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Police hoping to nab thieves instead find good Samaritans
Honesty foils car theft sting operation
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More from Conejo ValleyThe bait was tempting: a nondescript, unlocked rental car, parked in the lots of busy shopping centers in Thousand Oaks at the height of the holiday shopping season, with high-end electronics left in plain sight.
For three days the Ventura County Sheriff's Department watched and waited.
No one took the bait.
"We really expected sometime in the three days we would have one or more people we would be arresting," Senior Officer Eric Buschow, a detective and spokesman with the Sheriff's Department, said Monday. "There were people that looked really hard, lingered around like they were contemplating taking things but didn't."
Instead, what officers found in their sting operation was no shortage of good Samaritans who locked the car, shut the trunk or in one case went into the store to have someone call the police.
"If we weren't trying to do this covertly, I would have gone up and thanked people," Buschow said. "It's great they got involved and cared enough to do that."
The sting took place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week. This time of the year, thefts from unlocked vehicles increase and have been a problem throughout Ventura County. Thousand Oaks saw a spike in these types of crimes last fall.
On the first day of the sting, Buschow said he had to unlock the car multiple times, thanks to the good deeds of others.
Previous stings have resulted in the arrests of thieves.
It wasn't like police weren't trying to make it as enticing as possible: They left the car's trunk open and car windows down at times. The vehicle was left outside of Best Buy on Moorpark Road, the Janss Marketplace and The Oaks mall.
The stuff left in the car was worth enough to trigger a felony charge if anyone took the bait.
Buschow says the unsuccessful sting illustrates the majority of people would not take advantage of the opportunity to create crime. Timing and luck also had a role.
"Pinpointing that spot and dangling that carrot in front of the small population that would do it is hard," Buschow said. "There is a certain amount of luck in this."
Cars are broken into frequently, especially when items such as cell phones, portable GPS systems and MP3 players are inside. Recently, a resident had two laptops stolen from his vehicle.
"This is going on in all communities," Buschow said. "We don't have the corner on this market. There is an opportunistic population out there and they are doing very well."
Posted by toyrunner on December 25, 2007 at 12:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Backfire! That is good to know there are a few honest folks out there.
Now all you need to do is find the "opportunistic types".
Merry Christmas!
Posted by smithjc on December 25, 2007 at 4 a.m. (Suggest removal)
if they had tried that in oxnard, the whole car would be surgically stripped and sold throughout the state by now.
Posted by rayrose77 on December 25, 2007 at 7:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
one word entrapment
Posted by Jacksprat on December 25, 2007 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It just proves that there are more honest people than crooks. By the way this is anot entrapment, as indicated by rayrose77, sounds like some one with a problem of being honest.
Posted by rjlebeck on December 25, 2007 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
To the Good People of Ventura County:
I'm glad that a lot of time, money, and effort was wasted on this "sting operation". It's the citizens of any community, whether in Oxnard or Thousand Oaks, that make the biggest difference in the level of crime in their communities. Given the right kind of police support, local citizens prevent crime through their vigilance and concern and care for their neighbor and fellow man.
But, it is questionable whether these sorts of police operations find criminals or create them. As such, this operation as described in the article is clearly entrapment and an inappropriate use of resources.
Are crime rates so low that the police have to drum up more business during the holidays? I want to thank the police for their surveillance at the malls and anywhere opportunistic criminals prey, don't get me wrong. But, I would strongly urge the department to resist the tempation to resort to clever but ILLEGAL strategies in their attempts at nabbing them.
I also think that the next time the crime statistics come out and we congratulate the cops for their fine efforts we should also congratulate ourselves for our own efforts in removing the fear, the animosity, and the neglect that breeds incivility and crime. Good job people!
Posted by danny9958 on December 25, 2007 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
At malls in Thousand Oaks? What were they expecting? That is essentially the land of working professionals who did not achieve their familial and professional success by stealing from cars parked in shopping center parking lots.
