Crime In The Heights

[Marksmu]

SJL.....that will have to be a whole different topic....what an embarrassment.

[jamesw]

When I had my camera equipment stolen from my former house on E. 17th St. - it was pawned at a shop on Shepard near 20th. I found it by having a police friend search the database, as I had my serial numbers in a file on my warranty cards.

HTH

James

[Marksmu]

The doggy door bandit plead guilty and got 6 years....

http://www.khou.com/home/Doggie-door-burglary-suspect-pleads-guilty-139253388.html

[RedScare]

Not too bad for a single charge. If they could actually tie him to more than just this one burglary, they could have demanded more time. Just suspecting him of being involved in other crimes isn't good enough.

Of course, now he has his two strikes. If he ever gets popped with another burglary, he is looking at 25 to life.

[heights_yankee]

Jenni's Noodle House reporting today that the guy who smashed in their front door is the same guy who tried to rob Antidote (I saw tried because he didn't get anything. They, on the other hand, had to pay for a new front door). Apparently he is in police custody.

Not too bad for a single charge. If they could actually tie him to more than just this one burglary, they could have demanded more time. Just suspecting him of being involved in other crimes isn't good enough.

Of course, now he has his two strikes. If he ever gets popped with another burglary, he is looking at 25 to life.

and his accomplice is still on the loose as far as we know.

[s3mh]

It was a wildlife motion sensor camera. Probably something like this:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=18924951&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping

People like to hang them next to bird feeders to snap pictures and see who all is visiting the bird feeder. Looks like it works just as well snapping pictures of crooks.

[fwki]

From KHOU:

"The Truth Cam 35 is the same camera used to get the doggie door bandit pictures. KHOU 11 News bought one for less than $100 on Amazon.com".

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PVGA1O/ref=s9_simh_gw_p200_d0_g200_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0QC5W0QFEDYBMVDTQYXF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

$78...party on Garth

[Marksmu]

Anyone have an idea about what camera was used in this case? I've seen a couple mentions of $100 cameras, but if someone has a model number/type, that would be helpful. I'd rather not have to hardwire based on where I would need them, so wireless/battery powered is preferred.

Thanks all!

Goto Academy, Bass Pro Shops, Gander Mountain, or any other outdoors or gun store and there will be about 25 cameras to choose from. They are all waterproof, and they all have different options....you can choose from the models at the stores based on your needs.

The most important thing when purchasing one of these cameras is to pay attention to 1) trigger speed for the camera, 2) your flash....most are IR flash - do not buy a non-IR flash camera or it will be obvious to the thief....Also most IR illuminators in these cameras have a very limited range...something like 20-25 feet maximum.

Trigger speed is how long the camera senses motion before taking the picture...that is, in my opinion, the most important factor....the really cheap $30-$50 cameras need a minute of motion to take a picture...in 1 minute the thief will be gone....After that all the matters is what you personally want - most are 2 mega pixels or better, and almost all have video as well as camera...the better ones do both video and photo capture at the same time.

The Truth Cam 35 is a pretty good basic model.

[Jesse]

There's also the ever popular Foscam models. It's a pretty sturdy outdoor IR camera, though you need a power source nearby. Most models are wireless too.

http://amzn.com/B00426FEL8

Motion sensing preferences can be set from the configuration page, and it can email you, upload images to a FTP site, etc. I would say that setup requires a decent level of technical knowledge about networks, port forwarding (if you want to access the camera from outside of home), etc.

[Marksmu]

There's also the ever popular Foscam models. It's a pretty sturdy outdoor IR camera, though you need a power source nearby. Most models are wireless too.

http://amzn.com/B00426FEL8

Motion sensing preferences can be set from the configuration page, and it can email you, upload images to a FTP site, etc. I would say that setup requires a decent level of technical knowledge about networks, port forwarding (if you want to access the camera from outside of home), etc.

Im not very tech savy - but I did find a work around to the problems of networks, port forwarding etc....When I put a pool in, I needed to be at work b/c I had no vacation left, but the contractors had constant questions - so I bought a Pan Tilt Zoom camera that plugged into my laptop as a webcam....not being very tech savy - I downloaded the logmein.com software to my home computer.

