bastages stole our license plate

[Thorin]

We had a car parked in the back, inside the backyard fence.  CowGirl noticed the back gate was wide open last night when she let the dogs out (we always close it), and then today we checked the parked car and its license plate is gone.

We don't use the car, we've got other ones, so it's not an inconvenience other than having to report it.  I do wonder who it was, though, and if they knew we don't use that car and therefore took its plate thinking they could drive around with it without it being reported.

It kinda sucks - we've had two instances in fifteen years while living here, the first was someone busting down the door to the garage and stealing a portable tv system.  Not enough incidents to "fear the terrible crime sprees", but enough to kinda wonder about who walks through the neighbourhood.  Of course we back onto a major road, so there's more traffic (and more foot traffic), and we have a gate in the back fence to make it easier for the kids to get out to the bus.

Anyway, I'm keeping my eyes open for a car with the Alberta license plate YUR-856.  If I happen to see it, I'll be taking a picture of the driver.

[Mr. Analog]

That's pretty sad, augh, well hopefully their dumb asses get caught soon

[Thorin]

Yeah, it's probably stupid locals.  People just walking by probably wouldn't see our gate in the back fence, since it's the same colour and uses the same board height and everything.  And even if they did, they probably wouldn't have socket wrenches with them to undo the screws.  And the toolmarks on the screws with hex heads) show that a socket wrench was probably used.

With some of the idiots living in this part of town, I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's one of the twenty-somethings living down the street that like to stay up late at night and smoke it up.

Oh well, nothing else is missing and we didn't need that plate anyway.

[Darren Dirt]

Anyway, I'm keeping my eyes open for a car with the Alberta license plate YUR-856.  If I happen to see it, I'll be taking a picture of the driver.

With some of the idiots living in this part of town, I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's one of the twenty-somethings living down the street that like to stay up late at night and smoke it up.

Oh well, nothing else is missing and we didn't need that plate anyway.

I hope you report it as stolen to the cops... I've heard that it's far less likely to just be youthful idiots wanting to cause trouble; more likely to be criminally-minded idiots who want to pump-and-run at gas stations

[Thorin]

Yeah, we reported it in the morning as soon as we realized it.

Not sure where you've read that it'd be adults trying to pump-and-run, but that's one of those things that just doesn't seem to happen in our little neck of the woods.

[Darren Dirt]

Not sure where you've read that it'd be adults trying to pump-and-run, but that's one of those things that just doesn't seem to happen in our little neck of the woods.

NIMBY?

I thought St. Albert has a lot of unexpectedly high crime stats (not more than some Bad Parts Of Town in the Big City, but definitely not 1950s suburbia peace+quiet either)...



https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=why%20do%20people%20steal%20license%20plates


BTW, http://www.snopes.com/fraud/autos/gastheft.asp confirms that there is not some huge increase in LP thefts while gas prices went up. So you're right that it's not a certainty that that's the reason for your specific experience.

[Mr. Analog]

Reminds me of Sherwood Park and the exceedingly high numbers of meth labs contained therein...

[Darren Dirt]

Reminds me of Sherwood Park and the exceedingly high numbers of meth labs contained therein...

LOL, well obviously whenever some event stands out it is expected that coverage of it will sell newspapers or online ads = usually written in a way that exaggerates the frequency of those rare cases = public perception of frequency of these events goes up (and likely never returns to normal/truthful levels). So idk what I'm talking about from personal experience I admit


But in general, it seems that any possible crime where identification of the culprit is likely based on vehicle plates = a possible (if not likely) reason for someone stealing your plates:
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110910125938AAg6IUD
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090614182122AAS8ZkQ

Then again, sometimes the really stupid ones just steal the plate so they can now drive around with a plate on which the registration stickers are visibly not expired -- moronic example here -- and eventually they will get caught #duh

[Mr. Analog]

[suspicious]Actually in this case we have friends in the local police and other organizations and it's not hyperbole when I say there are 50+ labs running at any given time[/suspicious]

