Identify this car?

[Mr. Scram]

Hello, I found this car on a website: spam link removed that talks about car repairs and tips. I would like to know the make and model of this car to look for other darker colors.

I'm not sure that's how this thread works, but that looks like a customised older model Dodge Charger. Shouldn't be too far from the 2013 model.

[nctnico]

It's really not necessary and I'm not sure how that is even relevant here. There's nothing wrong with the mailbox, the problem is that my stuff wasn't put into it and many things can't fit or can't be delivered there.

The problem is people grabbing stuff off porches, I want to catch those that do, not mask the problem.

IMHO it is more like a sign that times are changing. It is quite amazing that leaving parcels out in the open has worked for so long where you live. In many others countries you'd be completely nuts to even consider doing something like that. Over here they try to deliver parcels to the neighbours or take it to a pickup-point (which usually is a shop nearby). Leaving parcels on people's doorstep is a total no-go over here.

All in all the real problem is that the delivery companies should change their ways and no longer leave parcels on people's doorstep.

[james_s]

I live on a quiet street in what has become an upscale suburb. You've pretty much got to be at least middle class to live anywhere in the vicinity and most of the homeless, addicts and criminal types tend to congregate to the bigger cities like Seattle and more blue collar areas like Renton and Everett. Woodinville has just not historically had a lot of crime, although a teacher I had in middleschool was murdered a few years ago and I don't think they ever caught whoever did it so obviously nobody is immune.

Stealing mail is also one of those things that for the most part people just didn't tend to do. The penalties if caught far (up to 5 years in federal prison)  outweigh the gains one is likely to get compared to other crimes.

On top of all that, until the last 20 years or so this area was a bit "out in the sticks" and still had a bit of a redneck element. Trespassing and stealing something off someone's porch is the sort of thing that could get you shot if they happened to be home.

[james_s]

Ok well I got a bit of info from another source that I thought I'd update here:

"Toyota employee here, to be VERY specific that is a 2013-2015 XLE trim Highlander, as only those came with that wheel style as well as a sunroof (seen popped up in the vent position) Hope that helps the authorities narrow it down.These wheels are also available on post 2015 LE models, however those do not come with a sunroof. the grille design is also indicative of the '13-'15 model."

Sooo I'd say we've identified that car to the best degree that's gonna happen without finding that exact car. I've still got my eyes peeled, I've seen loads of gray Highlanders around since I started looking, in fact I noticed my neighbors right across the street have one, but none that I've seen have this style of wheels so there is hope it will turn up.

[SilverSolder]

What's it like working with the Postal Inspectors...  do they get back to you, do they get new information from you,  etc. -  or is it pretty much a "write only device" where you never hear anything back?

[james_s]

I don't really know, this is the first time I've ever had to report an incident. I have not heard anything back from them yet, however I also did not really have any worthwhile information at the time.

At least with this pair that hit me, I believe they are the same people who got into a garage and car the next street over a couple days later which counts as burglary, and then looking at the local crime map there have been a couple other mail thefts around the same 4pm time frame in neighboring cities so they may be making a habit of this. If that is the case, then it's just a matter of time before they get cocky and get caught, at which point video evidence can link them all together.

[CatalinaWOW]

Don't expect much from the postal inspectors in terms of feedback.  My box is one of a row of about ten in a rural area.  Last year they were all attacked, along with many others along about two miles of road nearby.  Most are unlocked, though my wife talked me into making ours locking (over my objections at the time that it wasn't necessary).  They did try to get into mine and left fingerprints.  The sheriff's office came and collected the prints and said that while they wouldn't be of much aid in finding the guilty party he was confident that they would eventually be grabbed on some crime or the other and the prints might be used to add to the charges at that time.

Never have received any feedback from either the PI or the sheriff, though the newspaper did report capture of three individuals who were believed to be behind mail theft in the area a few months later.  They were reported to still have possession of mail that would have come from the theft on our group of boxes.

[Stray Electron]

   I have to agree.  A friend of mine has one of those large community mailboxes in the front of his business and last year a car thief stole my friend's truck and ran over the mail box and destroyed it. My friend checked with a local store and found video footage of the thief and was able to identify him but neither the police or the postal authorities would would act on on the information. The USPS put up a new box but didn't even bother to take the old mail box away. "Postal Inspectors" are an empty threat.

[SilverSolder]

[...] found video footage of the thief and was able to identify him but neither the police or the postal authorities would would act on on the information.  [...]

God forbid that you do something about it yourself, of course...   then they would definitely become interested.

[james_s]

It does seem like the laws are ever more stacked in favor of the crooks and against the victims. All the familiar politics have crept into that as well. I personally view thieves, particularly those that break into homes to be amongst the lowest rungs of society. It would not bother me if they were simply exterminated, the cost to society far outweighs the monetary value of the items stolen and often they are picked up over and over and over, only to get a slap on the wrist and they're back out victimizing someone else.

