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‘Tis The Season
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Dec 4, 2008 - 9:27:34 AM

By Melody Jameson
melody@observernews.net

It’s that season again…

…time to shop for gifts, decorate the house, anticipate arrival of guests, prepare special meals – and keep out of the clutches of criminals.

Two local residents almost didn’t and between them the losses could have added up to thousands of dollars, plus the untold costs of losing crucial identification information with all of the long-term effects of identity theft.

The situation began to unfold during broad daylight last week in the parking lot of Sun City Center’s Winn Dixie Supermarket, according to Hillsborough County Deputy Sheriff Rob Thornton.   A woman customer exited the store pushing her grocery cart, her purse clearly visible in the cart basket.   As she transferred purchases to her car, two males in a pick-up truck sidled up, one stepped from the vehicle, grabbed the handbag, re-entered the truck and the pair sped away.   The crime was committed in a matter of seconds, Thornton noted. 

A short time later, another female customer left the Winn Dixie in Apollo  Beach and walked into the very same crime scene – a cart of groceries, a purse in plain view, two thieves waiting for the best opportunity to grab and run.

In both of these cases, outcomes for the victims were much better than they could have been, Thornton said.  Before the day ended, deputies were able  to locate and arrest a juvenile and a young adult, he added.   The two admitted the crimes and were charged with misdemeanor theft.  Neither have prior records and probably will receive probation as part of their sentences, the deputy said.

All of the valuables carried in the handbags by the two women, including thousands of dollars in cash, credit cards, and their identification documentation, were recovered.  “We even were able to find the purses themselves” after they were tossed from the truck, Thornton said.

Thornton attributed the positive outcomes to a partial license plate number and a vehicle description taken by alert onlookers, which then quickly was fed by deputies into an advanced computer program that produced likely vehicle locations.  Deputies were waiting when the thieves returned home.

However, the quick recovery this time is the exception, not the rule in such instances, Thornton emphasized.  And at this time of year, the risks increase – “historically by about 50 to 60 percent,” he said.   Added to that picture are the poor economic conditions prevailing this year.   “Lots of people want to do their shopping right behind” those who have made legitimate purchases, he added.
To avoid a holiday marred by such thefts, Thornton advised that both men and women pay close attention to location of their wallets and purses.  Wallets left on dashboards or vehicle seats are easy pickings, he noted, and “women should make it a practice to place their purses in their cars first, assuming it’s a secure vehicle, before they unload groceries or other purchases.”  

It also is critical that shoppers remain aware of their surroundings, despite the distractions that come with holiday shopping in crowded malls and stores. “Bad guys look for those who are preoccupied,” Thornton asserted.  The kinds of thefts that occur in such environments have become so prevalent that Florida has added new law, “robbery by sudden snatching” which now is a third degree felony, he said.

At every mall and in every high profile shopping site “someone is lurking, looking for a chance to steal from someone else,” Thornton said. “We know they’re there, we catch them trying locked vehicle doors all the time.”  Given such circumstances, it’s simply good sense to lock purchases out of sight in vehicle trunks and to take steps to protect valuables inside the vehicle, he added.

Global positioning units, for example, have become highly popular not only with drivers who rely on the technological convenience but also with thieves who resell the units at considerable profit.   Deputies recently broke up a ring dealing with such stolen goods at Beth Shields Middle School, Thornton added.  Students were peddling the “hot” GPS units to classmates for up to $100 each, he said.   The best place for a GPS not in use, he indicated, is locked away out of sight. “Sitting on the dashboard in an untended vehicle, it’s an invitation to theft.”

At this time of the year, law enforcement officers redouble their efforts at major shopping  locations, patrolling by various means and posting warning signage, trying to ensure honest citizens have pleasant holiday experiences.   Alert citizens who take a few precautionary steps, Thornton summed up, support those efforts and help make it a better season for everyone.

©2008 Melody Jameson


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