We were pleased to hear yesterday about the “bait car” Bronx cops stuffed with consumer electronics to catch some overeager thieves and perhaps clear up a rash of car break-ins. We hope the cops in Annandale, a community in southeastern Staten Island, were also paying attention. The Staten Island Advance reports that 15 vehicles in the well-heeled neighborhood were “car-hopped” in one long night. “Cell phones, a GPS system, some surveillance equipment, a digital camera, a $250 pair of sunglasses and loose change” have been the loot. Of course the locals could also try locking their car doors, since car-hoppers by definition just try car doors till they find one that gives easy and rummage around. But how will the thieving teenagers — whom, the Advance says, are thought to be responsible — ever learn the error of their ways if they don’t spend a night in jail?
Image adapted from a Flickr photo by jswieringa and used under a Creative Commons license.
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