Mackcreative Member Username: Mackcreative
Post Number: 129 Registered: 08-2006
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 11:44 am: | |
There has been a rash of cars stolen in our neighborhood the past few nights, even cars with clubs intact, no broken glass on the street, a strange tow truck has been observed driving around. This has got to take the cake for creativity. I thought I'd protected myself in every way possible from car theft and damage, but is there any way to stop a car from being towed? Any advice or contacts would be appreciated. Not an invitation to bash Detroit, start your own thread on that. |
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed
Post Number: 2263 Registered: 04-2006
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 11:59 am: | |
I know someone who had their car stolen by being hauled away on a truck bed. |
Gambling_man Member Username: Gambling_man
Post Number: 1033 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:00 pm: | |
Turn your front wheels into the curb and put your parking brake on. |
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway
Post Number: 1418 Registered: 11-2004
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:04 pm: | |
Some simple and obvious, yet not-too-often-taken precautions: Park in your garage or your backyard off the alley if possible. Park under street lights or directly in front of your home if you must park on the street. Have your car boxed in by other parked cars on the street. Car alarms, clubs, lojack-type systems and kill switches are better than having no protection at all. There are other ideas I can't think of off the top of my head. These aren't foolproof, but they can at least make your vehicle a harder target. None of them work as well as canine vigilante patrols though. |
Diehard Member Username: Diehard
Post Number: 210 Registered: 03-2005
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:07 pm: | |
I've heard of this kind of thing in other cities. Apparently there are scumbag tow truck drivers out there who will just grab a car and take it to the chop shop or scrapyard, collect some cash, repeat. Sounds like our brilliant criminals have discovered it here, eh? The only way to keep your car from getting towed by one of these guys is keeping it locked up in a garage. Or sleeping in it with a Smith & Wesson by your side. |
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine
Post Number: 1881 Registered: 05-2005
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:29 pm: | |
this just sounds wonderful. i agree with the turning your wheels to the curb and engaging the e-brake, though in the end, with enough room to work a good tow driver could still drag it up onto a flatbead, and a driver operating a stinger (truck with the T-shaped bar off the back) could still hook up the front, throw some tow wheels under the locked up rear wheels, and drag it off. tow trucks are made specifially to carry off incapacitated cars after all (Message edited by gravitymachine on November 28, 2007) |
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus
Post Number: 2862 Registered: 06-2006
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:31 pm: | |
"Turn your front wheels into the curb and put your parking brake on." Sounds like you've had one or two cars repoed in your day : P |
Mcp001 Member Username: Mcp001
Post Number: 3096 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:32 pm: | |
Any chance that some of them were repo'd? |
Gnome Member Username: Gnome
Post Number: 403 Registered: 08-2007
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:45 pm: | |
LoJack works, lowers your insurance rates, and pays for itself with peace of mind. http://www.lojack.com/ (Message edited by gnome on November 28, 2007) |
Gannon Member Username: Gannon
Post Number: 10996 Registered: 12-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:50 pm: | |
Of course, but there was a whole crew caught a year or so ago...I think they operated over on Charlevoix, I used to pass them when I jogged to Belle Isle from Eastern Market. First time they saw me, one of 'em said, "You're far from home." Next time, "Hello, officer" Third time? They were GONE, and I read about it later in the Freep. It IS just about time for them to have served a year, or finally gotten out on bail...it's just TOO damn cold to go jogging today. |
Nainrouge Member Username: Nainrouge
Post Number: 420 Registered: 05-2006
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 1:53 pm: | |
There was a group that was going around towing cars that were broken down or stuck on the freeway and then stripping them for parts. You have to admire their creativity. How could you distinguish between thieves and legitimate tow trucks drivers just doing their jobs? |
Kingofdetroit Member Username: Kingofdetroit
Post Number: 17 Registered: 10-2006
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 2:06 pm: | |
Has anyone done a good car theft sting and posted it on Youtube yet? Man you could easily catch a few a night. The car theivery in Detroit is outstanding! You can almost guarantee a theft or break in of your car if it's remotely decent looking and parked almost anywhere within the city limits. |
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba
Post Number: 5649 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 2:19 pm: | |
The nice thing about a garage is you don't have to scrape or brush the snow, your car starts right up and is toasty. Nobody mentioned the lockout feature on your remote controlled garage door. Be sure use to use it. Otherwise, a cheap cellphone or the garbage man calling the yard, can open your garage door. jjaba got "lockout" after he found his garage door wide open coming home from doing errands. jjaba. |
Corktownmark Member Username: Corktownmark
Post Number: 355 Registered: 12-2004
| Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 2:43 pm: | |