Posted by SpeakingTruthfully on December 25, 2007 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ENTRAPMENT no matter if it's in T.O., Camarillo or Oxnard. Surveilance is one thing, but tempting people to break the law is WRONG! The job of the sheriff's dept and other police organizations is to enforce the law; not to tempt people into breaking it. SHAME ON YOU and every other organization that performs these so-called "sting" operations. They are morally wrong.
Posted by THX1138 on December 25, 2007 at 10:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not surprized with the outcome - T.O. is a low crime area. And as Danny mentioned why would upper-mid class folks risk going to jail for a few electronic devices.
It would be more cost-effective if the effort was done in a higher crime area that typically has more unscrupulous opportunist...
Posted by george1234 on December 25, 2007 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
AWESOME JOB! Look at all the people crying about entrapment and this being illegal. Want to know what is illegal? A majority of the Southern California population. That's what's illegal!
Posted by mjzab on December 25, 2007 at 11:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ENTRAPMENT: (defined)- a defense that claims the defendant would not have broken the law if not tricked into doing it by law enforcement officials
A "sting" car is NOT entrapment for the simple reason that no one told/showed/ or asked the criminal to actually enter the car and take anything. Ordinary citizens leave their cars unlocked, windows down, and trunks open all of the time and thieves take advantage of it. Are all of the people crying "entrapment" also saying ordinary citizens are guilty of entrapping criminals every time they accidentally leave items in plain view? Instead of whining, how about criminals taking personal responsibility for their own actions and all of bleeding hearts stop enabling criminals and minimizing their impact on decent society!!!
Posted by mjzab on December 25, 2007 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
P.S.- SpeakingTruthfully should change their name to SpeakingCondescendingAndPlacingTheirMissguidedMorals
IntoEveryoneElsesBusiness
Posted by FireInvestigator805 on December 25, 2007 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mjzab you are completely right. This is NOT entrapment. That is the standard uninformed citizen answer typically provided when they feel like they have been picked on by law enforcement. Time for some of you whiners to lighten up and pull your head out of the sand! Bottom line is this – If somebody even contemplates let alone successfully steels something out of a car or house or whatever the location may be… they are a dirt bags… and should be taken into custody and charged. Our criminal justice system has never been perfect but it continues to depreciate due to rhetorical accusations made just like this that hamper law enforcement activity. Case in point marijuana possession in small quantities is not even being prosecuted by the Ventura County District Attorney because of the few high profile cases that have been blown out of proportion by scumbag attorneys who insist their clients are innocent and take it to the extreme. A simple possession of marijuana case could end up costing tax payers millions of dollars therefore in DA’s eyes it is not worth it.
Posted by slkrchck on December 25, 2007 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
not as many oxnard slams as i expected. lets keep drawing those lines, folks. oxnard citizen's BAD, everyone else GOOD. ill will toward them? pity you.
Posted by Old_Fart on December 25, 2007 at 5:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like we have a few jail house lawyers here :)
As long as anyone approaching he car was not coerced in any way and they take the bait its not entrapment.
If an authority approached them and mentioned an unlocked car with easy pickings over in that direction, it would be entrapment.
Good to see so many folks didnt take the bait.
Posted by ljo832 on December 25, 2007 at 5:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
...many people on here trying to say this is entrapment, it is NOT, entrapment is enticing someone or an ordinary citizen to commit a crime who would not ordinarily do so.. If you want to know entrapment in its purest form, look at the case of Randy weaver ( Ruby Ridge) where an ATF agent enticed him to modify shotguns (Sawing off the Barrel's) The ATF agent said he could make good money doing so, then when he did it the ATF arrested him, and hence what started the whole standoff with him.
Posted by SpeakingTruthfully on December 25, 2007 at 5:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
not whining, nor is my head buried in the sand: just truthful. I want my hard earned $$ that goes to pay taxes to be spent on ENFORCING the law, not creating opportunities for it to be broken. Use my tax money to hire more officers, if that is what the agencies need; or additional staff or equipment for forensic use. But DO NOT use my tax money to create situations that tempt people into breaking the law.
