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I don't think these are flash mobs. It is organized crime.
Similar to what was happening in Britain while I lived there. Gangs would go out into the suburbs with moving trucks and hit every house and strip them bare. 5-6 houses at the same time with a couple of hoodlums in each house rushing the goods out to put them in the moving truck.
I suspect you have a Fagin who has his gang of youths organized. These aren't strangers meeting on social media. In fact, its very likely that any stray who sees the robbery and tries to join in will get himself a beat-down.
That's a good point. I hadn't even thought of that. I did know that the Russian mob recruits and trains kids to pick pockets for them in other countries (like the crowded tourist areas in Italy) so shoplifting gangs organized by bigger criminal enterprises shouldn't come as a surprise.
...While there is almost certainly some hardcore criminality leading this crime wave, one suspects that many of its foot soldiers are people with little in the way of serious police records. How much do you want to bet most of them will turn out to be ordinary, workaday folk who got the word there was free stuff to be had, and all you had to do was take it, like some giddy holiday from social norms? https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/202...ttered-column/
Need a way to make it so a mob theft can be thwarted at the store, so that they won't even do it because they would be caught. At a bank a robber can be captured between two entrance doors by locking the doors. An auto thief can be caught by anti-theft GPS tracking/locking door systems.
Stores need a way to stop a mob theft. Locking the front door might be a way but everyone is trapped including any shoppers that didn't get out fast enough. And it's a fire hazard to have people locked in a store.
I'm thinking something like this. During a mob theft the smash proof front door closes but also opens a small escape hole at the bottom that is only 12" high and 16" wide. Now, everyone has to crawl through that small opening on the floor to get out, one at a time. No mob will want to do that.
Maybe if they explode a whole lot of paint in the store during the flash mob. That would make participants easy to identify until they can get to someones house.
Need a way to make it so a mob theft can be thwarted at the store, so that they won't even do it because they would be caught. At a bank a robber can be captured between two entrance doors by locking the doors. An auto thief can be caught by anti-theft GPS tracking/locking door systems.
Stores need a way to stop a mob theft. Locking the front door might be a way but everyone is trapped including any shoppers that didn't get out fast enough. And it's a fire hazard to have people locked in a store.
I'm thinking something like this. During a mob theft the smash proof front door closes but also opens a small escape hole at the bottom that is only 12" high and 16" wide. Now, everyone has to crawl through that small opening on the floor to get out, one at a time. No mob will want to do that.
Something like that.
You could have a security guard stand outside. And if they see a large group of people are heading toward the entrance... shut it.
But I suspect the fire department won't allow this. Then there's the issue of race. Based on the video clips I've seen such robberies are being committed by African-Americans. A security guard see a large group of AA coming towards the front door and closes it? Lawsuit.
Now a store might be able to get away with having everyone wait outside. Letting only a certain number of people enter at a time. Like we saw shopping during the pandemic. However, my guess is most customers aren't going to put up with such a security measure. They 'll shop somewhere else.
...While there is almost certainly some hardcore criminality leading this crime wave, one suspects that many of its foot soldiers are people with little in the way of serious police records. How much do you want to bet most of them will turn out to be ordinary, workaday folk who got the word there was free stuff to be had, and all you had to do was take it, like some giddy holiday from social norms? https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/202...ttered-column/
Mmmm, hard working people who WORK hard and earn their money to BUY their possessions, ie "ordinary workaday folk", who DON'T have a police record, will NOT be the ones to go "goody, goody, lets go get some free stuff by engaging in an illegal behavior of stealing with all the losers who are participating in it". I will take you up on your bet and can guarantee you'd lose.
Mmmm, hard working people who WORK hard and earn their money to BUY their possessions, ie "ordinary workaday folk", who DON'T have a police record, will NOT be the ones to go "goody, goody, lets go get some free stuff by engaging in an illegal behavior of stealing with all the losers who are participating in it". I will take you up on your bet and can guarantee you'd lose.
Doubt that. I'm sure there are plenty of "ordinary workaday folk" willing to rip off shoes, dresses or whatever if they believe there's zero chance of getting caught.
In fact the biggest problem for those involved is probably racing to where high-priced goods are sold before the others.
Need a way to make it so a mob theft can be thwarted at the store, so that they won't even do it because they would be caught. At a bank a robber can be captured between two entrance doors by locking the doors. An auto thief can be caught by anti-theft GPS tracking/locking door systems.
Stores need a way to stop a mob theft. Locking the front door might be a way but everyone is trapped including any shoppers that didn't get out fast enough. And it's a fire hazard to have people locked in a store.
I'm thinking something like this. During a mob theft the smash proof front door closes but also opens a small escape hole at the bottom that is only 12" high and 16" wide. Now, everyone has to crawl through that small opening on the floor to get out, one at a time. No mob will want to do that.
Something like that.
No elderly person is going to make it through a 12” opening, in fact many over 50 won’t. Nor will overweight people. Than someone will have a heart attack in the chaos and sue the store, and win.
Doubt that. I'm sure there are plenty of "ordinary workaday folk" willing to rip off shoes, dresses or whatever if they believe there's zero chance of getting caught.
In fact the biggest problem for those involved is probably racing to where high-priced goods are sold before the others.
Yes they had a truck overturn on a highway here last week that was carrying a lot of cash, and regular ordinary people driving home from work were whooping it up snatching bills up off the road. Many are in video and police looking for them.
Back in the day, they used to shoot horse thieves.
Bring back the good old days.
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