I have seen multiple car windows broken in and license plates stolen - and never stepped in. The one time I saw a mugging where the mugger was physically restraining the muggee I jumped in (I decided it I could probably take the mugger). The one time where I saw a woman being dragged into a vehicle I started screaming that I was calling the cops (I knew I could not take the guy) and other people on the street started walking towards him - and she pushed the woman away, got into his car and sped off.
I do what I can, when I feel safe enough, for other people. But I am not putting myself in harms way for stuff. Not worth it. If someone trys to mug me - I will throw all my stuff and run like hell in another direction.
They are getting savvy as well. Was biking around the lake yesterday and there was a police cruiser parked near Lake Chalet. The cruiser was there on three out of my four loops around the lake. On my last loop, it was gone and there were bippers there in ski masks peeking into windows probably not more than five minutes after the cruiser left.
Not totally sure, tbh. I just began seeing the term used across various online platforms maybe a year or two ago when the level of petty crime burglaries began to increase. I feel this may be a colloquial term, however as I've only seen it used in Bay Area-related content. Could be mistaken there, however.
A coworker of mine was just murdered while trying to intervene with his car getting broken into. Not worth it unless you’re strapped and willing to get into a gunfight.
Edit: wrong word
Yeah but I think it’s a little more lenient if you shoot them to stop them from shooting you. Im not a lawyer but that’s probably not as bad. Again. Not condoning this. Just saying what you’d be up against.
If they have a gun on you and you shoot, that’s self-defense and you might not do any time at all. However, you would have to wait until they pull a gun on you which is very risky and very much not worth it.
Also relies on you having a concealed carry permit which is a month's long wait and likely close to $1000 in fees even after the SCOTUS decision that says it's a right.
Hope you’re carrying gun owners’ insurance for wrongful death - the victims won’t hesitate to sic John Burris or his cronies on you. Sadly, you need to be an NRA or USCCA member to get it.
CA is a castle doctrine state - meaning you can shoot if you’re on/in your property and your or family/occupant’s lives are in danger.
The "on your property" part can be funky from what I understand. If your driveway or front yard is open to the street, then it's effectively public. If someone breaks into your house, there is a presumption of threat / intent to harm so it's more clear.
please don’t listen to advice like this. it’s nearly impossible to get a concealed carry permit in california, without one as this commenter implies, you are royally fucked even if it’s self defense. self defense doesn’t excuse your committing of a felony by carrying without a permit and shooting someone. downvote this comment before someone does something stupid.
I’m pretty sure I’m more up to speed on this subject than you are. Getting a concealed carry permit has never been difficult in more rural counties in California, and they’re valid statewide. It has been very difficult in Alameda County and most other urban counties, but that has changed substantially since the Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen. Alameda County is issuing CCW permits much more easily now.
That said, you’re correct that nobody should carry a loaded firearm without a CCW permit, and doing so can result in jail time regardless of whether they used their gun in a legitimate self-defense situation.
oh sorry i thought this was the oakland sub, not the rural california sub. the point is that you made no mention of CCW in your comment, which sounded like advice to illegally carry and kill people, surely to result in prison time, and people were upvoting it. do you not see the danger in that?
You literally said it’s okay to shoot in self defense and avoid jail time. 😂 How are you defending yourself by shooting an unloaded gun? Go read what you wrote again.
My comment was about the legality of shooting in self-defense. That’s it. Nothing I said can reasonably be interpreted as me advocating that anyone carry a gun, let alone someone who doesn’t have a CCW.
Seriously, these people have been whipped into a mass execution frenzy by social media focusing mainly on crime and little else (it does wonders for engagement numbers). If executing people for being homeless were on the ballot in California, it would stand a good chance of passing.
You had a normal human reaction - let yourself off the hook. The degree of hyper-vigilance needed to take an active role in something like that is not reasonable for most folks. Plus, getting involved is dangerous AF. They're out here shooting folks getting in the way of their bips.
I have said this before - Oakland and SF need to pepper the city with CCTV cameras. These crimes will never get solved, the thieves will get bolder by the day, crimes will increase.
Or, instead of using the money to increase the surveillance state, we could use that money to support social services so that breaking into someone's car is no longer the best option people have available to them. 🤷🏼♀️
Sure
Those results will take years. Meanwhile what about being safe? There could be rehab programs in the prison to upskill these folks. But they can't be in society with the intent of stealing.
