Camera Equipment Theft At Tourist Spots- How Common?

I have read for example, to be very wary of bringing camera gear to locations in San Fransisco, like the Golden Gate lookouts. I've heard of people getting their gear stolen from them right at the location right in front of them. Some held at gunpoint to hand over their gear. One photographer in San Fransisco had the thieves follow him home, come to his car, smash the rear window, and steal his gear from inside his car. They pulled a gun on him when he tried to intervene. I've also heard of people being followed with the thieves smashing the vehicle while its stopped in traffic, after following them for a while.

 

This makes me nervous going on trips, especially alone with gear. I want to go to San Fransisco to get pics of the Golden Gate and around town, but if I hear stories like this, I dont know if I'd want to risk it. Especially if guns are involved.

 

How common is this in tourist spots like Frisco for example?

 

Moderator- Move to the appropriate forum if this isn't correct here.

That has been a problem ever since I can remember, and probably a long time before.

Don't leave gear out and easy to grab and run. Don't put gear down and turn your back on it. A trunk is better than a hatchback.

Make sure your camera gear is covered by your homeowners/renters/camera rider insurance.

 

I've heard of drive by (cut and run) theft in Europe.

They go by you on a scooter, cut the camera/bag strap and speed off with the camera/bag.

I live in San Francisco and have never thought twice about bringing a camera almost anywhere. I’m careful, streetwise, and not paranoid. Can you please cite the articles you read? There’s a lot of propaganda written about San Francisco. There are certainly incidents of crime in cities all over the country. I’m not saying there aren’t. But the emphasis San Francisco gets has more to do with politics than reality, and Lord knows these days there’s a wide gap between politics and reality. Come and enjoy. There are better views of the bridge than from those touristy vista points. Take a walk out along Chrissy Field in the Marina to the Warming Hut. You’ll encounter few thieves and more strollers and runners and you’ll get lovely views of the bridge. Drive down to Fort Point, where Kim Novak jumped into the bay in Vertigo, for a unique perspective that’s often missed by tourists. Drive across the bridge and shoot it from the Marin headlands, a road that goes up the hill as soon as you get over the bridge. You’ll get great views, with the city skyline in the background. Don’t worry. Be happy. Be aware as well. There are no guarantees in life, but the risks of photographing the Golden Gate Bridge are minimal.

In Trafalgar Square, London, many years ago, there was a gang operating a scam on tourists. A member would offer to take photos of the tourists using their own camera, posed before Landseer's Lions, suggesting they left their baggage with the 'photographer' as well. Many tourists would agree to this, hand over their gear to the scammer (who was usually smartly dressed, and had some kind of ID badge visible), walk to the chosen spot, then turn around to find that the scammer, camera and all their other belongings had vanished.

A couple friends and I were considering chartering a plane to SF and filling it up with contractor bags. Then spend a few days there visiting high end shops and stuffing them with slightly less than $950 worth of stuff st each store. Nobody allowed to stop us.

But danger lurks all over. I only carry small concealable cameras in NYC and cautious about where I go. Under current administration criminals are arrested and released. These are strange times.

But even decades ago, in late 1970s, I had a friend waiting for a train in Rome, with a Halliburton case filled with all of his Hassy equipment standing between his legs. His case was swooped from between in legs and lost forever.

I suppose the lesson to be learned is similar to the adage about investing in stock market: Only carry equipment that you can afford to lose.

Probably more lost than stolen around here.

A couple friends and I were considering chartering a plane to SF and filling it up with contractor bags. Then spend a few days there visiting high end shops and stuffing them with slightly less than $950 worth of stuff st each store. Nobody allowed to stop us.

This is disinformation.

 

Prop 47 in California reclassified certain thefts from felonies to misdemeanors. It didn't legalize shoplifting and it doesn’t mean you won’t be stopped for stealing less than $950 worth.

 

PROPAGANDA BUSTER (Thanks to the AP for fact-checking falsehoods that circulate on the Internet.)

I suppose the lesson to be learned is similar to the adage about investing in stock market: Only carry equipment that you can afford to lose.

