Catalytic converter thieves

[BBQ Guy]

Sounds like maybe you don't have any friends who are LEO, who can give you the real scoop about why they aren't able to respond to low priority crimes.

I don't know what your profession is, but in any line of work there comes a point where if your boss gives you too much to do (or in the case of our current police department, is understaffed due to budget limitations) you have to start prioritizing what you work on.. and other things drop off the radar.

Please don't assume that he's not willing to do his job. There are a half a dozen other higher priority crimes that police have to respond to with limited staff. They can't attend to lower level crimes. Not that they don't want to... they just plain don't have the time.

And personally (even though it would suck to have a catalytic converter stolen from any of my vehicles) I'd rather have police available to handle life threatening crimes in their limited bandwidth schedules.

Regardless of whether is was done calmly or politely, I still don't think it was fair to call that officer out and accuse him of something that most likely is completely out of his control, and most likely is just as discouraging and frustrating for him as it is for you.

Actually I do have friends and family that are current and former LE.
Your assumption is just that.

If we don't share our dissatisfaction with front line and command officers how do they know what to tell their supers up the chain of command?

You are correct, they should be free to pursue more serious issues in their limited time.
But when did we decide that property crimes are going to slide?

Better yet, the thieves get away with their nonsense, while law abiding citizens are held to a different standard.
Either we have a baseline that we are all held to or it is anarchy 24/7. Which we are closer to than we have ever been.

The issue is complex but the direct effect of electing incompetent bureaucrats repeatedly and expecting different results has led us to this point in our history as a society in Oregon.
LE isn't supported by their supers. They are crapped on by the general public. We've lowered the bar for personal accountability so even the losers get a trophy. The legalization of drugs has opened the floodgates to open air drug dealing and usage. LE agency budgets have been slashed while the expectations have doubled.

It's a crap show all the way around.

 

[The Heretic]

I am sorry, but I don't expect Portland LEOs to be responding to small time thefts from vehicles. There is nothing they can do if the thief is gone except take a report - you can file a report yourself and let them handle the violence that is much more important.

‘Overworked, overwhelmed and burned out’: Why Portland cops say they’re leaving in droves

Since July 1, 115 officers have left the Police Bureau, including 74 who retired and 41 who resigned. Two more will resign by the end of this month and one more is retiring. They make up one of the biggest waves of departures in recent memory. Nearly three dozen filled out exit interviews and...

www.oregonlive.com

 

[rickysays]

You are correct, they should be free to pursue more serious issues in their limited time.
But when did we decide that property crimes are going to slide?

The "we" you're referring to are the voters who put our current leadership in place, and who insisted on defunding our police force.

You and I never had a choice in the matter... we just are stuck with the fallout, unfortunately.

It's frustrating to say the least.

 

[BBQ Guy]

I am sorry, but I don't expect Portland LEOs to be responding to small time thefts from vehicles. There is nothing they can do if the thief is gone except take a report - you can file a report yourself and let them handle the violence that is much more important.

‘Overworked, overwhelmed and burned out’: Why Portland cops say they’re leaving in droves

Since July 1, 115 officers have left the Police Bureau, including 74 who retired and 41 who resigned. Two more will resign by the end of this month and one more is retiring. They make up one of the biggest waves of departures in recent memory. Nearly three dozen filled out exit interviews and...

www.oregonlive.com

You specifically identify PPB.
So are your expectations different for other agencies?

We disagree on this.

I hope at some point you suffer a theft of your property so maybe you might understand the anger, the violation, and the frustration.

 

[The Heretic]

You specifically identify PPB.
So are your expectations different for other agencies?

We disagree on this.

I hope at some point you suffer a theft of your property so maybe you might understand the anger, the violation, and the frustration.

I've had theft from my vehicle twice and from the carport (where I used to live) twice also. So BTDT. The vehicle theft was in Salem and Bellevue,WA - the carport was Everett, WA. Bellevue PD would not even take a report (this was 20 years ago). Salem did (35 years ago), but mostly because it was multiple cars at an apartment building. Everett we didn't even bother. The Everett PD didn't even come out when I called in to report a man crawling in a window at 1 AM into the house next door - until the woman who lived there called in to report the intruder, then they came out. We had two or three drive by shootings too - for those they showed up.

So what I expect of LEOs in cities is pretty much very little, especially with minor thefts - even less with Portland because it is Portland - and no, I don't blame the LE officers for the most part, I blame the mayor and city council and the rioters and the people who voted for and supported the politicians and bureaucrats.