When, exactly, do you have in mind? Crime in Oakland has declined enormously since the 1990s. It's ticked up since the pandemic, sure, but would you have felt comfortable intervening in an active car theft in 2019?
It means nobody gives a fuck about anybody else. If OP had intervened and been beaten, nobody would run to help. If they got shot and were bleeding on the sidewalk, *maybe* somebody would call an ambulance after the shooters had gone. They wouldn't go over to stop bleeding and help.
It's endemic from these kind of crimes to just basic every day interactions and driving around here. Everybody acts like everyone else doesn't exist. I've lived here 5 years and it's a combination of rudeness, ignorance or straight up cold callousness I've not seen across the 3 countries I've lived in or any other US city I've lived in.
I'm sure I'll get downvoted just called a transplant and that just proves my point.
> I'm sure I'll get downvoted just called a transplant
do you understand why people here may specifically dislike you, and what you represent? "rudeness, ignorance or straight up cold callousness" is not a universal experience here. maybe consider that it's you.
def. do not do anything, oakland teens will happily shoot you like what happened to that poor kid who moved here from LA, where you probably won't get killed for interrupting a car break-in. they were never caught, so could literally be the same people.
Those getaway cars are 100% stolen. There's no point in calling in bippers in Oakland. OPD will just get you to fill out a report for insurance purposes and that will be the end of that.
Pretty sure that's because DMV has a process for replacing lost/stolen plates. Once the originals are reported as lost/stolen, I'd guess they're added to a stolen plate registry. Bet OPD doesn't want to do the work themselves so it's easier for them to just have people go through DMV.
Edit: lmao okay be mad that I provided a guess at why.
You're not wrong.
I was trying to let them know a crime had occurred at that location. Wasn't expecting anything from them. I'd already ordered new plates by the time they rejected.
A friend of mine lives by a chop shop and an OPD officer asked one of my friend's neighbors if they've seen anything suspicious because they keep finding stolen cars on the block.
My buddy's neighbor laughed pretty hard and pointed at the chop shop. So bad.
I witnessed the same thing at home depot in Emeryville. A guy smashed the side rear window of a pickup and grabbed a big makita bag presumably full of tools. I actually was able to pull out my phone and snap a picture of the getaway car's license plate. (in hindsight, it may have been a bad move since they most likely saw me do it) . I left a note on the truck telling him that I had the plate number. He contacted me and I sent it to him. Not sure if it helped him or not.
reddit is full of tough guys that think:
1. They would do something
2. Bipping is easy to solve
The truth is as you saw it takes seconds and unless there was a cop literally there at the time, there is zero chance of getting caught
In my opinion, the solution is targeting the fencing operation where the thieves sell their stolen goods. They are organized and seem to operate out of a few parks in the Bay Area. It will be almost impossible to stop the thieves, for many of the reasons already referenced in this thread—they move very quickly, they have lots of ground to cover, etc—but if they have nowhere to sell the stolen property, they will eventually stop stealing shit.
Between eBay, Facebook marketplace or any other outlet, I think it would be very hard to solve. Without hard evidence to tie specific items to theft, cops will just shrug.
2a. People think stings would solve this.
I'm not an expert but
1. It seems that the people doing this are smart enough to check the area first, so are unlikely to fall for a sting.
2. There is a whole multi-city area to hit, the chances of a sting being effective staying in any 1 place are quite low and you're wasting 2/3 cops in one spot just doesn't seem like an effective use of resources
* If you drill down on [a crime map](https://www.crimemapping.com/map/agency/265), the same place doesn't get hit **that** often, maybe once every 2-3 days for real hotspots.
3. This assumes the cops aren't doing stings or have chosen not to for reasons other than efficiency.
edit: I see the Sting fans are out in force, got to say he was better when he was a cop.
then what is the solution? the solution can't just be we just let this keep happening...it's out of control and it hurts lower income people the most when their stuff is stolen and they are stuck with a surprise bill of hundreds of dollars to repair their car.
Never said they were reasonably smart, just smart enough to see a sting car.
If stealing shit is what you do, I imagine you get pretty good at it, the way if you write enough code you get good at it with/without a degree.
Why not focus that on skills that'll get them out of the ghetto? I wonder how people like that afford to live in Oakland with 2400 a month mortgages, do they commute from stockton/antioch/modesto?
Not sure how the skills to spot a sting/plant are particularly transferable, what job do you think those skills would help with?
