BajaNomad

Season winds down and Burglaries rise.

dtutko1 - 3-23-2013 at 06:27 AM

Everyone knows the burglaries have been bad this year. Especially in the TS/Pescadero area. Residents north of TS signed a petition asking for help and got some administrative support from the govt. But no real help. This week the breakins seem to have escalated. In one local instance a persons car was broke into and his Mac laptop was taken. This laptop contained important business info for this person and he offered a large reward for it's return. No response. He then went through a process to find his computer with the embedded GPS in the computer. He found the house in Pescadero the laptop was in. We went to the house with the Police (I don't know which branch of the police at this time) He called out the residents (4 men) and demanded his computer. The residents denied they had it. He insisted it was in the house and told them of his GPS evidence. They then brought out his computer and returned it. The Police did nothing, but wanted to hold the computer for evidence. The owner would not allow that. I heard this story from 2 different neighbors who talked first hand to the owner. I am currently trying to find the owner and confirm the location of the house. My gut tells me to find this house, take photos on it and post them all over town with the message that this is where the rats live in your barrio. Any comments would be appreciated.

volcano - 3-23-2013 at 06:59 AM

do it anonomously for your own safety

monoloco - 3-23-2013 at 07:45 AM

Don, I would like to have that information.

mtgoat666 - 3-23-2013 at 08:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by dtutko1
Everyone knows the burglaries have been bad this year. Especially in the TS/Pescadero area. Residents north of TS signed a petition asking for help and got some administrative support from the govt. But no real help. This week the breakins seem to have escalated. In one local instance a persons car was broke into and his Mac laptop was taken. This laptop contained important business info for this person and he offered a large reward for it's return. No response. He then went through a process to find his computer with the embedded GPS in the computer. He found the house in Pescadero the laptop was in. We went to the house with the Police (I don't know which branch of the police at this time) He called out the residents (4 men) and demanded his computer. The residents denied they had it. He insisted it was in the house and told them of his GPS evidence. They then brought out his computer and returned it. The Police did nothing, but wanted to hold the computer for evidence. The owner would not allow that. I heard this story from 2 different neighbors who talked first hand to the owner. I am currently trying to find the owner and confirm the location of the house. My gut tells me to find this house, take photos on it and post them all over town with the message that this is where the rats live in your barrio. Any comments would be appreciated.


Crime will always be a problem when you have economic disparity between rich and unemployed poor. Rich foreigners will always be targets (yes, I know foreigners don't think of them selves as rich, but they are rich relative to most Mexicans)

I am not sure how it will go down if you, a foreigner, try to out or shame the local thieves. The locals have multigenerational connections and family connections, and you as a foreigner are probably a transient, not a full community member.

P.s. always back up your hard drive, and don't leave your computer or other valuables in car

Drugs?

akshadow - 3-23-2013 at 08:57 AM

A mexican friend of mine lives in an ejido near town in San Felipe and he says if he leaves anything laying around it will be stolen. Three or four other Mexicans have houses within the same fensed area as his and have had the copper pipes dug up, broken off, water heaters stolen etc. These are poor Mexicans not gringos or rich Mexicans. My friend says much of the robberies are drug users, probably Meth. looking to steal and sell stuff.

So these cases have nothing to do with economic disparity.

"Crime will always be a problem when you have economic disparity between rich and unemployed poor. Rich foreigners will always be targets (yes, I know foreigners don't think of them selves as rich, but they are rich relative to most Mexicans)"

Hook - 3-23-2013 at 09:03 AM

Now is the week to be particularly diligent, especially if you live in an area where people come to vacation during Semana Santa. Lots of roving eyes, driving around neighborhoods, from out of the area. Just looking for opportunities. We suspect some use the increased crowds to case joints for future burglaries. Car thefts increase during this week. So, it is a good time to keep all your toys and other valuables OUT OF SIGHT FROM THE ROAD.

latina - 3-23-2013 at 10:19 AM

dtutko1, I would not do that if I were you....Don't forget that defamation is still a very serious crime in Baja California Sur and you could end up being the one in deep trouble. Even if the evidence is there, the law is on their side if the owner of the laptop doesn't make an official denuncia, and yes, the police will want to keep the laptop for evidence. It's a vicious circle, but one I unfortunately have lots of experience with....

Lee - 3-23-2013 at 10:56 AM

Be thankful you got your laptop back. Yeah the police want it for evidence and a mordida. I got hit 4 times at La Playa where I live. My tackle box one night, tackle hip pack same week, another night, my flip flops and canvas slip on shoes. My friend lost her bicycle, Teva's, air compressor (thief's walked into an unlocked bodega where 2 dogs slept)!

The Pescadero thiefs are well known and the police know who they are. Most people do. Keep nothing of value in your car. All cars need a burglar alarm (it's a deterent folks). My car has a siren alarm and 2 kill switches.

A ''outside'' dog that will bark is the best deterent. A dog that will attack is a plus.

On taking pictures, it would be best not to be ID'd and recognized. You don't want to be a target down there -- and stuff happens like that.

Don't know your Visa status -- if you aren't a citizen, you could be asked to leave the country. Maybe Perm/Res would be a pass too. It helps to know people and be connected. The police defend their own down here.