Crime is one of the reasons why I don't live in the city anymore - people in general being the main reason.

 

[BBQ Guy]

The "we" you're referring to are the voters who put our current leadership in place, and who insisted on defunding our police force.

You and I never had a choice in the matter... we just are stuck with the fallout, unfortunately.

It's frustrating to say the least.

I refuse to use the term leadership when referring to the current bodies occupying the elected offices. They are anything but leaders.

You are correct that we are stuck with other peoples poor choices. However i dont view it as we didnt have a choice. We did.
The current apathy that surrounds our society is what has contributed to the state of affairs. I refuse to accept and operate under the guise of apathy.

 

[Dinglenutz]

Here is one of the camps near my home. Taken this morning. Tents full of who knows what. I am guessing a large portion of it is stolen.

ETA- I have seen these folks get food delivered, clothing, mattresses, other bedding materials, and clothing. Within 3-4 weeks those delivered goods become garbage and put near the curb for somebody to pick up. Rodents are frequently seen near the area during daylight hours. This camp has been in place for about a year now.

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I think those are called gypsies in the old country.

 

[BBQ Guy]

I think those are called gypsies in the old country.

Well, this ain't the old country.

These days we use ferals or maggots.
They are addicts, drunks, and felons. They live on the edge of society so they can't be held accountable and can live a nefarious lifestyle victimizing the rest of us.
I say sweep em, put em in chains, and make them work in labor camps. We have roads that need fixing, parks to be cleaned, and garbage to be picked up.

 

[Mikej]

I think those are called gypsies in the old country.

We have a area of potland where quite a few Roma, Romani, gypsy if you must I guess, families live, quite nicely actually. The ones I've had dealings with own nice homes and drive nice cars. My experiences with the people are they defiantly try to get the best deal on anything and everything.

 

[Mikej]

Well, this ain't the old country.

These days we use ferals or maggots.
They are addicts, drunks, and felons. They live on the edge of society so they can't be held accountable and can live a nefarious lifestyle victimizing the rest of us.
I say sweep em, put em in chains, and make them work in labor camps. We have roads that need fixing, parks to be cleaned, and garbage to be picked up.

Agreed! There needs to be some out of the box thinking. Once these people get on the streets it's just a matter of time before mental issues start popping up. I am not a smart man, but I believe that a good, sane, working man supporting himself ends up on the street. For what ever reason. The longer they are in that position the more likely mental issues will start to take over. I've watched it in my hood for years now. There are the people that "LIVE" on the streets. They come and go. They have their stuff. They shop at the store and dig through dumpsters. It ain't "pretty, but it's their "Life" Then there are the others with varying degrees of mental issues. Some just odd, that surround them selves with stuff/garbage, and are in general lucid and dealing with their "Lives". Then there are the ones that are BAT bubblegum CRAZY! There is no dealing with them.

Not that this pile of garbage city gives a rip, but someone up their in the tower of local politics needs to take on the job of getting these people to respond to rules, or get them into institutions and completely away from the decent working people of this state.

 

[BBQ Guy]

Agreed! There needs to be some out of the box thinking. Once these people get on the streets it's just a matter of time before mental issues start popping up. I am not a smart man, but I believe that a good, sane, working man supporting himself ends up on the street. For what ever reason. The longer they are in that position the more likely mental issues will start to take over. I've watched it in my hood for years now. There are the people that "LIVE" on the streets. They come and go. They have their stuff. They shop at the store and dig through dumpsters. It ain't "pretty, but it's their "Life" Then there are the others with varying degrees of mental issues. Some just odd, that surround them selves with stuff/garbage, and are in general lucid and dealing with their "Lives". Then there are the ones that are BAT bubblegum CRAZY! There is no dealing with them.

Not that this pile of garbage city gives a rip, but someone up their in the tower of local politics needs to take on the job of getting these people to respond to rules, or get them into institutions and completely away from the decent working people of this state.

A lot of these folks choose to be on the streets.
Then there is the advocates. They have deemed themselves the champions of letting folks exist on the streets. Which is disgusting.

We currently spend millions on this issue and the city is talking about upping the budget to a billion.
There has been no net improvement in the current situation for dollars spent. I don't believe spending more will increase the bottom line either.

Poverty pimps are making a killing in this shell game.

