to each other. There doesn't seen to be a forum on security or crime, but what I'm really focusing on anyway is how people respond to this issue and to each other when the issue is brought up.
My town has become quite a hotbed of car theft and car burglaries. We are a middle class/ working class suburban town that borders on a nicer middle class town, and that lies across a river from a small but crime-ridden city.
I am a member of my town's neighborhood watch Facebook page, and the town's police dept's Facebook page. Whenever there is a car stolen in town, or when someone has items stolen from their car, this always leads to big arguments among the townspeople.
Here's the issue: In the overwhelming majority of car-burglary cases, the victim of the crime has left their car unlocked, with items lying out, visible, in the car. In the overwhelming majority of auto theft cases, the victim of the crime has left their car running unattended outside their home to "warm it up."
Our police Chief sent out a Facebook notice, and a robo-phone-call reminding residents to lock their cars and to NEVER leave them running unattended. People responded with outrage--"He's blaming the victim! How horrible! Saying things like that just isn't helpful!"
Some of us on the Facebook pages also post things like "I just don't understand why people leave their cars unlocked" or "People, please, why are you leaving your car running, unlocked, with the keys in the ignition?" Then we get attacked for "blaming the victim" or "not being helpful." They claim indignantly "It's our RIGHT to leave our car unlocked if we chose to, or if we forget! People just shouldn't steal!" or my favorite, "This is like blaming a woman for getting raped because she wore a short skirt!"
Is this just my town? Are there actually people out there who care more about their "right" to leave their cars unlocked or running unattended than about having their car stolen?
I feel like I'm talking to people with a delusional disorder. This isn't a rural little small town, and it isn't 1951. We live in walking distance from a high-crime city, and it's already been established that our town has a big problem with auto theft and auto burglaries. When the stolen cars are found, it's always over the bridge in the nasty city. I believe that car thieves have identified our town as one in which lots of cars are unlocked at night, and lots of cars will be running, unattended between 7AM-9AM. So to me, these people are actually drawing more criminals to our town. But I'm evidently a horrible person for posting such a thing.
When I speak to friends and co-workers about this issue, they seem to agree with me, that these people in my town are crazy. But I wonder if other people out there actually think that way (maybe my friends and co-workers are just agreeing with me to be nice.)
My last post on the town watch page (which was later deleted) was "Yes, stealing is wrong and people should not steal, even when a car is unlocked, even when a car is left running. I understand your indignance. However, I always lock my car, and I never leave it running unattended, and guess what? I still have my car, and I was able to drive it to work today. You no longer have your car, but you have your righteousness. You cannot drive your indignance and righteousness to work."
And about the "blaming the victim" thing...
No, if you leave your car unlocked and/or running you don't "deserve" to be a victim of theft. But if you leave it unlocked and running, knowing the risks in our town, then at the very least you are COMPLICIT in the theft. You are taking a calculated risk, and that means accepting the consequences.
Does anyone else run into these people who insist that they "should" be able to leave their cars unlocked or even running, and that if you question this at all, you're "blaming the victim"?
I think that we shouldn't have to lock our doors (car and house), that people should keep their hands off what doesn't belong to them, but thieves don't see things the same way. They want what you have and if you're going to make it easy for them hell yes they'll take advantage. If you fail to take precautions to protect your property, you are partly to blame.
That's my way of saying I agree with you, TS.
The theft victim becoming indignant and accusing you of 'blaming the victim' is their attempt to deny or mask their own poor judgment. They are enabling the theft, so in reality blaming the victim would be accurate to a point. To tell the victim to stop leaving the car running unattended is being helpful IMO, and the best advice to prevent future thefts. But sometimes you just can't fix stupid.
I've seen people leave their cars running while they go inside, and I just shake my head. It would be the easiest thing in the world to hop in the car and drive off. I'm actually tempted to do it myself, just drive to the end of the block and leave the car there, just to teach them a lesson . . . but of course I don't, because that would be stealing, and stealing is wrong.
Yes, those people are right; they SHOULD be able to leave their cars running without them being stolen. But criminals, by definition, don't obey the law; so they are not concerned with what they SHOULD do, but what they CAN get away with. I, for one, do not wish to make their task easier; so I take precautions that may inconvenience myself, but would also hopefully inconvenience a thief enough that he decides to go look for an easier target.
I would call their actions "contributory negligence." To be sure, the fault that their cars were stolen rests solely with the criminals who stole their cars. But they could have helped themselves a little bit by not making it so easy for the bad guys.
I locked my car and someone still broke into it, without breaking the glass or tripping the alarm. Locking the doors doesn't help. I hate thieves. F*cking low life asses.
Both are a huge problem here, for different reasons. I am amazed at how many people do it at convenience stores.
In fact, Nashville police will cite you if you leave your car running unattended, and if your unattended, running vehicle is stolen and involved in a crash, you could be liable for damages.
My town has a rash of unlocked car "burglaries" every so often. It's amazing what people will leave lying in the front seat. You name it, it's been stolen from a car here, including guns.
Then we get attacked for "blaming the victim" or "not being helpful." They claim indignantly "It's our RIGHT to leave our car unlocked if we chose to, or if we forget! People just shouldn't steal!" or my favorite, "This is like blaming a woman for getting raped because she wore a short skirt!"
I feel like I'm talking to people with a delusional disorder.
It's just another way of not taking personal responsibility. It's ridiculous and it's getting worse! You aren't wrong about a thing.
I locked my car and someone still broke into it, without breaking the glass or tripping the alarm. Locking the doors doesn't help. I hate thieves. F*cking low life asses.
I agree that you can never protect yourself from crime 100%. But you can make yourself (and your car) an undesirable or less desirable target.
If my car is locked, with nothing visible on the seats, and it's in a well-lit area, the thief is more likely to walk past my car and onto the next one, with unlocked doors, in a darkened area, with electronic devices lying visibly inside.
True story: My diagonal neighbor has my exact same car (make, model, year, even color). A few months ago, his car was stolen overnight. His was unlocked, and he'd left his laptop on the front seat. I can't help but think that the thief looked at both our identical cars, and his was the better choice.
I had also dusted off my old "Club" from the 90s and put it on my steering wheel. It might look silly, but I still have my car. My car can still be stolen; I'm not in denial. But at least my car would be a bigger pain in the a$$ to steal.
I use to do it all the time, but times have changed. I still leave my car unlocked/running at home but I live in a very rural area where such thefts were very rare and no one is going to make it to my driveway unannounced. If anything of mine had ever been stolen I would admit fault.
I have know people who had things stolen from their locked car via. broken windows which cost them more than the value of that which was stolen.
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