[soldar]

It does seem like the laws are ever more stacked in favor of the crooks and against the victims. All the familiar politics have crept into that as well. I personally view thieves, particularly those that break into homes to be amongst the lowest rungs of society. It would not bother me if they were simply exterminated, the cost to society far outweighs the monetary value of the items stolen and often they are picked up over and over and over, only to get a slap on the wrist and they're back out victimizing someone else.

I, having been the victim of burglaries and other petty crime, understand and share the way you feel.  It seems it is that way in pretty much all western countries. Definitely that way in Spain where thieves and pickpockets can be arrested dozens of times with little or no consequence and so the police do not even bother to prosecute minor crimes. It is a shame.

Having said that, petty crime is not a simple problem to resolve. Harsh laws and heavy penalties might seem like a simple and obvious solution but it is not really working much anywhere. America already has the highest incarceration rate by far so that does not seem to be the answer.

Simplistic solutions do not usually work in engineering and they do not usually work socially. America has very harsh laws against drugs and yet the drug problem has not gone away at all. The simplistic approach of locking them up has not worked. European countries have tried to understand the problem and find practical solutions rather than take the morality = punishment approach. Trying to help drug addicts seems to work better than just incarcerating them.

I believe petty crime is a complex issue which would need to be approached by trying to understand the causes rather than just hand out harsh punishments which, no doubt about it, is part of the answer.  But, think about it, young people are stupid and will do stupid things regardless of consequences. Punishment does not even enter their minds.

Mostly what keeps young people from petty crime is living in a tight-knit society where everybody knows everybody, where you would be shamed and ashamed if caught. But western societies are moving away from that. Nobody knows their neighbors and nobody wants to know their neighbors. We all want to be totally private and independent and free.

I am not familiar with Japan but I get the feeling it is still a society with strong social and family ties ... and very low crime.

Many if not most kids will do something stupid in their lives. A stern but loving talk from a parent or relative or neighbor will usually have much more positive effect than a year in the pen.

 
Dear kindly Sergeant Krupke,
You gotta understand,
It's just our bringin' up-ke
That gets us out of hand.

Having said that, if I were king I would make it legal to castrate on the spot anyone caught stealing red-handed. I've had enough.

[james_s]

I almost think it would be more effective to just execute people who commit certain crimes. I believe in second chances but once someone has been busted for the same crime 10+ times I really have very little sympathy, at some point it becomes obvious that they are never going to be anything but a drain on society.

I would absolutely support a law that shields a homeowner or resident from any liability for injuries anyone receives in the process of committing a crime. There have been a number of cases where someone breaks into a house, hurts themselves somehow and then successfully sues the homeowner. At least in one recent event sanity prevailed and a package thief who slipped and broke her ankle tried to sue and was promptly thrown out of court.

[SiliconWizard]

I would absolutely support a law that shields a homeowner or resident from any liability for injuries anyone receives in the process of committing a crime. There have been a number of cases where someone breaks into a house, hurts themselves somehow and then successfully sues the homeowner.

I agree. The fact the intruder could ever sue is mind-boggling.
 

[Brumby]

I'd suggest putting up warning signs around the house - for example "Danger.  High Voltage.  Keep Out" around the test bench, so that if they touch something and get a shock, you could say that appropriate warning was given.  Or "Slippery surfaces" on the kitchen door - and if they happen to break in through the kitchen ceiling and not enter through a door, you could still demonstrate warning was given and the fact that they opted to break through from a direction that was not intended for access meant they bypassed the warning.


But the whole idea of having to even consider this sort of thing is ridiculous.

[ebastler]

Hello, I found this car on a website: XXX that talks about car repairs and tips. I would like to know the make and model of this car to look for other darker colors.

I'm not sure that's how this thread works, but that looks like a customised older model Dodge Charger. Shouldn't be too far from the 2013 model.

@Mr. Scram -- as the moderators have now removed Osmar's link-spamming post from this thread, and have banned Osmar, could you please remove the link from the quote in your post as well? 

[james_s]

I'd suggest putting up warning signs around the house - for example "Danger.  High Voltage.  Keep Out" around the test bench, so that if they touch something and get a shock, you could say that appropriate warning was given.  Or "Slippery surfaces" on the kitchen door - and if they happen to break in through the kitchen ceiling and not enter through a door, you could still demonstrate warning was given and the fact that they opted to break through from a direction that was not intended for access meant they bypassed the warning.


But the whole idea of having to even consider this sort of thing is ridiculous.

I refuse to even play that game. If someone breaks in and gets hurt/killed by messing with my stuff then at least I'll have something to smile about while I'm sitting in jail.

[soldar]

I refuse to even play that game. If someone breaks in and gets hurt/killed by messing with my stuff then at least I'll have something to smile about while I'm sitting in jail.