Posted by lrgvanman on December 25, 2007 at 6:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
C'mon, slkrchck, it could happen ANYWHERE! Oxnard isn't the only place of high crime. What about the shootings and stabbings elsewhere. I live here still and really don't love it but I am never one to bash other cities when something happens to their misfortune.
Posted by Metalhaid on December 25, 2007 at 6:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
MrWright1, yeah--nice IF YOU CAN GET IT. That means, if you pass the POST Academy, pass background check, pass the physical, and pass the interview procedure--which typically means at least one oral panel with a minimum of 3 people on it, then an interview with the Chief of Police and whoever else he (or she) feels should be in on it. All this so the successful officer can then go spend another year on probation, train for a minimum of 6-8 weeks with a Field Training Officer, and *then* go deal with the worst dregs of humanity. And the lucky officer will pull down around $40G to start--and will work the worst conditions (graveyard, anyone?) or the worst places (jail, anyone?)Nice, indeed. What other type of job does one jump through these kind of hoops for that salary? And Lord help the officer who had the merest kind of trouble in his/her background... they will be scrutinized with a microscope up their backside and will be held to the very highest standards, while all around they will see people breaking the law--and getting away with it.
That being said: SpeakingTruthfully, you really need to take a better look at the situation. At first glance, you might say, "Why are these officers just sitting around when they can be better put to use, say, breaking up domestic violence calls or answering attempted suicides?" These are the holidays, after all! But for everyone who's ever had their car broken into and had to deal with the feeling of utter violation and helplessness--I say, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS, Officers! They *are* doing a very valuable public service by getting these creeps off the street. OFFICERS, PLEASE CALL SANTA PAULA AND TELL THEM THEY NEED TO SET UP A FEW STINGS IN THE 'NICER' NEIGHBORHOODS!
God Bless Us All, Everyone. Especially our law enforcement and our military personnel. Regardless of whether you agree with the task they are required to do--they put their lives on the line EVERY WORKDAY. I for one am grateful there are dedicated people willing to keep the anarchy at bay.
Posted by npwolves on December 26, 2007 at 2 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think after the first day should have stopped wasting taxpayer dollars. The cost was in the thousands for this covert operation that seemed to fail. It is great to know how many decent folks there still are though..
Posted by devilangelhawk on December 26, 2007 at 2:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It was a win lose situation as are ALL sting operations. SOme work some dont!!!
Posted by Josie_Contreres on December 26, 2007 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have mixed emotions regarding what I consider "Entrapment". It's one thing to patrol the parking lot and catch REAL THIEVES, but it's another to do what they did tempting what would otherwise be considered "Law Abiding Citizens" maybe down and out and trying to survive. It certainly would NOT have been acceptable, but People are Human not Gods. I'm glad no-one took the bait.
Posted by Fred on December 26, 2007 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
from above
"entrapment is enticing someone or an ordinary citizen to commit a crime who would not ordinarily do so.. "
Isnt this exactly what this is?
Fred
Posted by mctayb on December 26, 2007 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
On Sunday at the Target in NP we found a Cherokee Jeep with its door wide open. I looked for keys in the ignition, found none, and locked the doors, and closed the driver's door.
If you got locked out of your Jeep Cherokee on Sunday, sorry I locked you out.
Posted by HavingMySay on December 26, 2007 at 8:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Whether this is entrapment or not, it is certainly ridiculous! I am sure they could find a better use of their time and our tax dollars. C'mon now, that is not what we pay you for...go get the criminals or stake out a parking lot where real things are happening, don't create it for Heaven's sake.
Posted by dpennock on December 26, 2007 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Park the vehicle somewhere between Amgen and Ralph's in Newbury Park and see what happens.
Posted by finnmcgowan on December 27, 2007 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Too many helpers, too few thieves. Not a bad problem to have. Thanks for the good news!
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