The only solution to me is to stop the spending. Sweep the streets, shackles and labor camps for everyone. Triage everyone for different services. Reopen the mental hospitals, house the nut jobs correctly. Prosecute the criminals for wants and warrants. Institute a zero tolerance policy for ferals and maggots. Then let the labor camps, zero spending for poverty pimps, and the 0 tolerance policy work their magic.
Inside of 5 years the city will no longer have a feral or maggot infestation. Piles of garbage gone. Poverty pimps out of business. The folks that are nuts will be off the streets and being taken care of correctly.
It's not a difficult problem or solution. It just takes fortitude and a set of brass to tell everyone how the show will be run.

 

[Mikej]

A lot of these folks choose to be i and the streets.

I don't believe it's quite that simple. Put the long time drug affected to the side for now. What makes more sense to me is, there's a period of time after someone is forced to the street where they would love to get a home and job back. After a time, getting a job is much more difficult when a person has been on the street. I think a lot of people don't have what it takes to pull themselves out of the situation, and give up. You've got to admit there aren't a lot of agencies/programs to be middle man between the dirty broken person on the street for a year and an employer needing people to train to be good workers again. Heck, used to be you could get a cart and some rakes, broom, shovel and hoe and knock on doors for work. I think that's gone now pretty much. Central City concern is one such Org. https://centralcityconcern.org/ It was workers from CCC that were cleaning up the homeless camp a block from me a week ago. They are an agency that does exactly what what I'm talking about.

Maybe it's just me? But I feel if I lost everything I currently have and ended up on the street with nothing but a junker car that I could easily end up just giving up and getting drunk/drugged all day.

We need to put the GD regulations away and get to people, and get them productive somehow. Give 'em a bridge/gateway to something besides despair.

 

[BBQ Guy]

I don't believe it's quite that simple. Put the long time drug affected to the side for now. What makes more sense to me is, there's a period of time after someone is forced to the street where they would love to get a home and job back. After a time, getting a job is much more difficult when a person has been on the street. I think a lot of people don't have what it takes to pull themselves out of the situation, and give up. You've got to admit there aren't a lot of agencies/programs to be middle man between the dirty broken person on the street for a year and an employer needing people to train to be good workers again. Heck, used to be you could get a cart and some rakes, broom, shovel and hoe and knock on doors for work. I think that's gone now pretty much. Central City concern is one such Org. https://centralcityconcern.org/ It was workers from CCC that were cleaning up the homeless camp a block from me a week ago. They are an agency that does exactly what what I'm talking about.

Maybe it's just me? But I feel if I lost everything I currently have and ended up on the street with nothing but a junker car that I could easily end up just giving up and getting drunk/drugged all day.

We need to put the GD regulations away and get to people, and get them productive somehow. Give 'em a bridge/gateway to something besides despair.

If you have ever read reports from officers on the street they have statements contradictory to your belief.
Some of these folks may start out as down their luck but quickly turn into lifetime scumbags.

As to programs that help these folks out...
There are more programs and poverty pimps that soak up public tax dollars to help them than there is for a tax paying citizen. Trust me. Try skipping out on your a mortgage payment a few times and see how quickly the foreclosure notices roll in. Jobs programs are abundant for these folks.

I read somewhere recently that success rate for many of these programs are less than 1%....
Anyone with 2 firing synapses would conclude either the programs are failing or the folks in the programs are failures, maybe even some sort of combination. Either way, it's not working and throwing more money at it won't accelerate or increase success.
It is time to accept that the current course is a failure and back to the drawing board.

 

[Mikej]

If you have ever read reports from officers on the street they have statement contradictory to your belief.
Some of these folks may start out as down their luck but quickly turn into lifetime scumbags.

As to programs that help these folks out...
There are programs and poverty pimps that soak up public tax dollars to help them than there is for a tax paying citizen. Trust me. Try skipping out on your a mortgage parent a few times and see how quickly the foreclosure notices roll in. Jobs programs are abundant for these folks.

I read somewhere recently that success rate for many of these programs are less than 1%....
Anyone with 2 firing synapses would conclude either the programs are failing or the folks in the programs are failures, maybe even some sort of combination. Either way, it's not working and throwing more money at it won't accelerate or increase success.
It is time to accept that the current course is a failure and back to the drawing board.

That's why I'm saying that we need smart people, that will find a better path, to help the situation. I mean, what else is there? Can't shoot 'em! Some one beside the corrupt politicians that have it in THEIR heads they are the "Be All, End All" and have the answers to every problem.

"Some of these folks may start out as down their luck but quickly turn into lifetime scumbags."