Using the free logmein.com software, I could remote control the home computer from work, and do everything as if I was actually sitting at the home computer. I was able to live view the camera, move it around to see what the contractor was talking about, and tell her over the phone what I wanted....The camera was cheap, the software was free, and I have found about 100 other uses for the software since then....I have thoroughly enjoyed recording movies of doorbells, the sound of my truck, the front door opening etc, and then playing them remotely and watching via the camera my dogs reactions...even an idiot can set that one up, and I have yet to find something I wanted to do with it that I could not.

[Angostura]

Home invasions are far more rare than burglaries [...]

Here, yes. Having lived somewhere (Brazil) where it is essentially illegal for private citizens to own a gun, home invasions there are more common than residential B&E's.

[RedScare]

Here, yes. Having lived somewhere (Brazil) where it is essentially illegal for private citizens to own a gun, home invasions there are more common than residential B&E's.

Proof?

While robberies on the street or in the home are definately more prevalent in Brazil than the US, to suggest that they outnumber simple breakins is a bit of a leap. For instance, in Houston, there are 28,000 burglaries a year. Of those, less than 100 are home invasions, meaning that 99.7% of burglaries are simple breakins. Your suggestion is that in Brazil it is less than 50%. I simply do not believe that. It makes no sense.

Robberies in Houston number between 3,000 and 3,500, including those without guns.

[TheNiche]

Proof?

While robberies on the street or in the home are definately more prevalent in Brazil than the US, to suggest that they outnumber simple breakins is a bit of a leap. For instance, in Houston, there are 28,000 burglaries a year. Of those, less than 100 are home invasions, meaning that 99.7% of burglaries are simple breakins. Your suggestion is that in Brazil it is less than 50%. I simply do not believe that. It makes no sense.

Robberies in Houston number between 3,000 and 3,500, including those without guns.

We both know that crime statistics have severe data quality issues, not only as a result of reporting bias and procedural bias (both systematic and jurisdictional), but also from human error. And its bad enough in the United States, but I'm not about to go comparing to international datasets...not that you've bothered to try. Anecdotes from knowledgeable people aren't powerful evidence either, but its something to go by.

[RedScare]

Well, that is pretty much my point. The poster did not give anecdotes. He merely made a sweeping statement, with no evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, to back it up. My disbelief is formed of my professional experience with crime, as well as common sense. Human nature is to seek the path of least resistance. That path for thieves includes petty theft, pickpocketing and burglary. This is why theft and burglary are the most common crimes by orders of magnitude over violent crimes...because they take so little nerve and effort.

My suspicions of crime in Brazil are backed up by the US State Department. Theft and pickpocleting is rampant. Burglary is common. The murder rate is high, but declining. Street robbery and carjacking are a big problem. Though home invasions no doubt occur at rates higher than in the US, common sense dictates that it is still much lower than the incidence of burglary.

I do not ask you to disbelieve Angostura's claims, nor to believe mine. I simply stated that I do not believe it, and stated why. I invite him to prove it...again. You are welcome to assist him. Or you may go to sleep tonight secure in the knowledge that I do not believe wild claims simply because I read them on the internet.

[TheNiche]

Well, that is pretty much my point. The poster did not give anecdotes. He merely made a sweeping statement, with no evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, to back it up. My disbelief is formed of my professional experience with crime, as well as common sense. Human nature is to seek the path of least resistance. That path for thieves includes petty theft, pickpocketing and burglary. This is why theft and burglary are the most common crimes by orders of magnitude over violent crimes...because they take so little nerve and effort.

My suspicions of crime in Brazil are backed up by the US State Department. Theft and pickpocleting is rampant. Burglary is common. The murder rate is high, but declining. Street robbery and carjacking are a big problem. Though home invasions no doubt occur at rates higher than in the US, common sense dictates that it is still much lower than the incidence of burglary.

I do not ask you to disbelieve Angostura's claims, nor to believe mine. I simply stated that I do not believe it, and stated why. I invite him to prove it...again. You are welcome to assist him. Or you may go to sleep tonight secure in the knowledge that I do not believe wild claims simply because I read them on the internet.

