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Do you leave your car unlocked?


gwalchmai
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Some of my neighbors on the Chattanooga "Nextdoor" website are suggesting leaving cars unlocked so thieves won't have to break in to steal your stuff. Even though I don't leave valuables in my car, I take exception to that philosophy. I think that breaking into the car adds another level of violence to the crime and should be considered in the punishment. 

Change my mind.

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1 minute ago, gwalchmai said:

Some of my neighbors on the Chattanooga "Nextdoor" website are suggesting leaving cars unlocked so thieves won't have to break in to steal your stuff. Even though I don't leave valuables in my car, I take exception to that philosophy. I think that breaking into the car adds another level of violence to the crime and should be considered in the punishment. 

Change my mind.

No.  But maybe I should.  With the key in that old truck.

Might be better off if they did just take the old blue beater!

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2 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

Some of my neighbors on the Chattanooga "Nextdoor" website are suggesting leaving cars unlocked so thieves won't have to break in to steal your stuff. Even though I don't leave valuables in my car, I take exception to that philosophy. I think that breaking into the car adds another level of violence to the crime and should be considered in the punishment. 

Change my mind.

On a more serious note.  Perhaps we should thank that moron for encouraging crime.

Breaking into an automobile successful or not is illegal.

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Just now, gwalchmai said:

Some of my neighbors on the Chattanooga "Nextdoor" website are suggesting leaving cars unlocked so thieves won't have to break in to steal your stuff. Even though I don't leave valuables in my car, I take exception to that philosophy. I think that breaking into the car adds another level of violence to the crime and should be considered in the punishment. 

Change my mind.

Had a car stolen from the parking lot while I was working late. Another time had two cars in the driveway broken into.

Always lock them. Don’t participate in the criminal behavior. Odds are the vehicle will be trashed even if left unlocked. 

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31 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

What if it's not locked? Is it illegal to enter an unlocked vehicle (leaving aside whether it's on private property or whether anything is stolen)? 

Yes it is illegal to enter an unlocked car.
 

My attorney told me to lock the doors on my Jeep when the top is off. Technically it is a higher crime to reach in and unlocked the door instead of just opening an unlocked door. 
 

Only matters on prosecution if you catch them but it could have consequences on insurance payments if the door was unlocked.

And I always have a Club locked to the steering wheel.  

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Heck yes, always lock them.  Your friend is following the Democrat-led military strategy of preemptive capitulation.   He is abjectly surrendering to the criminals before the fact.

 

Locking the car makes them BREAK into it, hopefully making noise and leaving behind evidence.  With any luck, someone may respond in time to shoot their sorry ass.

 

Evil must be resisted.

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2 hours ago, gwalchmai said:

Some of my neighbors on the Chattanooga "Nextdoor" website are suggesting leaving cars unlocked so thieves won't have to break in to steal your stuff. Even though I don't leave valuables in my car, I take exception to that philosophy. I think that breaking into the car adds another level of violence to the crime and should be considered in the punishment. 

Change my mind.

Nope.  I completely agree.  Still, Here in my hood, 3/4 of the hood has 2-3 cars park in their driveway at night.  With the scumbags that we have that prowl the hoods at night sometime, an open car will generally save you a busted window.  Our punks ain't got the time to "Fun Trash".  If they can't see anything thru the window and the car is locked...they just move on.  It's when they see that GPS or Phone, or whatever, and the door is locked...Yup, you're gettin busted into.  The REAL problem is people.  They truly are SO busy with their everyday life and the stress of ****, they have forgotten Self Awareness and Safety.  It's sad, but the way it is.

My cars are always in the GARAGE!!!  What a fuckin Concept!!!  ALL 3/4 of those people I told ya bout....their Garages are pilled to the ceiling with Stored CRAP!!!

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15 minutes ago, Gunboat1 said:

Your friend is following the Democrat-led military strategy of preemptive capitulation.   He is abjectly surrendering to the criminals before the fact.

Evil must be resisted.

THAT right there is the REAL problem with people nowdays.  NOT to get involved...is to be "safe"...

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4 hours ago, gwalchmai said:

What if it's not locked? Is it illegal to enter an unlocked vehicle (leaving aside whether it's on private property or whether anything is stolen)? 

The issue here is intent.  If you intend to do it...then it's illegal.

If you make a mistake like the car looks just like yours...you realize that...and you don't leave with something.

It's not illegal.  Just a mistake.

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9 minutes ago, kerbie18 said:

I always lock my car. I always hide my belongings. Can't make it too easy for the bad guys.

According to the hippie Marxists and African-Separatist communists, there are no bad guys, only youth that are forced to violate whitey's racist laws to support their grandmothers and are turning their lives around -- often by committing murder.

 

 

 

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48 minutes ago, Historian said:

The issue here is intent.  If you intend to do it...then it's illegal.

If you make a mistake like the car looks just like yours...you realize that...and you don't leave with something.

It's not illegal.  Just a mistake.

My brother drove away from a mall in a pickup that looked like his, and the key worked. When he spotted things in the interior that weren't his, he drove back. The owners were quite upset until he showed them his truck, and pointed out that the key worked.

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2 minutes ago, Walt Longmire said:

My brother drove away from a mall in a pickup that looked like his, and the key worked. When he spotted things in the interior that weren't his, he drove back. The owners were quite upset until he showed them his truck, and pointed out that the key worked.

And it does happen. 

That's not a crime.  Just...really messed up. Could only happen in Alaska.

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3 hours ago, Walt Longmire said:

My brother drove away from a mall in a pickup that looked like his, and the key worked. When he spotted things in the interior that weren't his, he drove back. The owners were quite upset until he showed them his truck, and pointed out that the key worked.

In the 60's my BIL and I had a car business.  We would have a number of keys for the major brands from Salvage lots.  Surprisingly large numbers of cars could be opened with normal ignition keys.  We always tried the keys we had on hand before changing locks.  Some keys were Master Keys even though they were issued with publicly sold cars.

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I always lock my car.  Same as I always lock my house.  My early lesson is that locks are to keep honest people honest.  My rule:  Always be paranoid.  If you are wrong, it's a good thing!  If you were right, it's a good thing.

No downside to being paranoid!

The only exception to locking the car came on a trip to Hawaii.  I rented a car and was told specifically that I could not lock the car when it was unattended.  Take your crap with you when you leave the car.

I was incredulous at this idea.  They said that if the car is locked, thieves would damage it getting into it.  Besides, this is an island.  Where the hell are they going to go with the car?

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3 hours ago, Walt Longmire said:

My brother drove away from a mall in a pickup that looked like his, and the key worked. When he spotted things in the interior that weren't his, he drove back. The owners were quite upset until he showed them his truck, and pointed out that the key worked.

My mom drove a Lincoln. She hit the remote to open the trunk and the Ford Taurus next to her unlocked. Always wondered if the key would have worked. 

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