Camera Equipment Theft At Tourist Spots- How Common?

[samstevens]

Oh, and if we do want to talk about California's economy, here's an article about California's surplus coming out of the pandemic, despite Walgreens decision to close a bunch of stores. The article suggests there's some debate about the size of the surplus, but no debate about the fact that "it's an amount that surpasses most states' annual spending."

 

CALIFORNIA SURPLUS

 

Perhaps we should get back to the dangers/non-dangers of photo equipment theft, unless the OP has already left the building ...

Edited November 1, 2021 by samstevens

[robert_ante]

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.

 

I don’t keep a file of such stuff. You can do your own research...perhaps beginning with Wall Street Journal.

Of course my first post about chartering a plane was tongue on cheek. However, I do have relatives in the Bay Area who keep me abreast of situation..

[Ed_Ingold]

The most egregious theft occurred in Barcelona, on an orchestra tour. After one concert we were waiting for the tour bus when a group of young people jostled through our group rather than around. When they left, a flute case went with them. Another time, a girl left her camera on a table at an outdoor restaurant, to talk with some friends. The camera went on a walk while she was away.

 

This coincides with Sandy's admonition to be vigilant. I had my camera gear in a backpack, with the zippers tied with twisty key rings (which take two hands to open).

 

Widespread shoplifting has emptied shelves in many stores in SF. Walgreen's Drugs have closed 29 stores there as a direct consequence. There is ample documentation this activity on television from security videos in stores. Most recently, thieves stripped the shelves on a posh store in Chicago. In SF they saunter out of the store, but here they have to run because they will be arrested and charged if caught.

Edited November 1, 2021 by William Michael

[Sanford]

I used to have a rule, never carry a camera around you can't afford to lose, have stolen, or drop. And have a backup plan, how much can I afford to spend to get "back in the game" if I lost everything.

[Jochen_S]

1. Catching COVID might be a bigger risk?
   
2. I'm considering involvement into a vehicle crash also likelier.
   

...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.

Robert's last sentence has it.

I could enjoy a trip with 2 APS C bodies, the entire kit worth less than a latest iPhone and maybe my "I don't mind at all" 35mm SLRs kit is still going strong too.

I suppose how shiny your camera seems in a thief's eye depends on the rest of your appearance, including vehicles, that might catch primary attention?

 

I wouldn't fear robbers' guns much. I have none of my own, to use in a fight, so why not head for a clean, kind of friendly transaction? - FTR: I did mindgame through killing somebody, to defend my (other) camera, while I hadn't recovered from the purchase...

 

Summary: Calculate your risk!

Maybe save up, to do a whole lot of trips properly, during a sabbatical, to make camera insurance for that year look like a steal?

Be as stealthy as you can. When I knew we 'd sleep somewhere on a ferry, I only happy snapped with an old P&S and kept the Leicas bagged.

Figure out what you could be comfortable to do, what of all the gear at hand or at least in reach, would serve you best and try to take a mental step back (including 3rd party "sanity check" opinions?) to see the big picture in total. - Both, worries and also their remedies(!), tend to be on the less rational end of the rainbow.

[goodharbor]

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.

 

I've been a Barcelona victim ...but I love the city and will return (with more caution ...)

[httpwww.photo.netbarry]

I've been a Barcelona victim ...but I love the city and will return (with more caution ...)

I've heard several reports from friends that Barcelona is a GREAT city. I'd love to go there sometime.

[Sandy Vongries]

It is not property you are defending against thieves. Have your home burglarized, or worse, invaded. Be robbed forcibly. Successfully defending yourself simply assures peace of mind and freedom from fear. That is worth a great deal of risk, at least to me. I have little concern for the outcomes of decisions criminals have made.

[inoneeye]

The results of successfully defending myself I can say haunted me more than the result of having given in. Neither gave me peace of mind. Both made me more wary.

[Ed_Ingold]

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

I'm thinking "Dirty Harry" for inspiration ;)

[samstevens]

I'm thinking ...

 

 

:rolleyes:

[c_watson1]

And of course no one ever defrauds insurance companies with false theft claims, right?

[Ricochetrider]

BS, rumors, & anecdotes aside, If you don't want to be a victim, then don't show up acting like one.

 

As for photo equipment getting stolen out of cars, isn't this one of the single most well known things in terms of cars/cameras? Leaving your cameras and gear in the car? Since when was that ever a good idea? Expect it to get stolen.

 

Thieves, scumbags, and ne'er do wells abound, in every city, world wide. SO you gonna let that stop you from visiting or traveling and documenting your travels with your favorite camera? Be smart, act like you own the place, stay organized, never show anyone all of what you have on you (whatever it is- money, gear, any & everything)- and pay attention to what's and who's around you. Yes "they" prey on easier targets. Don't make it easy.

 

That said, even the wary can get swept into complacency. But awareness helps a LOT. It's important to pay attention.

[c_watson1]

Put another way, you make your own luck. Far too many tourist/gawkers parade around festooned with gear.

[Sanford]

Why would anyone steal a digital camera anyway? Don't most of them become worthless after a few years?

[mikemorrell]

My 2 cts:

 

- It's been many years since I traveled as a tourist to the US. But in certain cities (SF, Washington), the hotel staff would give me a map and mark out the areas where I would be relatively 'safe'' walking around as a tourist and the areas which they recommended that I should avoid.