Just stay home and watch Netflix. It’s low risk, though Couch Potatoes Anonymous might disagree.

photographing the golden gate bridge ... the only risk here was andy losing a garter belt

Theft of possessions has occurred all over the world since time immemorial. Pay attention to your surroundings and stay away from noted theft areas (US State Dept often issues warnings on their website of locations worldwide which pose potential risks to unwary tourists). I remember seeing a scooter rider snatch an unsuspecting woman's flashy necklace while she stood on the curb waiting for a bus in Naples, a shoeshine boy steal a man's wallet in Istanbul. When I was preparing to go to Cusco, Peru, the State Dept warning was tourists being garrotted in the streets near the town square as well as stealing possessions while people visited in the late afternoon at Sacsayhouayman. Risks don't mean don't go, just be alert. I have been accosted only once, in 1965 in Baltimore, and have travelled pretty much all over since then.

go by you on a scooter, cut the camera/bag strap and speed off with the camera/bag.

see Apocalypse Now (1979). It's not new.

 

Gary has it.

I've heard it can be pretty dicey in Barcelona where thieves will snatch your camera off the table as well as purses etc. but only anecdotally. But I've photographed in NYC and San Francisco as well as all over Los Angeles for years and never had anything taken, though I keep an eye out and my gear close.

Simply, look alert and capable. Crooks are bottom feeders and victimize the weak.

Theft is very common in my area of the world.

As mentioned above , be alert and expect this , as also mentioned above thieves normally look for "easy" victims , do not hesitate to make "eye contact" if you suspect that you are "under surveillance" by someone.

I have had no problem in: San Francisco; Rome; London or Barcelona - neither anywhere in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA.

 

I guess there's a tad of luck in that, however, I think more good management and preparedness that luck.

 

In San Fransisco specifically, I walked everywhere (no car) and occasionally used a cable car. When travelling, I use a Lowepro slingshot bag, and carry my main camera in my right hand with the strap wrapped around my wrist; sometimes my second camera is slung around my neck, tucked under the slingshot.

 

In SF I stayed at an hotel downtown. The first question I asked the two gents on the reception desk was, "I'll be walking everywhere, what are the no go areas?" - That's my standard question everywhere.

 

There's crime in every city, that's a fact - personally I felt as safe in San Fransisco as I do in Sydney City, noted that I am as equally alert and equally as careful in both.

 

Visit SF, it is a wonderful, vibrant city: I had a great time, lots to see, lots to experience and so much to photograph, not just the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

WW

There was a YouTube video from Tony and Chelsea Northrup about that theft.

Am I allowed to post a link?

Am I allowed to post a link?

Yes.

This is disinformation.

 

Prop 47 in California reclassified certain thefts from felonies to misdemeanors. It didn't legalize shoplifting and it doesn’t mean you won’t be stopped for stealing less than $950 worth.

 

PROPAGANDA BUSTER (Thanks to the AP for fact-checking falsehoods that circulate on the Internet.)

 

Just stay home and watch Netflix. It’s low risk, though Couch Potatoes Anonymous might disagree.

 

Loads of videos attesting yo the $950 shopping sprees. It is real and not only in Frisco. In Jersey City they lock up toothpaste and lots more for that very reason.

 

OP, if worried, travel with cheaper camera gear. That is what I do if in a dangerous local. I have 3 levels of gear. Disposable, medium and high end.

Loads of videos attesting yo the $950 shopping sprees.

How about a link? One that shows a connection between the change of law from felony to misdemeanor and the "shopping spree" in question. Otherwise, it's nothing but blather.

 

As if petty theft hasn't existed all over the place forever. The (false) accusation in this thread is that "nobody is allowed to stop us." Because of course they are. Whether or not someone actually does stop them is a different question, which might be answered "no" for a variety of reasons, little to do with this law.

 

A big part of the reason society seems to be in some trouble is that folks not only put stock in videos they see on the Internet but they're willing to draw certain conclusions that the videos don't show. You see a video of someone stealing something worth less than $950 dollars, perhaps with a misleading title given to that video, and assume that the new law is responsible for what you're seeing, when NO connection is established by that video other than in the mind of what I call the Gullible Internetist.

 

Think stuff through.

Edited October 31, 2021 by samstevens

This is disinformation.

 

Prop 47 in California reclassified certain thefts from felonies to misdemeanors. It didn't legalize shoplifting and it doesn’t mean you won’t be stopped for stealing less than $950 worth.