Throw the folks who run shops that buy stolen cars and parts in jail for long terms. This can help dry up the market for hot parts. Do the same for folks who buy from scrapers. If only we had a real Attorney General in this state. You know one who was more effective at fighting crime then holding self congratulatory press conferences. |
Ltdave Member Username: Ltdave
Post Number: 104 Registered: 09-2006
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 5:39 pm: | |
""Or sleeping in it with a Smith & Wesson by your side."" i prefer a Colt, but then im FAR FAR from Detroit (we had THAT conversation once already) and i park in my heated garage (already talked about THAT too)... d |
Brian_fitzcarraldo Member Username: Brian_fitzcarraldo
Post Number: 11 Registered: 10-2007
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 6:00 pm: | |
What neighborhood? |
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 327 Registered: 09-2007
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 6:01 pm: | |
Nothing new about stealing cars with tow trucks in Detroit; my mom had her Impala ripped-off by a tow truck driver in 1973. |
Rjk Member Username: Rjk
Post Number: 969 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 6:25 pm: | |
I was watching bait car busts on CourtTV last night. The best part was seeing the looks on their faces as the engine shuts off and the cops pulled up behind them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =F8Vq4XgbSvs&feature=related |
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass
Post Number: 332 Registered: 01-2007
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 6:55 pm: | |
Trunk Monkey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =RCUBxgdKZ_Y |
Dissolvedgirl3 Member Username: Dissolvedgirl3
Post Number: 12 Registered: 09-2007
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 6:58 pm: | |
My friend just told me about this scheme. It's going on in Woodbridge right? She said so far around eight cars have been ripped off? I live in this neighborhood so if anyone has any more info on this I would love to hear it. One thing to keep in mind is that, last time I checked, WSU cops will respond to calls in Woodbridge even though its technically off-campus. 313-577-2222 is the emergency number. They promise to get there in 90 seconds...way faster than the DPD could probably make it there. If I see anything, I'm calling them I guess. |
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz
Post Number: 3941 Registered: 12-2005
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 7:42 pm: | |
In the bait car video the perps were able to open the doors and run. I thought they rigged the doors on those bait cars to lock them in. They had a bad car theft problem in Phoenix a few years ago. They claim the bait cars worked very well. |
Yelloweyes Member Username: Yelloweyes
Post Number: 206 Registered: 02-2007
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 8:52 pm: | |
Get a really thick chain and.... Or maybe one of those boots that the parking folks use when you don't pay your tix |
Softailrider Member Username: Softailrider
Post Number: 95 Registered: 02-2007
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 9:18 pm: | |
While sleeping with an S&W by your side certainly is comforting , if you were to actually discharge the firearm at someone stealing your car you could be the one they put in jail. And that would only be the beginning of your problems. If you're going to discharge a weapon , do yourself a favor - make sure your life is in jepordy first . |
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup
Post Number: 3175 Registered: 06-2004
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 9:33 pm: | |
"Throw the folks who run shops that buy stolen cars and parts in jail for long terms. This can help dry up the market for hot parts. Do the same for folks who buy from scrapers." well, now, that would take budgeting that your local Republican businessman won't approve ya see, they don't want to pay for *anything* they just want tax cuts |
Rjk Member Username: Rjk
Post Number: 970 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 9:49 pm: | |
When the police shut off a bait car they're right on top of the perp anyway. If a perp isn't going to give up and act in desperation I'm sure they'd rather have them try to flee on foot (advantage cops) as opposed to being trapped in a car and feel that their only hope is to use a weapon. |
Gambling_man Member Username: Gambling_man
Post Number: 1034 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Saturday, December 01, 2007 - 6:09 pm: | |
Thejesus, I haven't had any repo-ed, but I used to work at a Ford dealership when I graduated from college.....job market was tough back in 1990. Anyhow, people used to come into the dealership all the time and tell us that they were a few months behind on their payments....they would call FOMO Credit, and make a payment deal.....the credit people would make an appointment for them to pay up on their deal, and while they were inside paying up, they would repo their car out of the parking lot.....while I can appreciate FOMOCO wanting their money, I could never understand why they would flat out lie to their customers, especially the ones that wanted to make things right..... |
Mackcreative Member Username: Mackcreative
Post Number: 132 Registered: 08-2006
| Posted on Saturday, December 01, 2007 - 8:53 pm: | |
The neighborhood is Woodbridge. Haven't heard of any activity in the past few days. As for policing, I always call WSU and DPD, not sure if they interface, but I've never had both arrive. Last time I called DPD arrived in under five minutes. |
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 709 Registered: 07-2007
| Posted on Monday, December 03, 2007 - 12:36 am: | |
Do the police know about this? get good insurance, get an alarm that calls you if the alarm goes off, then pray. |