From your comments it seems that you believe nothing, in fact. You are merely skeptical, both for lack of angostura's empirical grounds as well as without reliable empirical grounds of your own. Well two can play at that game. I do not believe that you exist, RedScare. I believe that you are a hoax, one element of a propaganda campaign perpetrated by a vast liberal conspiracy funded by George Soros. And after all, no one could possibly doubt Soros' wealth, estimated at $22 billion by Wikipedia, or his commitment. He was once quoted as stating that removing President George W. Bush from office was the "central focus of my life" and "a matter of life and death". Obviously, he is the culprit. So there. That'll show you to use crime statistics to prove a point.

Edited February 24, 2012 by TheNiche

[Angostura]

Proof?

While robberies on the street or in the home are definately more prevalent in Brazil than the US, to suggest that they outnumber simple breakins is a bit of a leap. For instance, in Houston, there are 28,000 burglaries a year. Of those, less than 100 are home invasions, meaning that 99.7% of burglaries are simple breakins. Your suggestion is that in Brazil it is less than 50%. I simply do not believe that. It makes no sense.

Robberies in Houston number between 3,000 and 3,500, including those without guns.

I hope you'll pardon my imprecision.

Home invasions, while much more common there than here, do not outnumber mugging, pickpockets, car thefts, etc. My experience is limited to Rio, where, in the better neighborhoods, due to the facts that most building are relatively small, have 24-hr doormen, gates, multiple locks, barred windows on lower floors, etc., accessing and removing the contents of an apartment without being detected is relatively difficult. Additionally, most well-off Brazilians keep the real valuables (jewelry, cash) hidden or in a safe (or in a hidden safe), lest the help develop sticky fingers.

The more common m.o. is to gain access by holding up the doorman, often in broad daylight, hold him in the lobby, and wait for residents to come down, marching each one back up to their apartments in succession, loading valuables into one or more of the cars in the garage, and driving away. These robberies are typically executed by a much larger group than a typical B&E (4-8 people).

For these types of buildings, especially where the residents are virtually assured to be unarmed, this actually may BE the path of least resistance.

Of course, my experience is anecdotal; suffice to say that I know a number of people involved in this kind of home invasion, and very few victims of traditional residential B&E, though granted the former is much more likely to make the news. I may just be a victim of the Pauline Kael fallacy ("How could Nixon have won? Nobody I know voted for him.").

Also, as far as I know, there is no Portuguese-language equivalent of the phrase "cat-burglar".

[RedScare]

Also, as far as I know, there is no Portuguese-language equivalent of the phrase "cat-burglar".

Ah, but there is!

ladrão de gato

I do not doubt the scenario you describe for the wealthy. In fact, I am aware (anecdotally, of course) of the very scenario you describe having occurred in hotels in Brazil. However, just as in the United States, where the upper middle class and wealthy seem ignorant that the poor and middle class even exist, much less outnumber them by a factor of 4 (or even 6, depending on your definition), the overwhelming majority of Brazilians are not wealthy, and cannot afford security and doormen, and so suffer the more pedestrian indignity of breaking and entering. While the wealthy victims make the news, the poor victims are lucky to even have the police arrive to take a report.

This was my only point, that the vast majority suffer their crimes in silence. No one cares, because, just as in the United States, only wealthy victims matter. The poor somehow deserve there fate. An example of this rule in action can be seen in the Michael Berry thread, where some believe the lawbreaker (Berry) is the victim.

[OutfieldDan]

... just as in the United States, only wealthy victims matter. The poor somehow deserve there fate. An example of this rule in action can be seen in the Michael Berry thread, where some believe the lawbreaker (Berry) is the victim.

This is drivel. I can't believe you wrote that. There is much more crime in poor neighborhoods, true, but it all matters, it's all reported, and it's the bigger problem. Police devote many more resouces to crime ridden areas. I demand you back up this rediculous claim.

Leave Michael Berry out of it. He's toast and he's suffering the consequences of his action.

[RedScare]

You are more than welcome to follow me around at work all day. In fact, if more people would watch what goes on in our criminal justice system, rather than imagine what they wish the system to be like, we might turn it into something that actually serves the citizens.

Just to give you a taste of what I am talking about, a fellow attorney is representing a client who was shot during a home invasion robbery. The police arrived, and enter the client's home to investigate, while the client was taken to the hospital. While in the home, the police found 3 ounces of marijuana. The police have now all but abandoned the investigation of the attempted capital murder (a first degree felony) of the client, and are trying to investigate the client for possession of marijuana, a class A misdemeanor. So, 4 armed and clearly dangerous robbers safely roam the street while the police attempt to rid our community of evil misdemeanor pot smokers. An outstanding use of scarce police resources. You must be so proud.