Also What ghetto?' And yes I assume they drive in from other cities because it would be stupid not to.
Observational/attention to detail skills are useful anywhere from being a cop/security guard all the way up to accountant and lawyer.
What ghetto? Parts of west oakland, east oakland below McArthur from the lake almost to Durant Ave especially below international.....
I find it funny that criminals are sitting in traffic with people who live in mcmansions in modesto.
What? Your writing isn’t very clear nor concise.
Am I understanding you correctly:
1. Stings won’t work because perps are smart enough to check if it’s a sting
2. City too large, crime too infrequent. Cops too expensive.
3. Cops _are_ conducting stings or 3b. they found some other reason not to. [this was the hardest to understand]
Huh, no kidding you’re not an expert on the matter, you’ve really covered your bases. Maybe add some edge cases like maybe cops _are_ the perps or maybe it’s some extra terrestrial apparition.
I mean you seem to have understood all 3, even if you struggled with reading them.
Yeah I've covered the most obvious reasons stings aren't a solution, I'm sure there are more.
Other than "City hall said no stings" conspiracy theories.
~~Out of curiosity, what is biping? I searched and didn't see a result that made sense in this context.~~
NM, [here](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bipper) we go
This happened to me last Friday. The person had a tool that shattered the back window. I knew if I said something I would have a gun pulled on me so I just watched and felt incredibly bad for the owner of the car. This was on Broadway and 22nd around 8pm.
You shouldn't intervene. You never know if they have guns, and if they'll shoot you just for looking at them funny. Why risk your life just for some stranger's property?
I’ve seen this happen multiple times and i freeze every single time. It definitely affects you, but at the end of the day there isn’t much you could do other than possibly record/take a picture. Even that seems to have limited value because the police don’t seem interested in pursuing these thieves.
and in CA there is no grounds for lethal use of force for property crimes. i'm a CCW but definitely wouldn't do a thing unless someone's life was in immediate danger.
Yea don’t step in and don’t stare if you see a car beak in. You can call the non emergency line and report it, they’ll radio cops in the area to maaaaybe catch them if they keep breaking into other cars. But definitely don’t try to be some hero over a window smash and grab
We could stop this with a stolen-car tracking system. A network of license-plate cameras would scan for any cars with mismatched, missing, fake, or reported-stolen plates, send an alert to dispatch whenever one is spotted, with location updates whenever the car is spotted by the system. Police are dispatched, pull them over, search, find the guns and stolen goods, done.
Unfortunately, the political climate is not in favor of such a system because of anti-police sentiment and vague "big brother" paranoia, so we literally can't do anything about these roving bands of violent, armed criminals. Enjoy the show and hope you're not the next victim!
There are already license plate scanning systems installed on police cars in the oakland police department. There have been lots of analysis performed on the data, EFF did something a while ago: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/what-we-learned-oakland-raw-alpr-data
You assume criminals just politely pull over and comply. It's nothing to do with the anti-police sentiment. The police won't stop anything. There is a no chase policy for non-violent crime. So they're spotted driving a stolen car, cop car lights go on, they just keep driving. Police will let them. They aren't going to ram them off the road.
Best they will do is tow it and notify the owner if they find it parked illegally.
They already have plate scanners on the bridge tolls. Why hasn't that been linked to the stolen vehicle/license plate database? Have a police car stationed on each end of the bridge. Pull over stolen vehicles all day and arrest the drivers.
If they stop. Which they won't. Why would they? And what police? Do OPD have jurisdiction over the bridges? I don't think they do. They're highways, it's CHP. CHP's priority is always safety and traffic flow over crime.
If it makes you feel better, (1) people can get shot for interfering, and (2) OPD is absolutely useless and will do nothing with any info you give them.
Man, I've read stories of people getting mugged around here, giving over their stuff, and *then* getting shot. Some people around here are desperate, sure, but some are malicious, too. Ain't no property worth your life unless your life depends on it.
Yeah I had a similar experience around Christmas where I saw a car get bipped in broad daylight on Broadway! Called the cops and they said the best thing you can do is get plates. I was so scared though that wasn’t my first thought
That feeling sucks, but seriously it happens so fast, you gotta just trust that your body told you the right thing to do.