I think the ''have's'' have more and the ''have not's'' have less. Petty crime can only go up.

I know someone in an upper middle class neighborhood in San Jose, Costa Rica. There is always someone home in her home. If her neighbors know the home is empty, they will break in and steal her appliances. Just perspective.

monoloco - 3-23-2013 at 11:11 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by latina
dtutko1, I would not do that if I were you....Don't forget that defamation is still a very serious crime in Baja California Sur and you could end up being the one in deep trouble. Even if the evidence is there, the law is on their side if the owner of the laptop doesn't make an official denuncia, and yes, the police will want to keep the laptop for evidence. It's a vicious circle, but one I unfortunately have lots of experience with....
There is no law against taking photos of someone. I'd be inclined to take the photos and distribute them to people around the neighborhood, just don't print anything derogatory on them or post anything on the internet. We're pretty tight with the local cops and could possibly enlist them in taking or facilitating the photos. The local police come around all the time and show us photos of the known ratones in the area and ask if we have seen them around.

DavidE - 3-23-2013 at 11:21 AM

I lost between one and two thousand dollars worth of stuff in Pescadero due to breaks in's of car and house. I'll never go back. That area reeks of "vibes" so bad I'll rather stay in Tijuana, or Culiacán. As far as petty crime goes that region of Baja California is a sewer pit.

willardguy - 3-23-2013 at 11:25 AM

uh oh, here we go.......

Lee - 3-23-2013 at 12:03 PM

Well, look, there is no defense of Pescadero being a sewer pit of thiefery. Unfortunately, if a person can be fleeced down here, it'll probably happen.

For the good people who make up this town, Mexicanos and Americanos alike, it's a great town with good vibe.

It doesn't help to have thief's in the mist, but that's the way it is. I wouldn't live any where else in The Baja. That's not to say there aren't other great places down here: La Paz, Cabo, San Jose, Loreto, Asuncion, GN, San Quintin.

monoloco - 3-23-2013 at 12:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Lee
Well, look, there is no defense of Pescadero being a sewer pit of thiefery. Unfortunately, if a person can be fleeced down here, it'll probably happen.

For the good people who make up this town, Mexicanos and Americanos alike, it's a great town with good vibe.

It doesn't help to have thief's in the mist, but that's the way it is. I wouldn't live any where else in The Baja. That's not to say there aren't other great places down here: La Paz, Cabo, San Jose, Loreto, Asuncion, GN, San Quintin.
Well said Lee. I don't really think it's gotten any worse, 20 years ago when I lived in the pueblo of Pescadero, you couldn't leave a pair of Levis hanging on the line. There's just more people now, so you hear about more incidents. Personally, I've been robbed twice in 20 years, once for a car stereo and once for some tools out of my garage which were recovered and the culprits caught, convicted, and served time in jail. It's just a fact of life in Mexico that you will be robbed if you don't take precautions to protect your property.

tiotomasbcs - 3-23-2013 at 12:32 PM

I guess we should all move to BA to avoid the miserable lives we lead thruout the Baja!?? Culiacan...Oh Boy that's a great streetch. Think I'll go out and visit the Sewer Pit now. Tijuana? ja, ja, ja Tio

DavidE - 3-23-2013 at 12:54 PM

Anger and disgust got the better of me. Folks may not have had the opportunity to have known the old-time-Baja California, where a dirt poor fisherman would rather cut off his hand than steal. Security? A broken window in my car in the driveway? A burglary "Go back inside or you will be killed" of a bodega. Another break-in two months later, where they wholesale cleaned everything out.

If I was tied to an area by economics. And I knew (stake my life on it) that a nest of criminals lived in a particular house, I would part with 3,000 pesos and initiate a most unpleasant process. It would be blamed on drugs.

dtutko1 - 3-24-2013 at 06:19 AM

I love the Pescadero/TS area. The people, weather, mountains, ocean w/plenty of fish, great fresh produce etc. Did I miss something? I plan to get old here. It's hard not to be offended and hurt when you get ripped off (and it happens everywhere). I have to admit and "knock on wood" I have little experience w/being ripped off, but I intend to battle this crime with some or all the above non violent (I confess to having visions of beating one of the rats with a big stick), legal measures I can. Sharing ideas on this forum is one method.

drzura - 3-24-2013 at 11:01 AM

I had my stuff broken into twice. The first time, about 18 months ago, neighbors saw the thief walking down the street with my chain saw, boat cooler, and some fishing rods. The police were called and about 2 days later the thief was caught; he is now in jail for 5 years. The second time, about two weeks ago, it appears the thief was scared off before he could steal anything. The cops were called and an investigation is now taking place. My shed is hardly protected; the wood is all rotten and in disrepair. I am currently in the middle of finished a cinder block garage. The metal doors made in Santa Rosalia when I come down shortly and bars put up over the windows. It will look like a house in any barrio in Southern California. This will not be totally secure, but it will provide more protection than I have now. I cant wait to catch some yellowtail soon. :yes:

Damion

[Edited on 3-24-2013 by drzura]

[Edited on 3-24-2013 by drzura]