The most dangerous thing you'll run into in the Park though is still soccer moms driving SUVs on their phones at the Walmart parking lot

[Tom]

[suspicious]Actually in this case we have friends in the local police and other organizations and it's not hyperbole when I say there are 50+ labs running at any given time[/suspicious]

The most dangerous thing you'll run into in the Park though is still soccer moms driving SUVs on their phones at the Walmart parking lot

I'm more worried about the spandex/lycra/whatever exploding off some of the ladies that decide they should wear some that is 5 sizes too small when it splits, it'd probably cause a minor nuclear reaction.

[Mr. Analog]

lol

[Thorin]

Not sure where you've read that it'd be adults trying to pump-and-run, but that's one of those things that just doesn't seem to happen in our little neck of the woods.

NIMBY?

I thought St. Albert has a lot of unexpectedly high crime stats (not more than some Bad Parts Of Town in the Big City, but definitely not 1950s suburbia peace+quiet either)...

St Albert is low on serious crime, higher on mischief and minor theft.

http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20140730/SAG0801/307309986/st-albert-is-albertas-safest-urban-area-stats-suggest
http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20140903/SAG0801/309039988
http://stalbert.ca/getting-around/maps/crime-maps/

Lots of bored rich kids looking for a rush by committing minor crimes (mischief, theft from cars), and the serious drug dealers that live here like to keep the serious crimes pushed into Edmonton.  There have been a couple of meth labs and grow ops discovered in the cheaper parts of St Albert, but the houses are starting to cost so much that it's not economically feasible anymore.

http://eyewatch.info/iWatch/iQuery.asp?WCI=CrimeStoppers

There's some funny entries on the CrimeStoppers list.  "Attempted Break In At Grain Elevator".

[Darren Dirt]

Lots of bored rich kids looking for a rush by committing minor crimes (mischief, theft from cars), and the serious drug dealers that live here like to keep the serious crimes pushed into Edmonton.

Yeah pretty much what I heard, and to be expected considering how many hours the parents likely have to work to pay for the St. Albert real estate...

[Thorin]

Lots of bored rich kids looking for a rush by committing minor crimes (mischief, theft from cars), and the serious drug dealers that live here like to keep the serious crimes pushed into Edmonton.

Yeah pretty much what I heard, and to be expected considering how many hours the parents likely have to work to pay for the St. Albert real estate...

Okay, I live here, I work 40 hours a week, my wife works 14 hours a week average.  Much of my time is spent working from home, so I actually interact with my kids more than people who have to leave the house to go to work every day.

Those in St Albert that buy the more expensive real estate make more per hour, they don't typically work more.  I know this because I've interacted for years with parents who were quite involved with their children, even as they owned businesses, were vice-presidents, and managed large groups of people.

For instance, I coached with a guy who would fly the company jet to Prince George at 8am, then fly it back in time to be at his kid's game by 5:30pm.  He didn't work overtime or extra hours.  He was getting paid about $230/hr.  He had a million dollar home because he could easily afford it without working extra hours.  Also, one of the most humble, patient, understanding men I've ever coached with.  His kid ended up throwing a brick through a window and stealing some video games because teenagers make stupid decisions.

If anything, I'd say St Albert parents are most likely helicopter parents, not absentee parents.

If there's a complaint about lack of affordable housing in St Albert, that's a valid point - houses are more expensive than the regional average.  The same is happening in other bedroom communities around Edmonton, and in various neighbourhoods within Edmonton, as well.

[Darren Dirt]

Okay.

Forgot that some people have insanely hourly/annual income that can easily pay for a $500k+ home without needing to put in 60 hour work weeks.

And obviously "good" parenting is no guarantee of good teenager behavior. And at the same time, sometimes a kid turns out amazing considering the challenging the domestic environment in which they grew up.


So...

license plate got stolen eh? That sucks...