Crooks busted with hundreds of stolen credit cards from park goers

[TornadoWoman]

YAY - THANK GOODNESS - GREAT JOB CONSTABLES

Our Katy Fit training program has its Saturday morning running and walking groups' meet at Terry Hershey Park.  I've seen so many exercisers come back to their vehicles and find their windows broken. 

If you're out and about exercising or enjoying the scenery at a park, do you leave any important items or valuables in your vehicle?  

I never leave anything important or of value in my car. Whenever I go to THP or any other place to run, I carry a small plastic folder in a small zip lock bag with my necessary ID, insurance, a twenty dollar bill, etc., in one of my pockets or in a zippered compartment in my hydration belt or camera carrying case (since I so often have my camera with me!)

Hundreds of IDs, credit cards and check books were found in a motel room where crooks stashed their loot taken from Terry Hershey Park and other Houston-area parks.  The crooks break out the windows of the victims.  It turned out that Harris County constables from Precinct 5 were doing surveillance at the park after dozens of similar cases were reported.

 

http://www.khou.com/news/Crooks-busted-with-hundreds-of-stolen-credit-cards-from-parkgoers--188423221.html

[oldmike]

Theft really pisses me off! Someone I know told me the other day that her daughter caught a "trusted" family friend and employee of the family business stealing money out of her purse -- while she was there! She caught him red-handed. Theives have a motto -- what's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine if I can get it! I have no tolerance for that attitude.

Steve - the death penalty has been proven to NOT be a deterrent to murder. Yes, we have the DP here in FL, and occasionally someone is actually put to death, but for the most part they spend decades on death row, a fate worse than death.

[TornadoWoman]

Finishing a run at THP a few weeks before the Christmas holidays, it was so sad to see the back window of a friend whose  hatchback had a shattered back window.  Thieves had stolen all of the Christmas presents she had stored there.  

We just have to think about how the world is today to plan to not be a victim.

[oldmike]

You are so right, unfortunately! I hate to think that we have to change the way we do things because there are crooks out there who'll take our stuff if we let them! Or worse, they might just rob us in person. That's happening in parks all across the country these days. I was reading the other day about a guy who was robbed while he was peeing on a tree in a remote area of Palm Beach County -- someone came up to him with a knife and demanded his wallet, when the robber didn't get the wallet right away, he stabbed the guy! I hike in remote areas in Palm Beach County -- so far I haven't had any problems, but this came to me as a reminder to be vigilant while hiking.

Note: a follow up story stated that the robbery I just described happened at midnight! I don't know what either of those two guys were doing in the woods at midnight, but I don't think either one was a hiker or a camper. Something else was going on.

[TornadoWoman]

I think you're right about that, Mike!!

[Athena James]

Here several women have wrist 'purses' 4 just that very thing when they go on hikes & things.  They can slip over your wrist & close with velcro = very handy solution so nothing is 'banging' on u while exercise :)

[Athena James]

steve, here we r allowed pepper spray & that works great so a crimnal can't sue u 4 permanent damages.  It's a crazy world out there!

[Athena James]

I can hide pretty good but not run so fast any more :(  I' not b concerned either if there were no witnesses about!!!

[Athena James]

Sometimes we wish we could say 'beam me up Scotty' :)

[TornadoWoman]

Wrist wallets don't work very well for a lot of us runners, especially the coaches who are coaching run/walk groups.  A lot of us wear a watch on each arm, since we don't like the timer on our GPS watches, and we need to see our watches.  They're great for other things, though - I have several!  I think that's why crooks hang around parks where runners are.  The constables at the park where Katy Fit previously ran told us not to put anything in our trunks after we got to the park (crooks were doing the same thing at that park) since they were watching runners put things in their trunks, and then after all the runners left, they would break into the trunks.

[TornadoWoman]

I forgot to mention that wrist wallets just won't work with any plastic-coated I.D. like Driver's Licenses, Insurance Cards, Credit Cards, etc.  Most of us who run or walk at a park usually need to drive to the park, so we DO carry at least a Driver's License!

[Eaglewoman]

I never answer my door unless I know who it is. My family and friends know to call ahead, because especially at night, I don't eve look to see if I know who it is. When we were kids, my folks never locked the door on the house and the car keys were kept in the car.There is so much going on today, pretty scary.

[oldmike]

Steve -- I agree about carrying something to protect yourself, but too many people think they can protect themselves with things like knives or sticks. The truth is, many criminals will simply kick your ass harder if your brandish a knife! Some of them will shoot you. The old man who carries a walking stick or, as I see a lot, a golf club (!), is not match for a much younger, stronger person even if that person isn't armed. A false sense of security is more dangerous than being on your best alert behavior. Keeping an eye out, not walking in areas where you could be attacked, staying with other people, etc. is much smarter than carrying a box knife, in my opinion.