I could go on for hours, but you'll have to catch me at one of our HAIF happy hours. That is where I really cut loose. Bring your debating shoes. I take no prisoners, and run up the score on the unprepared and uninformed. 25 years in the crime business does that to ya.

EDIT: I must apologize. I just realized that your fury was directed at the fact that I inadvertantly used "there" when I should have used "their". Please accept my apologies.

Edited February 28, 2012 by RedScare

[TheNiche]

This is drivel. I can't believe you wrote that. There is much more crime in poor neighborhoods, true, but it all matters, it's all reported, and it's the bigger problem. Police devote many more resouces to crime ridden areas. I demand you back up this rediculous claim.

Nothing is accurately reported! What, you think that black people and immigrants trust da po' lice? Hell, I don't trust da po' lice, and I'm white as they come.

[J008]

Just a heads up to anyone in the neighborhood, This morning between 4:30 - 5:00 am I saw a car burglary in progress. A man in an older white chevy truck, single cab with a loud muffler, drove down the street and jumped in to a truck parked on the street broke into the tool box pulled on the door handles and took off.

Called the police, who responded in about 3 minutes ultimately with about 7 police cars. They advised there has been several car break ins in the immediate area ( around Oxford st, W of Stude, North of 11th.). I was broken into last week myself.

The truck looked real familiar as if I had seen it in the neighborhood before, I even remember hearing it early in the morning, the loud muffler caused me to look out the window. It is always a tough call when something is suspicious enough to call the police or just people going about their business.

If you see this truck, especially early in the morning, call the police.

Edited May 29, 2012 by J008

[s3mh]

I had someone go through my glove box last week (left doors unlocked by accident). Told a neighbor about it and heard that someone stole a truck tailgate on Waverly around the same time. Be sure to go to the 11th st storefront and make a report if anyone messes with your car, even if nothing is stolen. It helps the police a lot in their patrols to know when and where people are getting hit.

[bababooey]

Can you be more specific on the area please?

[J008]

I don't want to give the specific address, as I mentioned above there were 7 cop cars responding, so if it is your street you would have seen the cars.

But the general area is: South of Reagan High, North of 11th, Between Stude and Heights.

[ricco67]

I don't want to give the specific address, as I mentioned above there were 7 cop cars responding, so if it is your street you would have seen the cars.

But the general area is: South of Reagan High, North of 11th, Between Stude and Heights.

I think just a street and general cross street would have sufficed. That would just be neighborly.

[RedScare]

He put that in the very first post. He also noted that the actors were in a truck, so anywhere within several blocks of Reagan High should be on the lookout. Frankly, anywhere between I-10 and I-610 is within range.

[jamesw]

My car was rifled through 3 weeks ago - in the same area. I live near Harvard and 11th st. I have a convertible so I always leave it empty and unlocked - so he/she just went through my glove box and then get this - he threw his/her cigarette but on the floor of my car! It stank :-(

James

[SilverJK]

They got me too about 3 weeks ago. They went through every last crevice of the car, and popped the trunk and went through there (they got an old gps and my wifes gymbag with her workout clothes, they also raided the ~85 cents in the cupholder, there were two apples and an orange that they left though).. I was awake until 3am that night and woke up at 6:30am, so I'm assuming they were there around 4-5am. Normally i think i would have heard them (light sleeper) but my neighbors AC makes such a racket right now I can't hear anything outside.

[SilverJK]

I think I saw this truck lurking the other day... i stood out at the end of my driveway and starred at it, and it drove off after a while. I get a decent amount of through traffic on my street, so it isn't unusual for cars to stop for a while and go (making phone calls and etc.) but I'm suspicious of everyone... northern part of woodland heights.

[J008]

I think I saw this truck lurking the other day... i stood out at the end of my driveway and starred at it, and it drove off after a while. I get a decent amount of through traffic on my street, so it isn't unusual for cars to stop for a while and go (making phone calls and etc.) but I'm suspicious of everyone... northern part of woodland heights.

Yeah I have seen the truck before as well and it has a distincly loud muffler noise, perhaps just because it is old, but it looked strangley familiar.

If you see them between 4-5am, I would call the police\ constable.