Poll: Do you think common theive, burglars, etc recognize "tactical" gear?

[rodinal220]

Yes,they can also recognize real jewelry from the costume and leave the crap on your wifes dresser and take the good stuff.

 

[conw]

I don't really know what a common thief is. It varies hugely from area to area I would guess.

Some of them are more likely to recognize valuable items. A true burglar is obviously interested in a professional sense in expensive items. No doubt some are pretty knowledgeable about valuable tactical gear.

As for people who are drug users looking to pawn something... that could really depend on their personal background. Many people start off different from how they end up as thieves or what-not. There are former military people who end up as drug users/thieves for example...

I wouldn't really assume they did or that they didn't as a general rule and would prefer to deal with my decisions regarding privacy management less on a systemic risk assessment level, than on a prioritized basis according to what I see the biggest gaps/issues to be, while not creating any additional security issues (of any type, not just physical) for myself. It's a constant process of revision but I feel it's more likely to minimize risk - close the big gaps, don't create new ones, repeat as needed - than trying to infer some sort of risk tolerance for each and every action I take...

 

[Deaf Smith]

'Average criminal'. What is an 'average criminal' Kemosabe?

I have no doubt some do recognize tac gear. Some don't. Spaced out dope heads probably don't. Nutjobs who plan to kill probably do. In between these two types are lots of different criminals.

But I tell you what, I feel if you don't dress like you are tactical it is a plus. I'd rather no one realizes what I have or how good I am until push comes to shove. That's because surprise is one the key elements you need on your side, especially if your opponents start the ball rolling first. That way you have the three 'D's on your side.


That is deception, demoralization,and dislocation, per B.H. Liddell Hart.


Deaf

 

[Shadow 7D]

kinda
depends on the thief is going to steal what he thinks he can sell

 

[splattergun]

Just because a person is a burglar or a common thief does not necssarily make him/her less able of recognizing brand names or quality gear than you or I. They may not care, or may be in too great of a hurry to get picky, but they often know high value gear.

 

[DammitBoy]

Thinking that there are no unsavory types within the 'gun community' seems a rather naive view to take.

Somebody with a dishonorable discharge might know something about guns and gear. Or perhaps a former police officer / security guard with a criminal record.

Criminals come from all walks of life and I'm quite sure not all of them are as intellectually challenged as the perps we see on a 'COPS' television program.

 

[jaysouth]

A couple of summers ago, I was in the local supermarket pushing a cart down the aisle. A customer was loading a couple of six packs of some trendy beer in his cart.

He 30-something, was wearing jeans, Magnum boots, a black t shirt and a photographer's vest with lots and lots of pockets. He was shaven headed and had a pair of expensive sunglasses perched in his clean dome.

I asked "what kind of a gun are you carrying"? He looked up quickly and asked how I knew he was carrying a gun?

I replied "cause you carefully cultivated a cop image and are wearing a 'shoot-me-first-vest'. "When it goes bad, really bad, you shoot all the photographer's vests then go for the fanny packs on your way out"

It turns out he was a BATFE agent who lived a couple of blocks away. His supervisor would not approve IWBs

 

[oneounceload]

You folks are :
1 - giving criminals WAY too much credit for having intelligence, and
2 - thinking people are always looking to see small labels or looking to see if you "print"

It just isn't reality in today's world - smash and grab parking lot thieves look for exactly that - smash and grab - old age plays more into their scheme than your 5.11 "tactical" pants

 

[USAF_Vet]

You folks are :
1 - giving criminals WAY too much credit for having intelligence, and
2 - thinking people are always looking to see small labels or looking to see if you "print"

It just isn't reality in today's world - smash and grab parking lot thieves look for exactly that - smash and grab - old age plays more into their scheme than your 5.11 "tactical" pants

You may not be giving them enough credit. Not all criminals are smash and grab parking lot thieves. Thugs might not be able to see and/ or recognize 5.11 pants, but they can recognize style. Smash and grab thugs avoid people altogether if at all possible. A smash and grab thug might smash your car window to steal a Maxpedition backpack, or an Element backpack, or a Spongebob back pack. Any one of them can have a gun, or your kids homework. That's why I have car insurance. I'm not overly concerned with smash and grab thugs stealing junk out of my car in the parking lot. I'm much more concerned with the thugs who are set to confront me to steal directly from me.