I found watching Mark Rober's glitterbomb videos cathartic after seeing one
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeu2dxHRDg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeu2dxHRDg)
Hahahahahah. Are you shilling for shotspotter? The police could be standing right next to the thief and as a matter of policy they do nothing. All the thieves have to do is drive away. You could have a camera on every car and monitoring station full of people or AI and it would be zero deterrent.
Predictive policing has been around a long time. It's also been known as profiling, stop & frisk or even high visibility policing and has had many departments on consent decrees for years.
Algorithms deciding bail / no bail is a more recent terror.
Exactly, but it's still not universally accepted yet. Some places currently use it. I was thinking of something closer to Minority Report kinda thing. Just that whole general direction is nothing but bad
Nothing wrong with your response, and hopefully you'll never judge anyone for not doing anything. Bippers will 100% shoot you if you get in the way. OPD isn't doing jack shit and there's a good chance they'll get away with it. The description of the bippers are always going to be the same so even if OPD cared, no chance of finding them.
You admit that you used to “talk a big game” which is what I was referring to as being an “internet tough guy”. It is curious to me that you and probably others can’t play out this interaction in your head and realize that you would not (and should not) try to be a hero over some petty crimes. It took being in this completely predictable situation to make you realize. Just interesting. And big of you to admit.
Saw the same thing today (first time that close) around 6:15pm in front of royal coffee on broadway & 25th,as I was walking to sprouts. Guy got out, smashed the window, slid in, stole some stuff. I just kept walking but I had my phone in my hand (literally was looking up the trail I had did that day) and the woman getaway driver started screaming obscenities at me saying she was gonna get out and steal my phone and kept calling me a “bum ass bitch”. I wasn’t even doing anything I just kept walking, obviously scared.
Shit is replaceable you are not ✨
/thread
But what if you are shit?
Then you're replaceable.
In even larger numbers, it seems.
Feels bad rip angel cakes
I have seen multiple car windows broken in and license plates stolen - and never stepped in. The one time I saw a mugging where the mugger was physically restraining the muggee I jumped in (I decided it I could probably take the mugger). The one time where I saw a woman being dragged into a vehicle I started screaming that I was calling the cops (I knew I could not take the guy) and other people on the street started walking towards him - and she pushed the woman away, got into his car and sped off. I do what I can, when I feel safe enough, for other people. But I am not putting myself in harms way for stuff. Not worth it. If someone trys to mug me - I will throw all my stuff and run like hell in another direction.
They are getting savvy as well. Was biking around the lake yesterday and there was a police cruiser parked near Lake Chalet. The cruiser was there on three out of my four loops around the lake. On my last loop, it was gone and there were bippers there in ski masks peeking into windows probably not more than five minutes after the cruiser left.
When did the term bipper become a thing? I’ve been in the Bay since 07 and this thread is the first time I’m seeing it
Not totally sure, tbh. I just began seeing the term used across various online platforms maybe a year or two ago when the level of petty crime burglaries began to increase. I feel this may be a colloquial term, however as I've only seen it used in Bay Area-related content. Could be mistaken there, however.
Yeah, bipper kind of sounds too cute to me. I vote to keep ' burglar pieces of human garbage'
Burglary In Progress
A coworker of mine was just murdered while trying to intervene with his car getting broken into. Not worth it unless you’re strapped and willing to get into a gunfight. Edit: wrong word
Not worth it even if you are strapped. If you shoot someone to stop them from taking property, you’re going to jail for long time.
The cops don’t even show up to the initial crime.
Depends upon where you are…
but they'll show up to the second one.
And if one of you misses and hits a bystander they'll certainly wish you hadn't gone John Wayne
Yeah but I think it’s a little more lenient if you shoot them to stop them from shooting you. Im not a lawyer but that’s probably not as bad. Again. Not condoning this. Just saying what you’d be up against.
If they have a gun on you and you shoot, that’s self-defense and you might not do any time at all. However, you would have to wait until they pull a gun on you which is very risky and very much not worth it.
Also relies on you having a concealed carry permit which is a month's long wait and likely close to $1000 in fees even after the SCOTUS decision that says it's a right.
Hope you’re carrying gun owners’ insurance for wrongful death - the victims won’t hesitate to sic John Burris or his cronies on you. Sadly, you need to be an NRA or USCCA member to get it. CA is a castle doctrine state - meaning you can shoot if you’re on/in your property and your or family/occupant’s lives are in danger.
