No, I am not going to be politically correct. I will refer to some people as stupid, and if nothing else, some folks have a definite deficiency in common sense.
What am I referring to? The inordinate increase in car thefts due to "player error". I am not talking about vehicles that have their windows broken, doors jimmied and then the ignition hot wired. I am talking about the fools that leave their vehicles in their driveways, unlocked and some with the keys in the vehicle.. Even worse, are those who leave their cars warming up with the keys in the ignition. In most jurisdictions this action is a traffic offense. To the best of my knowledge the only cars that can be running are those that have been remote started as there are no keys in the ignition and the steering wheel will remain locked and the transmission cannot be put into gear. Some folks have been losing items from their vehicles for the same reason(s), not securing their vehicles.
How do these actions cost all of us? A spike in these illegal activities could affect the insurance rating for a zip code. So besides the "victim" others could be subject to higher insurance rates. What other costs are involved? What about the cost of law enforcement? We are very fortunate in Shawnee in that we have a pretty darn good police department. And yes, they take vehicle thefts seriously. How many man hours (or woman hours) could they save by not having to investigate crimes that were the result of individuals being inattentive and putting their property in a vulnerable position? How many other crimes could they bring to a speedier resolution if they weren't working on crimes that could have been avoided? How many positive activities could they be involved in if they didn't have to be investigating crimes that could have been avoided?
So, if you are one of those that have lost property because of your own stupidity, and if you are offended by that characterization..............too bad. I and others are tired of paying for your mistakes.