Image and demeanor play a large part in how criminals pick their victims. Clothing and accessories also play a large part. The overly distracted gentleman in the suit may be packing a Glock under his jacket, but by not being aware of his surroundings, might never get the chance to draw it if a thug gets the drop on him. The dude in the hoodie might be gripping a pistol in his pocket. As for the elite suburban commando, his Xbox controller might be the closest he has ever come to carrying a gun.
Thugs are not always the ignorant fools portrayed on TV. Many of them are smart enough to pick a victim from a crowd based on a few certain criteria. Dress, Appearance and Demeanor.

Two identically dressed people, one is aware and vigilant, the other zombied on his iPhone. Who is the more likely target?

I am perfectly okay with over estimating potential threats. Under estimating them can be lethal.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Two identically dressed people, one is aware and vigilant, the other zombied on his iPhone. Who is the more likely target?

That would depend on the situation, would it not? If you are talking about a quick mugging, then the guy on the phone. If you are talking about the person as a bystander in a bank being robbed, the the aware and vigilant person may simply be put down first as a matter of preventative safety. The zombified phone user poses the least immediate threat. In one situation, one behavior works well, but not in the other.

 

[FMF Doc]

Not so dumb really.

I'm with USAFVet, criminals are not as dumb as most people would like to think they are. They may be opertunistic, but that doesn't mean it is just a smash and grab game. I reference a previous thread here about the James Bond gang burgleries in upperclass neighborhoods in NJ.

 

[USAF_Vet]

That would depend on the situation, would it not? If you are talking about a quick mugging, then the guy on the phone. If you are talking about the person as a bystander in a bank being robbed, the the aware and vigilant person may simply be put down first as a matter of preventative safety. The zombified phone user poses the least immediate threat. In one situation, one behavior works well, but not in the other.

Quite true. I was thinking along the lines of a direct contact situation, like a mugging. A bank robbery, or any act that is not an individual attack, things can play out entirely different.



I try not to present the image that I have a lot of valuable stuff (because I don't), while maintaining vigilance and awareness of my surroundings. One of the benefits of PTSD is that my Situational Awareness is pinging constantly. Being hyper aware and looking like a broke bum (and being 6'3" and fairly fit) does wonders for not being a victim.

 

[Shadow 7D]

the point of the robbery is gain
so, they will take what they think they can convert to quick cash
as that will vary by the criminal, so will what they choose to steal.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

It just isn't reality in today's world - smash and grab parking lot thieves look for exactly that - smash and grab

the point of the robbery is gain
so, they will take what they think they can convert to quick cash

Okay, time to let you guys in on a little secret. The days of stealing stuff to exchange for cash at the pawn shop are mostly over and limited to the criminals that haven't been to jail yet. The ones that have been to jail have learned that it's a whole new world of crime out there. Crime has evolved, because it needed to in order survive. The biggest change we saw came about was with the increase of seizure laws, particularly relating to cash, and how the courts allowed police to enforce them.

Think about how a typical thief is portrayed in the media... He's all strung out for his next fix and is pretty desperate, so he steals some handy stuff, pawns it and takes his twenty bucks to his dealer. Repeat tomorrow.