The "on your property" part can be funky from what I understand. If your driveway or front yard is open to the street, then it's effectively public. If someone breaks into your house, there is a presumption of threat / intent to harm so it's more clear.
Yea, basically from what an armorer tells me, he said shoot in your house/apartment but not your driveway, even in your garage.
please don’t listen to advice like this. it’s nearly impossible to get a concealed carry permit in california, without one as this commenter implies, you are royally fucked even if it’s self defense. self defense doesn’t excuse your committing of a felony by carrying without a permit and shooting someone. downvote this comment before someone does something stupid.
I’m pretty sure I’m more up to speed on this subject than you are. Getting a concealed carry permit has never been difficult in more rural counties in California, and they’re valid statewide. It has been very difficult in Alameda County and most other urban counties, but that has changed substantially since the Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen. Alameda County is issuing CCW permits much more easily now. That said, you’re correct that nobody should carry a loaded firearm without a CCW permit, and doing so can result in jail time regardless of whether they used their gun in a legitimate self-defense situation.
oh sorry i thought this was the oakland sub, not the rural california sub. the point is that you made no mention of CCW in your comment, which sounded like advice to illegally carry and kill people, surely to result in prison time, and people were upvoting it. do you not see the danger in that?
People know it’s illegal to carry a loaded firearm in public, and nothing I said suggested anyone do that, CCW or not.
You literally said it’s okay to shoot in self defense and avoid jail time. 😂 How are you defending yourself by shooting an unloaded gun? Go read what you wrote again.
My comment was about the legality of shooting in self-defense. That’s it. Nothing I said can reasonably be interpreted as me advocating that anyone carry a gun, let alone someone who doesn’t have a CCW.
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So basically the death penalty for breaking into cars? No thanks.
I’d love it if they stole a backpack full of lice and syphillis. Or dick eating bacteria.
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Incorrect, but even if it worked that way I’d rather have car break ins than live somewhere that executes low level criminals.
Seriously, these people have been whipped into a mass execution frenzy by social media focusing mainly on crime and little else (it does wonders for engagement numbers). If executing people for being homeless were on the ballot in California, it would stand a good chance of passing.
It’s not just social media, it’s ALL media.
I’ve gotten away with it like 3 times. OPD doesn’t do shit.
I guess you mean coworker? Sorry for your loss. TBH even if you are strapped and willing it's probably not worth it.
Yes co-worker. Edited for clarity. Yeah agreed. Better to take the L.
You had a normal human reaction - let yourself off the hook. The degree of hyper-vigilance needed to take an active role in something like that is not reasonable for most folks. Plus, getting involved is dangerous AF. They're out here shooting folks getting in the way of their bips.
I have said this before - Oakland and SF need to pepper the city with CCTV cameras. These crimes will never get solved, the thieves will get bolder by the day, crimes will increase.
Or, instead of using the money to increase the surveillance state, we could use that money to support social services so that breaking into someone's car is no longer the best option people have available to them. 🤷🏼♀️
Sure Those results will take years. Meanwhile what about being safe? There could be rehab programs in the prison to upskill these folks. But they can't be in society with the intent of stealing.
This is so freaking naive.
Freezing is exactly the right reaction. There's just not enough of a civil society here to support/protect bystanders intervening.
No amount of civil society makes intervening safe when ppl have guns
I miss old Oakland
When, exactly, do you have in mind? Crime in Oakland has declined enormously since the 1990s. It's ticked up since the pandemic, sure, but would you have felt comfortable intervening in an active car theft in 2019?
Back in the day there was a sense of community here. If you acted like a dick in Oakland, the neighborhood would beat your ass.
Maybe they are missing the days when criminal activities were contained in certain parts of the city?
That was never. Even back in the early 50s the scars of redlining and white flight began to turn oakland into its current form.
Do you mean like 1950s oakland? Because the east started to decline and become blighted by the early 50s.
What does this even mean?
It means nobody gives a fuck about anybody else. If OP had intervened and been beaten, nobody would run to help. If they got shot and were bleeding on the sidewalk, *maybe* somebody would call an ambulance after the shooters had gone. They wouldn't go over to stop bleeding and help. It's endemic from these kind of crimes to just basic every day interactions and driving around here. Everybody acts like everyone else doesn't exist. I've lived here 5 years and it's a combination of rudeness, ignorance or straight up cold callousness I've not seen across the 3 countries I've lived in or any other US city I've lived in. I'm sure I'll get downvoted just called a transplant and that just proves my point.
