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Train burglaries in LA

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Re: Train burglaries in LA

#461

Post by blamazon »

alkonaut wrote: post #147
blamazon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The trains are forced to stop at this accessible location sometimes, just outside the rail yard. They don’t stop for long, so the strategy is to hop on, cut a container open, and throw as much stuff to the ground as you can before the train starts moving again. Then you hop down and look through your spoils for items of value. Hint: look for “lithium ion battery device inside” warning labels.

So if the train cars, or the containers thee packages are kept in within the train cars, were at least so secure that they prevented access for say an hour or two, then this likely wouldn't happen? What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock?

> What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock?

Yes, pretty much. Although in many cases it’s not even a padlock, just a tamper-evident seal device with a serial number matching the paperwork for that container:

https://shipped.com/img-parts/server/php/files/containers/sh...

For huge cargo firms handling tens of thousands of containers daily, padlocks can be problematic operationally and quite expensive.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#462

Post by wongarsu »

alkonaut wrote: post #147
blamazon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The trains are forced to stop at this accessible location sometimes, just outside the rail yard. They don’t stop for long, so the strategy is to hop on, cut a container open, and throw as much stuff to the ground as you can before the train starts moving again. Then you hop down and look through your spoils for items of value. Hint: look for “lithium ion battery device inside” warning labels.

So if the train cars, or the containers thee packages are kept in within the train cars, were at least so secure that they prevented access for say an hour or two, then this likely wouldn't happen? What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock?

Padlocks are easy to cut, a bigger padlock just needs a bigger tool. Some companies apparently start welding their containers shut, which raises the bar for thieves significantly (now they need a grinder and more time).

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#463

Post by ihsw »

blamazon wrote: post #86
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.

No post body was provided.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#464

Post by gruez »

friendlydog wrote: post #456

They are looking at 20 years if they get caught: 18 U.S. Code section 1991 Additionally they are releasing hazardous materials by breaking open boxes: 18 U.S. Code section 1992

> They are looking at 20 years if they get caught: 18 U.S. Code section 1991

likely not, see https://www.popehat.com/2013/02/05/crime-whale-sushi-sentenc...

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#466

Post by Jochim »

cracker_jacks wrote: post #458

"Air tag" like trackers on decoy packages mixed in might be a cheap solution to this issue.

They don't really disincentive the behaviour though. Dye packs are a thing, people still rob banks.

People who feel they have nothing to lose don't care if they get caught either.

The solution is to provide people with a decent life by default. They can then contribute to society comfortably.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#467

Post by siruncledrew »

rdtsc wrote: post #3

Wonder how organized that looting is. Is just individuals over many months or years, or a large gang over a few weeks time. On the one hand it’s shocking to see it in LA in US. On the other I am surprised it’s not happening more often. In large cities, some of my acquaintances had to get PO boxes as their packages kept getting stolen. But why bother wasting time going house to house, when you can hit a whole train ca…

I was wondering the same thing about seeing the aerial footage in the Twitter thread.

I don’t even know that amount of stuff could be opened, filtered for valuables, and transported within a few hours time without dozens of people and some mid-size cargo trucks.

This seems like enough organized logistic planning that a bunch of homeless people or youth gangs would not be able to pull off at this level.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#468

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

nomel wrote: post #443
LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lacks autonomous armed drones swarming around the train, "disencouraging" anyone who doesn't belong there to stay off the tracks.

I'm fairly certain the FAA is the only things preventing their use. They're already being deployed in India: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/western-railways-to-use-surv...

Oh!

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#469

Post by JimBlackwood »

screye wrote: post #460

Kind of related : America Is Falling Apart at the Seams https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/opinion/america-falling-a... A loss of civic sense and cultural criminality are incredibly hard to weed out of a population, once it has taken root. I worry that the a mix of pessimism and a loss of civic sense is sending non-elite America into a death spiral. Opponents of return-to-normalcy claim that these are temporary and a…

Do you have a source for this? We’re seeing similar things in my country and I’d love to understand why (and how we can make it go away) a little more

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#470

Post by y4mi »

screye wrote: post #460

Kind of related : America Is Falling Apart at the Seams https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/opinion/america-falling-a... A loss of civic sense and cultural criminality are incredibly hard to weed out of a population, once it has taken root. I worry that the a mix of pessimism and a loss of civic sense is sending non-elite America into a death spiral. Opponents of return-to-normalcy claim that these are temporary and a…

And that ... Theory about the lockdowns supposedly not being because of the virus but to hide a larger financial crisis/weath reallocation is spreading quite quickly at least at far as I can tell. That's not going to reduce tensions in that regard, that's for sure.

There is only circumstantial evidence but the story sounds plausible. If things continue like this, I'd wager that trump will return in 24

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