Well, that was mostly true for a while, and everyone knew the dealer had a fat wad on him. Then the police started taking the wad, and anything bought with the wad. Hell, sometimes they didn't even need to catch you with drugs and they still took the wad if you couldn't explain where it came from. Suddenly the wad wasn't good to have anymore. Dealers being the entrepreneurs they are developed work arounds. Now, only stupid drug dealers take cash. The smart ones take tide, or tooth paste, tooth brushes, razors.. Cheap, easy to steal items that seem harmless but are in demand. It changes from time to time, so the junkies check in with their dealer what they need to be cleaning out the local grocery store on. At the end of the day, the dealer, with a trunk full of tide, rolls on down to the local homeless shelter or project and sells what ever people were using to buy crack at a fraction of the market cost, thus converting it into real cash... but now he's got a couple hundred witnesses saying he got the money legitimately. And, no ones car stereo was stolen in the process.

Sure, you're saying, "But Click, that's retail crime... what does this have to do with cars being broken into?"

Well, for one it's just a demonstration that criminals aren't stupid, and the ones that are stupid are often directed by those that aren't. Every time the laws change, the criminals change to keep a step ahead. Also, the same principles apply. The criminal of yesterday doesn't stand a chance in todays world rampant with portable personal electronics. How many of you guys know which cellphones and tablets can be tracked even while powered off? Which ones can be factory reset to disable tracking software and which ones can't? Which brands of car stereos can be resold and which get bricked by pulling them out of the dash... and which ones that are supposed to brick can be bypassed? Which in dash nav systems are tracking you after you steal them? How long would you guys make it as smash and grab thieves?

If you ever need a simple demonstration of the intelligence and discrimination of criminals, look up your local statistics on vehicle burglaries by make and model. I guarantee you that the most common vehicles on the list have in dash navigation or stereos that aren't disabled by removing them.

Don't ever assume that just because a person makes his living by taking from others that he isn't smarter than you.

 

[Shadow 7D]

I neverr did, I wouldn't steal cars or radios or....
don't know how to get rid of them

my point on guns (which you make for me again), is they steal what they think they can sell,
they are looking for easy to convert items, that's it.

From cash on the table, to gold rings or high end collectibles, they steal what they believe they can convert, it would be pointless to steal the Mona Lisa, unless you had a buyer, a fact that actually helps keep it safe.

 

[oneounceload]

One need only look at the typical inhabitant of your local county jail to see how dumb these morons really are.
They are opportunists - period, most can't count their nuts and get the same number twice; they no more know about "tactical clothing" signifying a potential CCW person than they understand rocket science.

Remember, the OP is talking about "common thieves", not professional burglars - they look for the weakest possible subject that would pose no harm and attack quickly and leave.

Be aware and vigilant, but don't go around thinking everyone is out to get you - they're not

 

[bigfatdave]

One need only look at the typical inhabitant of your local county jail to see how dumb these morons really are

There are smarter ones that don't get caught.
What percentage of the hwole those smarter ones add up to is a mystery.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

One need only look at the typical inhabitant of your local county jail to see how dumb these morons really are.
They are opportunists - period, most can't count their nuts and get the same number twice; they no more know about "tactical clothing" signifying a potential CCW person than they understand rocket science.

I take it you don't know any jailors do you? Buy one a couple beers some time. You'd be amazed at the thing that a "typical inhabitant of your local county jail" comes up with.

 

[DammitBoy]

Of course the jails are full of the dumb ones!

Only 36% of crimes are solved on average - that leaves a whole bunch of smarter folks out there - not getting caught.

 

[HorseSoldier]

That would depend on the situation, would it not? If you are talking about a quick mugging, then the guy on the phone. If you are talking about the person as a bystander in a bank being robbed, the the aware and vigilant person may simply be put down first as a matter of preventative safety. The zombified phone user poses the least immediate threat. In one situation, one behavior works well, but not in the other.

Stepping back from this scenario a bit, situational awareness and being cognizant of your surroundings would also tend to reduce the risk of being at ground zero for various crimes, not just muggings. Obviously, it can be what iffed to the point where situational awareness doesn't help in a particular scenario, but as a percentage game that guy who is aware of what is going on around him and mindful of people whose behavior is coming across as off or suspicious is going to be at a lower risk for all sorts of crime than a guy with the situational awareness of a rock.