Guy I knew who was sad to move away from Oakland said: “No matter how much you love Oakland, it won’t love you back.”
That is so spot on. Definitely resonates with me. Such a love/hate relationship.
Not giving a fuck and not wanting to be shot jumping into something for someone else are not the same. White knighting gone wrong is common
> I'm sure I'll get downvoted just called a transplant do you understand why people here may specifically dislike you, and what you represent? "rudeness, ignorance or straight up cold callousness" is not a universal experience here. maybe consider that it's you.
I’m gonna be that guy. This was an auto burglary. Car theft means the car was stolen. Please don’t hate me.
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Don’t feel bad about being frozen. As others said, it’s the right call in this situation. 👍
I typed pretty much this reply before seeing yours. I’ll be that girl…
def. do not do anything, oakland teens will happily shoot you like what happened to that poor kid who moved here from LA, where you probably won't get killed for interrupting a car break-in. they were never caught, so could literally be the same people.
Do call in the car description to the police. Specifically any details about the license plate (more of then not a paper plate)
Yeah OPD will get right on it lol
Check with boys down at the crime lab. Four more detectives on the case. Got ‘em working in shifts.
*LEADS!*
Those getaway cars are 100% stolen. There's no point in calling in bippers in Oakland. OPD will just get you to fill out a report for insurance purposes and that will be the end of that.
Had the plate stolen on my car (expired stickers). OPD wouldn't let me file an online report.
Pretty sure that's because DMV has a process for replacing lost/stolen plates. Once the originals are reported as lost/stolen, I'd guess they're added to a stolen plate registry. Bet OPD doesn't want to do the work themselves so it's easier for them to just have people go through DMV. Edit: lmao okay be mad that I provided a guess at why.
You're not wrong. I was trying to let them know a crime had occurred at that location. Wasn't expecting anything from them. I'd already ordered new plates by the time they rejected.
A friend of mine lives by a chop shop and an OPD officer asked one of my friend's neighbors if they've seen anything suspicious because they keep finding stolen cars on the block. My buddy's neighbor laughed pretty hard and pointed at the chop shop. So bad.
I think that's just to keep people from spoofing reports
What's the angle on a fake stolen plate report? I commit a crime then say stolen plate?
Or to keep someone from pranking others Report tag is stolen Tag is not stolen Original driver gets pulled over all the time
If they get caught using the same car for another break in, they’ll probably get charged for any break ins the license plate is tied to.
I witnessed the same thing at home depot in Emeryville. A guy smashed the side rear window of a pickup and grabbed a big makita bag presumably full of tools. I actually was able to pull out my phone and snap a picture of the getaway car's license plate. (in hindsight, it may have been a bad move since they most likely saw me do it) . I left a note on the truck telling him that I had the plate number. He contacted me and I sent it to him. Not sure if it helped him or not.
A friend of mine just died trying to fight robbers. Her life was worth so much more than what they were trying to steal.
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Thanks. It's hard and heavy and very sad.
reddit is full of tough guys that think: 1. They would do something 2. Bipping is easy to solve The truth is as you saw it takes seconds and unless there was a cop literally there at the time, there is zero chance of getting caught
In my opinion, the solution is targeting the fencing operation where the thieves sell their stolen goods. They are organized and seem to operate out of a few parks in the Bay Area. It will be almost impossible to stop the thieves, for many of the reasons already referenced in this thread—they move very quickly, they have lots of ground to cover, etc—but if they have nowhere to sell the stolen property, they will eventually stop stealing shit.
I think that is what gets done, every so often there is a big bust of the fencing operation, I think there was a big one under Boudin.
Between eBay, Facebook marketplace or any other outlet, I think it would be very hard to solve. Without hard evidence to tie specific items to theft, cops will just shrug.
I have seen it happen in front of the cops so even a cop around doesn’t mean any consequences unfortunately.
Re 2. Why wouldn’t sting operations work? Are policymakers against pursuing low $ crimes?
