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Train burglaries in LA

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Re: Train burglaries in LA

#81

Post by zorpner »

unityByFreedom wrote: post #43
caf wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The agency with jurisdiction here appears to be a private police force: the Union Pacific Police ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Police_Departmen... ). So their resourcing wouldn't take into account wider societal benefits from lower crime - it'd be more about the direct costs and benefits to the business.

> it'd be more about the direct costs and benefits to the business. ... which are tied to lowering crime.

Do you think that shortages reduce revenue for logistics operations with fixed movement volumes?

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#83

Post by threatofrain »

vecinu wrote: post #76
mngnt wrote: post #36

I would expect this kind of pictures from a third world country... How come no one is incentivized to fix this - protect the trains, prevent this loss of property? Who pays for the stolen goods? I presume it would be the retailers, is it just a drop in the ocean for them? In some more dystopian movies there were trains crossing vast areas of postapocalyptic hellscape protected by soldiers with machine guns and flamet…

It's so hard to have this discussion with people that live in California but a lot of the scenes in SF and LA are literally out of developing, corrupt countries. I think people just don't want to admit how bad it has gotten because then they have to face their fears and take some action to change their future. Homelessness, crime, theft, lack of security, mentally ill people in droves on the street, "do not go areas"…

Protecting these specific network of rails falls under the jurisdiction of the special agents of the UP, and not the LAPD which has experienced increased funding through the years. The UP police are headquartered in Omaha Nebraska.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#84

Post by bagels »

20after4 wrote: post #41
systemvoltage wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am well aware of the colloquial term "Defund the police" which is often met by "No, not literally defund it". But the reality is that there is a strong support to reduce resources and move towards soft-policing. Have you been to the Bay Area? Apartment complexes and condominiums are hardened like castles while their kids play in the safe courtyards and the outside is rotting to the point of unsafe for male padestri…

Police are focusing all of their efforts elsewhere. They don't care about property crime like this. Also, as pointed out elsewhere on the thread, policing the tracks is the responsibility of the railroad company, not LAPD.

Do they publish what they do spend time on?

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#85

Post by esyir »

Ansil849 wrote: post #31
20after4 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very difficult to make a lock that is really secure. Bolt cutters and battery powered saws / grinders are very powerful, portable and effective tools to cut through metal.

Average time needed to get into a container (X) needs to be > average time train pauses (Y). This seems like it should be a solvable problem. For example, just thinking out loud, what about some sort of container door hinge mechanism which takes five minutes (or an adjustable amount of time) to open the door?

Screw it. This notion that we should only punish violent crime, and all other crime should be ignored needs to go. Look at this chain of logic presented above.

>> Additionally, mail theft laws which include prison as a consequence should be extended to package thefts if they don't already cover them.

>But it is a nonviolent crime. It seems like finding some way to prevent the thefts is better.

The implied conclusion here is "We're allowing it if people don't guard it like it's ft Knox."

The whole point of a legal system, the codification of crime and law enforcement is to stop things like this. To ensure that people cannot unilaterally and directly harm other people.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#86

Post by blamazon »

suction wrote: post #75

This seems like a crime that could be very easily stopped.

In USA, railroad police have jurisdiction in this scenario. Uniquely, in USA, railroad police are employed by the railroad.

As evidenced by current BNSF strike, USA railroads presently have a tough relationship with their labor force.

For an underpaid and overstressed railroad cop, do they want to risk their life to try to stop this? My guess is generally no. They may even desire a cut of the proceeds.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#87

Post by [deleted] »

mngnt wrote: post #36

I would expect this kind of pictures from a third world country... How come no one is incentivized to fix this - protect the trains, prevent this loss of property? Who pays for the stolen goods? I presume it would be the retailers, is it just a drop in the ocean for them? In some more dystopian movies there were trains crossing vast areas of postapocalyptic hellscape protected by soldiers with machine guns and flamet…

[deleted]

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#88

Post by thebigman433 »

systemvoltage wrote: post #58
thebradbain wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LAPD funding went _up_ 12% during and after the George Floyd protests (The highest it's ever been! The highest in the country per capita!). In fact, LASD/public schools got a cut in funding to help fund the LAPD budget. Granted, per the article, LAPD doesn't service freight rail lines, maybe because they'd say they'd be stretched too thin – and to be fair, 800+ of them are on leave for COVID, and falsely blaming it o…

I am talking in general, not specifically about LAPD. There seems to be a rude awakening, where I live: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/11/1063408465/oakland-city-counc... > The city council voted last summer to redirect money proposed for Oakland's Police Department to social services. But this week, defund the police became refund to the police. The same city council approved two new police academies and voted to hire…

Oakland budget is still higher than its ever been, they just gave them less of a raise than expected last year. The money cut in 2020 was mostly due to the pandemic.

2019-2021 was 635 million allotted, 20mil less than the 665 mil project, due to the pandemic. The 2021-2023 budget is 674 million, with an additional 18 million spent on the community based programs.

The budget is ever increasing, contrary to what a lot of people like to tout.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#89

Post by perihelions »

unityByFreedom wrote: post #40
fblp wrote: post #12

Sigh - Any resourced and competent police or security force should be able to catch or deter thieves that are stealing packages from the same location . Additionally, mail theft laws which include prison as a consequence should be extended to package thefts if they don't already cover them.

I imagine this will get sorted since Buffett both invests in Union Pacific and provides insurance. He famously doesn't get involved in the companies in which he invests, but I imagine his people could shoot over a question like, "why is this happening?"

Society should be strong enough *not* to have to rely on random idiot billionaires to sponsor basic social services like law enforcement.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#90

Post by sjtindell »

systemvoltage wrote: post #58
thebradbain wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LAPD funding went _up_ 12% during and after the George Floyd protests (The highest it's ever been! The highest in the country per capita!). In fact, LASD/public schools got a cut in funding to help fund the LAPD budget. Granted, per the article, LAPD doesn't service freight rail lines, maybe because they'd say they'd be stretched too thin – and to be fair, 800+ of them are on leave for COVID, and falsely blaming it o…

I am talking in general, not specifically about LAPD. There seems to be a rude awakening, where I live: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/11/1063408465/oakland-city-counc... > The city council voted last summer to redirect money proposed for Oakland's Police Department to social services. But this week, defund the police became refund to the police. The same city council approved two new police academies and voted to hire…

I’m sure that article is not making the point you think it is. In fact the editor seems to have missed the point with the title as well.

> What has not been reported as much is that the number of authorized sworn officers has remained unchanged. What we voted on last Tuesday is a more aggressive push to fill 60 budgeted vacant police officer positions that we had already approved in June that are not yet filled because our academy system is failing.

The rest of the paragraph explains how certain groups are using this concept of defunding the police to stoke fear in people like you. Incredibly ironic.

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