DUMB PLUS
I find it amazing that criminals, who should consider themselves to be quicker, smarter and more alert that their victims, can be so stupid in some of the things they do.
In Australia a man who's home had been burglarized decided to leave his PC computer camera on at night, and, sure enough, he had visitors once again who seemed to be intent on picking up things they had missed the previous time, and anything else they fancied.
They had entered by means of prying a glass, sliding door from its gutter with a large screw driver. They proceeded to take whatever software they wanted, a digital camera and other such items they had overlooked without realizing they were on camera in many of their movements about the room. They made no attempt to steal, or even disable, the computer itself which was blinking away at them all the time. They both wore baseball hats - one forward and the other in a reversed style
.
The two have not been apprehended, however. Lighting was poor and must be improved if this is to be a common method of detection. Police felt that the victim outsmarted himself by posting the pictures on the for all to see on the net. With poor lighting the robbers could not be positively identified, and you can be sure they did not wear baseball hats – either coming or going.- for the net few weeks or months. The two had a chance to modify their appearance, and change their facial and hair styles enough to cast doubt upon identification. It's highly unlikely the pilfering twosome would be be ready to co-star in another home movie production any time soon.
Closer to home: two American would-be bank robbers, are reported to have innovated a fiasco all their own. The two erstwhile robbers, intending to rob their local bank, first saturated their faces with concentrated lemon juice. Some had told them that by doing that,it would be impossible for the cameras to take their picture... everything would go fuzzy. So they had been informed – or mis-informed, perhaps - that the way to louse up a camera was to smear your face with lemon juice, and they believed it. Both can now enjoy a cool glass of tea in prison, with sugar, yes - but no lemon, please.
Another dummy-do: a man, in the process of robbing a convenience store clerk by demanding and receiving all the cash from the register drawers, spotted a six-pack of beer on displayed above the cash register.
He demanded that as well. The clerk said he could not let anyone have beer as young as he seemed to be. The masked man held his his ID card up for the clerk to read.- street address, apartment number, telephone and SS# - everything! The police were waiting for him when he got home planning to enjoy his six-pack.
How can it be that, with crooks being so stupid, we can't catch more of them?
A.L.M. February 28, 2003 [c513wds]