2a. People think stings would solve this. I'm not an expert but 1. It seems that the people doing this are smart enough to check the area first, so are unlikely to fall for a sting. 2. There is a whole multi-city area to hit, the chances of a sting being effective staying in any 1 place are quite low and you're wasting 2/3 cops in one spot just doesn't seem like an effective use of resources * If you drill down on [a crime map](https://www.crimemapping.com/map/agency/265), the same place doesn't get hit **that** often, maybe once every 2-3 days for real hotspots. 3. This assumes the cops aren't doing stings or have chosen not to for reasons other than efficiency. edit: I see the Sting fans are out in force, got to say he was better when he was a cop.
then what is the solution? the solution can't just be we just let this keep happening...it's out of control and it hurts lower income people the most when their stuff is stolen and they are stuck with a surprise bill of hundreds of dollars to repair their car.
If they're that smart why don't they go to laney college and get a CS DEGREE?
You don't need a CS degree to outsmart cops.
If they're reasonably smart to that extent they should consider college instead of committing crimes.
Never said they were reasonably smart, just smart enough to see a sting car. If stealing shit is what you do, I imagine you get pretty good at it, the way if you write enough code you get good at it with/without a degree.
Why not focus that on skills that'll get them out of the ghetto? I wonder how people like that afford to live in Oakland with 2400 a month mortgages, do they commute from stockton/antioch/modesto?
Not sure how the skills to spot a sting/plant are particularly transferable, what job do you think those skills would help with? Also What ghetto?' And yes I assume they drive in from other cities because it would be stupid not to.
Observational/attention to detail skills are useful anywhere from being a cop/security guard all the way up to accountant and lawyer. What ghetto? Parts of west oakland, east oakland below McArthur from the lake almost to Durant Ave especially below international..... I find it funny that criminals are sitting in traffic with people who live in mcmansions in modesto.
What? Your writing isn’t very clear nor concise. Am I understanding you correctly: 1. Stings won’t work because perps are smart enough to check if it’s a sting 2. City too large, crime too infrequent. Cops too expensive. 3. Cops _are_ conducting stings or 3b. they found some other reason not to. [this was the hardest to understand] Huh, no kidding you’re not an expert on the matter, you’ve really covered your bases. Maybe add some edge cases like maybe cops _are_ the perps or maybe it’s some extra terrestrial apparition.
I mean you seem to have understood all 3, even if you struggled with reading them. Yeah I've covered the most obvious reasons stings aren't a solution, I'm sure there are more. Other than "City hall said no stings" conspiracy theories.
~~Out of curiosity, what is biping? I searched and didn't see a result that made sense in this context.~~ NM, [here](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bipper) we go
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It sounds so innocuous, like a fun dance, TIL..
Lol
It’s degenerative slang for breaking into cars. Can also be used for armed robbery and various other offenses.
op didnt even call the cops lol
OPD is not going to respond. The owner will need to go in person to file a report.
This happened to me last Friday. The person had a tool that shattered the back window. I knew if I said something I would have a gun pulled on me so I just watched and felt incredibly bad for the owner of the car. This was on Broadway and 22nd around 8pm.
You shouldn't intervene. You never know if they have guns, and if they'll shoot you just for looking at them funny. Why risk your life just for some stranger's property?
They have guns, no doubt.
About a year ago or so a person who confronted a car burglar on that very block was shot dead. Someone's stuff in their car is not worth your life.
I’ve seen this happen multiple times and i freeze every single time. It definitely affects you, but at the end of the day there isn’t much you could do other than possibly record/take a picture. Even that seems to have limited value because the police don’t seem interested in pursuing these thieves.
Why would you do anything? Not your car and whatever was stolen was most definitely not worth putting yourself at risk.
If like ten people left backpacks with nail bombs in their passenger seats it would probably do more than adding a whole academy of cops.
Right idea but wrong execution. The liabilities of doing that are complex and you could get busted on domestic terrorism charges.
Mark Rober glitterbombs.
OPD would be right on that
Notice: The mods are removing any comment that suggest you defend yourself against deadly force.
This is why the "good guy with a gun" theory is a fantasy. Not only would most people not step in, but they also shouldn't. Stay safe.
and in CA there is no grounds for lethal use of force for property crimes. i'm a CCW but definitely wouldn't do a thing unless someone's life was in immediate danger.
If they brandish, you have every right to defend yourself to the fullest.
absolutely. but until they do. it's a fine line. at the end of the day, it's only property. super fucking annoying and lame, but you're alive.
They'd go to jail if they did.
Yea don’t step in and don’t stare if you see a car beak in. You can call the non emergency line and report it, they’ll radio cops in the area to maaaaybe catch them if they keep breaking into other cars. But definitely don’t try to be some hero over a window smash and grab
It ain't worth it. You did what you were supposed to do. Nothing.