- I worked in a local city for years and it soon became clear that a local gang was targeting people with laptops in a nearby parking garage.No guns (being The Netherlands) but thieving laptops from open trunks, even throwing bricks into car windows to distract and intimidate drivers. The obvious answer was to 'disguise'' laptops.

- I once (infuriatingly!) got my pocket picked in Amsterdam. The police basically said 'he picked you out as a likely target'.

 

So, my 2 cts. are:

- be aware of the area (and risk of theft)

- don't make it too obvious that you carry expensive equipment

- don't make yourself a 'likely target' (stay suspicious)

 

There's not much you can do when someone's pointing a gun at you. The most that you IHMO can do is to avoid getting into that situation. I found it helpful (when my laptop and those of some others were thieved from my office) to put yourself in the 'mindset' of professional thieves.

- how do they operate?

- how do they choose their 'victims'?

- how do they scam (or by brute force) acquire valuables?

 

And most importantly: how can you best protect yourself?

[httpwww.photo.netbarry]

Why would anyone steal a digital camera anyway? Don't most of them become worthless after a few years?

Now that's interesting. So a couple of years ago, someone broke into our house and stole all the computers, despite our house having an alarm. They didn't even budge the Leica and Hasselblad I had on a shelf and my digital cameras/lenses, nor 3 really good guitars I have. I asked the cops about that and they told me, most house thieves look for cash and valuables stashed in drawers, which in our house were opened and many of the contents strewn, and computers, especially laptops that they can sell quickly. He said they wouldn't probably be knowledgeable about camera equipment or instruments and where to fence them.

 

Another friend of mine in Oakland had her home robbed and they took the 2 laptops she had and didn't touch her instruments, a vintage 1920's Gibson mandolin and Mandela, and a really old Martin guitar all in their cases right next to the table with the laptop. She's a professional musician, and especially the mandolin and mandola are her bread and butter instruments. The cops told her, these guys now how much time they have before the alarms go off and basically its smash and grab.

[httpwww.photo.netbarry]

What I said above, doesn't mean you won't get your camera's stolen if you're careless.

[Ed_Ingold]

Police in my area (northern Illinois) traced an iPhone to the thief using the FindMy app. There are apps for laptops which will broadcast their location to a tracking service as soon as they are turned on. Tracking devices, like "Tile", can be hidden inside bags and attached to other objects, tracked anonymously by a wide network of subscribers, and reported to your phone or computer. Let the police handle it. The technology seems to pique their interest in an otherwise fruitless investigation. Self-help is frowned upon.

 

What's that, a house robbed in Oakland? More right-wing propaganda.

[samstevens]

What's that, a house robbed in Oakland? More right-wing propaganda.

Uh. No. I’m sure it’s true that houses in Oakland have been broken into, so it’s not propaganda, right-wing or otherwise.

 

What is right-wing propaganda is someone here saying that you can’t be stopped for stealing less than $950 worth of goods in San Francisco, because that’s objectively false.

 

Hope you understand the difference.

[httpwww.photo.netbarry]

Police in my area (northern Illinois) traced an iPhone to the thief using the FindMy app. There are apps for laptops which will broadcast their location to a tracking service as soon as they are turned on. Tracking devices, like "Tile", can be hidden inside bags and attached to other objects, tracked anonymously by a wide network of subscribers, and reported to your phone or computer. Let the police handle it. The technology seems to pique their interest in an otherwise fruitless investigation. Self-help is frowned upon.

 

What's that, a house robbed in Oakland? More right-wing propaganda.

Fake news? :)

[Ed_Ingold]

What is right-wing propaganda is someone here saying that you can’t be stopped for stealing less than $950 worth of goods in San Francisco, because that’s objectively false.

In general, private citizens, including security guards, cannot make an arrest or forcibly detain someone for a misdemeanor. Raising the bar on felony retail theft is the reason we see store personnel and security watch helplessly as offenders walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of goods.

 

Retail stores typically operate on a 3% margin. If someone steals $1000 worth of goods, it takes over $30K in sales to make up the loss. How long can that go on before the business goes under?

[samstevens]

Raising the bar on felony retail theft is the reason we see store personnel and security watch helplessly as offenders walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of goods.

No, it’s not.

 

Security guards and store personnel are allowed to detain people for misdemeanor as well as felony shoplifting violations. There has been no legal change to the power of detention of security guards or any other citizen. The difference the law makes is to charging categories and penalties, not to detainment or apprehension. As has always been the case, security guards and store owners must observe the crime being committed in order to detain where police can detain based on probable cause.

 

A video showing security guards witnessing and doing nothing about a shoplifter is either being created as a stunt or simply an example of security guards not doing their job. It says nothing about the law.

 

Stop spreading lies.

 

https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/laws/shopkeepers-privilege/

[Sandy Vongries]

https://abc7news.com/photographer-robbed-at-gunpoint-san-francisco-fremont-armed-robber/11188827/

[samstevens]

EXCLUSIVE: Fremont photographer robbed at gunpoint after being followed 40 miles from SF

Crime stories are ubiquitous in every state of the union. Selective posting of one of these stories is a good sign of the bias of the poster while not telling us much about the general nature of crime in a particular state. Thanks for the self-revelation.

Edited November 3, 2021 by samstevens