I have these ^^ people coming through from time to time right in, my, close, neighborhood. CLOSE, like I could walk there in 60 seconds from where I am sitting at the computer right now. They are not scum bags. I have the scum bags too. Well, we just got rid of two, leaving two decent folks. I don't know what the problem is. I'm not the one to ask. It's the people who spend many millions of dollars to get elected to solve the problem. Maybe the problem is, once a person/persons have been on the street they lose something? Upstairs?

I'm pretty much agreeing with everything you're saying.

 

[Ruger Rich]

I live in Milwaukie on a dead end street in a neighborhood association type thing, 50 homes. Recently, 30 days, 5 vehicles have had their cat conv
stolen. Pickups were the main target, 4 out of 5, and I suspect because they are easier to get under. Two attempted thefts were caught in the act
and chased away. The people buying them are criminals. Have you tried to sell copper recently? Where I go they copy your drivers license, take a
picture of your vehicle and mail you the check a few days later. The same thing needs to happen with cat conv's.

 

[Alexx1401]

A lot of these folks choose to be on the streets.
Then there is the advocates. They have deemed themselves the champions of letting folks exist on the streets. Which is disgusting.

We currently spend millions on this issue and the city is talking about upping the budget to a billion.
There has been no net improvement in the current situation for dollars spent. I don't believe spending more will increase the bottom line either.

Poverty pimps are making a killing in this shell game.

THIS!!!!
The entire "poor homeless" has become a money maker for a lot of people. Claiming to want to help. Just like the war on poverty its just a huge hole money is tossed down. I have long said I could care less how grown adults wish to live. As long as they do not expect me to support them. The problem I have with the "homeless" who choose to be that way only because they do not want to follow rules? Screw them when they stand there hand out telling me I owe them something because I dare to go to work.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

THIS!!!!
The entire "poor homeless" has become a money maker for a lot of people. Claiming to want to help. Just like the war on poverty its just a huge hole money is tossed down. I have long said I could care less how grown adults wish to live. As long as they do not expect me to support them. The problem I have with the "homeless" who choose to be that way only because they do not want to follow rules? Screw them when they stand there hand out telling me I owe them something because I dare to go to work.

Yep for a lot it's a lifestyle choice. They choose to make their living by stealing stuff from working people and living on handouts. Not speaking of those who have a legit reason for nowhere else to be, which is a bigger issue of course.

I was at a stoplight the other day and there was a begger at the intersection. The light turned green and a lady in a subaru was holding up about 10 cars behind her while she frantically dug around in the car to find $ to give to him.

 

[Mikej]

I was at a stoplight the other day and there was a begger at the intersection. The light turned green and a lady in a subaru was holding up about 10 cars behind her while she frantically dug around in the car to find $ to give to him.

Been there.

 

[BBQ Guy]

I've been quiet about this....

I came out to my truck on a Sunday morning recently to go to the gym. Get in and there is only 1/4 tank of gas in it.
Which was odd because we filled it up Friday night.
The suckers skipped the cat converter and punctured my tank for the gas.

Anyone that says folks on the streets are decent people can kiss my back side.
I have zero empathy, sympathy, and f's to give. Nothing, for those folks.
If they burst into flame, I'd pour more gas onto them.
I'm currently working 2 jobs to get ahead of house remodel costs and then this crap happens.

There is no program to help tax paying citizens that lose money to the criminal element in this city. The bureaucrats willingly look the other way and introduce ideas that instigate the behavior.
Soon enough there will be one less high tax paying family in the city of PDX and MultCo.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I've been quiet about this....

I came out to my truck on a Sunday morning recently to go to the gym. Get in and there is only 1/4 tank of gas in it.
Which was odd because we filled it up Friday night.
The suckers skipped the cat converter and punctured my tank for the gas.

Anyone that says folks on the streets are decent people can kiss my back side.
I have zero empathy, sympathy, and f's to give. Nothing, for those folks.
If they burst into flame, I'd pour more gas onto them.
I'm currently working 2 jobs to get ahead of house remodel costs and then this crap happens.

There is no program to help tax paying citizens that lose money to the criminal element in this city. The bureaucrats willingly look the other way and introduce ideas that instigate the behavior.
Soon enough there will be one less high tax paying family in the city of PDX and MultCo.

View attachment 895673

Damn that sucks! Sorry to hear that. I totally hear you on moving. We are getting out as soon as it's feasible also. I just put up a ring cam for the driveway two days ago specifically to catch any potential cat thieves and then to see this happen. Makes you sick, man that would piss me off!