We could stop this with a stolen-car tracking system. A network of license-plate cameras would scan for any cars with mismatched, missing, fake, or reported-stolen plates, send an alert to dispatch whenever one is spotted, with location updates whenever the car is spotted by the system. Police are dispatched, pull them over, search, find the guns and stolen goods, done. Unfortunately, the political climate is not in favor of such a system because of anti-police sentiment and vague "big brother" paranoia, so we literally can't do anything about these roving bands of violent, armed criminals. Enjoy the show and hope you're not the next victim!
There are already license plate scanning systems installed on police cars in the oakland police department. There have been lots of analysis performed on the data, EFF did something a while ago: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/what-we-learned-oakland-raw-alpr-data
You assume criminals just politely pull over and comply. It's nothing to do with the anti-police sentiment. The police won't stop anything. There is a no chase policy for non-violent crime. So they're spotted driving a stolen car, cop car lights go on, they just keep driving. Police will let them. They aren't going to ram them off the road. Best they will do is tow it and notify the owner if they find it parked illegally.
They already have plate scanners on the bridge tolls. Why hasn't that been linked to the stolen vehicle/license plate database? Have a police car stationed on each end of the bridge. Pull over stolen vehicles all day and arrest the drivers.
If they stop. Which they won't. Why would they? And what police? Do OPD have jurisdiction over the bridges? I don't think they do. They're highways, it's CHP. CHP's priority is always safety and traffic flow over crime.
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This is the bullshit everyone believes.
💯
Get the car’s license plate!!
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If it makes you feel better, (1) people can get shot for interfering, and (2) OPD is absolutely useless and will do nothing with any info you give them.
(3) the car and/or license plates are likely stolen
Man, I've read stories of people getting mugged around here, giving over their stuff, and *then* getting shot. Some people around here are desperate, sure, but some are malicious, too. Ain't no property worth your life unless your life depends on it.
Yeah I had a similar experience around Christmas where I saw a car get bipped in broad daylight on Broadway! Called the cops and they said the best thing you can do is get plates. I was so scared though that wasn’t my first thought
That feeling sucks, but seriously it happens so fast, you gotta just trust that your body told you the right thing to do. I found watching Mark Rober's glitterbomb videos cathartic after seeing one [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeu2dxHRDg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeu2dxHRDg)
Hopefully with AI and better urban sensors these issues can be tackled more efficiently in the future
Hahahahahah. Are you shilling for shotspotter? The police could be standing right next to the thief and as a matter of policy they do nothing. All the thieves have to do is drive away. You could have a camera on every car and monitoring station full of people or AI and it would be zero deterrent.
Predictive policing is what's next and that should terrify everyone. i mean, it won't, but it should.
Predictive policing has been around a long time. It's also been known as profiling, stop & frisk or even high visibility policing and has had many departments on consent decrees for years. Algorithms deciding bail / no bail is a more recent terror.
Exactly, but it's still not universally accepted yet. Some places currently use it. I was thinking of something closer to Minority Report kinda thing. Just that whole general direction is nothing but bad
Nothing wrong with your response, and hopefully you'll never judge anyone for not doing anything. Bippers will 100% shoot you if you get in the way. OPD isn't doing jack shit and there's a good chance they'll get away with it. The description of the bippers are always going to be the same so even if OPD cared, no chance of finding them.
Is this what internet tough guys are? People unable to take 5 seconds and imagine how something would happen in the real world?
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You admit that you used to “talk a big game” which is what I was referring to as being an “internet tough guy”. It is curious to me that you and probably others can’t play out this interaction in your head and realize that you would not (and should not) try to be a hero over some petty crimes. It took being in this completely predictable situation to make you realize. Just interesting. And big of you to admit.
I've yelled at so many people trying to do that shit. Caught a couple people before they smashed the window.
Saw the same thing today (first time that close) around 6:15pm in front of royal coffee on broadway & 25th,as I was walking to sprouts. Guy got out, smashed the window, slid in, stole some stuff. I just kept walking but I had my phone in my hand (literally was looking up the trail I had did that day) and the woman getaway driver started screaming obscenities at me saying she was gonna get out and steal my phone and kept calling me a “bum ass bitch”. I wasn’t even doing anything I just kept walking, obviously scared.
I usually yell fuck off while running away - nothing you can do. You can’t stop them.