 

PROPAGANDA BUSTER (Thanks to the AP for fact-checking falsehoods that circulate on the Internet.)

 

Just stay home and watch Netflix. It’s low risk, though Couch Potatoes Anonymous might disagree.

 

There must therefore be some reason so many chain stores are leaving and so many retail stores have shortened their hours of operation. To slightly paraphrase Will Rogers, I only know what I read in the financial pages and journals.

By the way, I do indeed photograph in NYC. However, I am discreet.

It helps if one is able to read serious newspapers and financial reports, rather than be limited to CNN and graphic novels.

There must therefore be some reason so many chain stores are leaving and so many retail stores have shortened their hours of operation.

I’m sure there. Among them, I imagine the pandemic and lockdowns have played a critical role.

 

If you have a citation for a newspaper or financial report that ties the closing of these stores to the CA law, please share it with us. That can help us separate truth from Internet memes and political spin.

There was a YouTube video from Tony and Chelsea Northrup about that theft.

Am I allowed to post a link?

 

Ah, Tony and Chelsea, those paragons of veracity. Talk about clickbait meisters...

https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-stores-close-early-in-response-to-rampant-san-francisco-shoplifting-2396901/

More Businesses Leaving California In 2021 Than In Any Other Year Prior According To New Analysis - California Globe

California Exodus: Study Shows State Among Top 5 Showing Largest Outbound Migration

California Loses Congressional Seat, Texas Gains 2 Seats In 2020 U.S. Census Apportionment

Businesses aren't closing or leaving California because of shoplifting. The change in the law that already existed which I believe made the cutoff for felony theft (grand theft) at 500 dollars now to I guess is $950 doesn't "legalize" shop lifting. It's still a crime, you will be arrested and prosecuted and the comments here suggesting you can "get away" with theft by keeping it under $950 are ludicrous. Businesses are leaving California for Texas because of taxation issues, zoning and environmental reasons and Amazon and other online outlets as well as the Pandemic which caused many businesses to shut down and for people to rely on delivery services instead of brick and mortar shopping, and so many aren't re-opening. Sheesh. Is photo.net becoming Q-anon or something?

Vincent, thanks for illustrating what I meant by “Gullible Internetist.”

 

In the article you linked to, didn’t you notice that not one fact, statistic, police report, court brief, or other data point was offered to support a conclusion that the change of California law has led to business closures or businesses leaving the state? As opposed to such data, what’s offered is one statement where a Safeway spokesman opines about a connection between the law and the rise in crime. Other retailers speculate similarly. One of the links in your article states something you might have missed:

 

"Preliminary FBI crime reports show a 12 percent jump in larceny-theft, which includes shoplifting. But several experts say there is no proof that reduced criminal penalties caused the shoplifting surge."

 

This is how conspiracy theories are born and Internet falsehoods spread like California wildfires. These days, unfortunately, both the falsehoods and the fires present threats to society.

 

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What's so interesting is that the claim made in this thread that started the discussion is that Prop. 47 is responsible for the rise in theft. I asked for citations of data showing a connection between the felony/misdemeanor law and the closing of businesses. In response, Sandy cites articles that show that businesses and populations are leaving California, having nothing to do with Prop. 47 or the rise in theft. This suggests to me that the intention is more about dissing California than helping address the claim being discussed. Again, this is good, because it's illustrative of Internet mentality and the lack of intellectual honesty and discipline folks can exhibit. This is from the first of Sandy's linked articles. The other two articles also don't address Prop. 47 and the closing of businesses. Notice that among the reasons the Hoover Institution lists for businesses leaving California, there is no mention of Prop. 47:

 

"The Hoover Institution also noted well over a dozen reasons for the exodus of businesses including the bad business climate of the state, high business taxes, a difficult legal climate unfavorable to businesses, difficulty in obtaining business permits, high labor costs, overtime laws that start time and a half pay for both working more than 8 hours in a day and 40 hours in a week rather than just 40 hours in a week, high energy costs, a lack of affordable housing, high cost of living, not enough tax credits encouraging businesses to stay, and no overall reduction of business taxes in California."

 

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Thanks, guys, for so deftly illustrating what I was saying about Internet mentality and conspiracy theory evolution.

Edited November 1, 2021 by samstevens