My understanding is you cannot set traps but if an intruder suffers an accident then you are not responsible. Burglars have broken into my home by breaking a basement window and dropping about 5' to the floor. I would never dream of placing an obvious trap but what if I happened to store just under that window something with spikes covered by a very light cloth or plastic to protect it from the dust? And what if just next to it there was a shelf with something caustic which happened to fall on the guy. Plausibly just an unfortunate accident, nothing intentional. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

[james_s]

My understanding is you cannot set traps but if an intruder suffers an accident then you are not responsible. Burglars have broken into my home by breaking a basement window and dropping about 5' to the floor. I would never dream of placing an obvious trap but what if I happened to store just under that window something with spikes covered by a very light cloth or plastic to protect it from the dust? And what if just next to it there was a shelf with something caustic which happened to fall on the guy. Plausibly just an unfortunate accident, nothing intentional. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

I have no idea what the laws are like where you are, but I would certainly consider something like that. Borrow a welder and make some artistic scrap metal sculptures.

[Mr. Scram]

@Mr. Scram -- as the moderators have now removed Osmar's link-spamming post from this thread, and have banned Osmar, could you please remove the link from the quote in your post as well? 

It's done. I was so eager to help I overlooked it was a spammer. I just figured it was some guy looking for a dream car. 

[Mr. Scram]

I almost think it would be more effective to just execute people who commit certain crimes. I believe in second chances but once someone has been busted for the same crime 10+ times I really have very little sympathy, at some point it becomes obvious that they are never going to be anything but a drain on society.

I would absolutely support a law that shields a homeowner or resident from any liability for injuries anyone receives in the process of committing a crime. There have been a number of cases where someone breaks into a house, hurts themselves somehow and then successfully sues the homeowner. At least in one recent event sanity prevailed and a package thief who slipped and broke her ankle tried to sue and was promptly thrown out of court.

The death penalty isn't an effective deterrent nor a cheap solution. They tried a lighter variant of your plan with the three strikes system and that turned into a disaster as well.

[james_s]

The death penalty isn't an effective deterrent nor a cheap solution. They tried a lighter variant of your plan with the three strikes system and that turned into a disaster as well.

It's an effective way to prevent re-offense though. It doesn't have to be expensive either, but it is made that way by an excessively complex system, something that we are very good at.

I don't think there is a perfect solution but what we have right now is not working. Just the other day I read an article about police officers in Seattle being so frustrated because they will sometimes arrest somebody and book them, only to have them back out on the street later that day getting arrested again by the same officer committing some other crime. This is just absurd, the general public is virtually helpless against being victimized over and over again by idiots with nothing to lose who know that getting busted is nothing more than a temporary inconvenience with a hot meal.

[Black Phoenix]

It's an effective way to prevent re-offense though. It doesn't have to be expensive either, but it is made that way by an excessively complex system, something that we are very good at.

I don't think there is a perfect solution but what we have right now is not working. Just the other day I read an article about police officers in Seattle being so frustrated because they will sometimes arrest somebody and book them, only to have them back out on the street later that day getting arrested again by the same officer committing some other crime. This is just absurd, the general public is virtually helpless against being victimized over and over again by idiots with nothing to lose who know that getting busted is nothing more than a temporary inconvenience with a hot meal.

Exactly the same in Portugal for petty crimes. Officers arrest the person, on the same day he is present to count, and it's released before the officer even finished filling the paperwork at the count. That makes them not even worry to catch them when they are reported. There are a non spoken law in Portugal that police arrives in the crime scene 30 min after it was reported, that way it gives time for them to go. Saw that happening some times, specially during a time were we had a lot of ATM break ins using Propane Gas tanks and car batteries (Fill the machine with propane gas through the money dispenser door, then light up the gas to blow the safe that contains the drawers with the money, until banks started using drawers with paint that damages the notes).

[james_s]

Also my recollection of the Three Strikes rule is that quite a few of the people it caught were drug users with addictions. Personally I don't care if someone uses drugs, I mean I know that a lot of crime is an indirect result of drugs but I'm not going to suggest we should throw someone in prison for just the using drugs part. Especially drugs like marijuana that are not much different than alcohol, easily the most widely abused and deadly recreational drug in existence. I also don't know if three is the magic number here, but I think at some point there is a line where we should be able to say "You know what, you're done, you've had chance after chance after chance and you're still out there victimizing people" and just kick them out of society. Maybe that means execution, maybe that means drop them off in the middle of someplace like Somalia and let them fend for themselves, I don't know. There is a point though where it is clear that someone is just never going to get themselves together and stop being a danger and a nuisance to everyone else.

[james_s]

Exactly the same in Portugal for petty crimes. Officers arrest the person, on the same day he is present to count, and it's released before the officer even finished filling the paperwork at the count. That makes them not even worry to catch them when they are reported. There are a non spoken law in Portugal that police arrives in the crime scene 30 min after it was reported, that way it gives time for them to go. Saw that happening some times, specially during a time were we had a lot of ATM break ins using Propane Gas tanks and car batteries (Fill the machine with propane gas through the money dispenser door, then light up the gas to blow the safe that contains the drawers with the money, until banks started using drawers with paint that damages the notes).

Seems like what they need is a hydrocarbon sensor controlling a spark igniter inside the machine, ignite any gas that is sprayed in there immediately before an adequate concentration can build up to cause an explosion. Cheap, simple, likely pretty effective.

[SiliconWizard]

I'd suggest putting up warning signs around the house - for example "Danger.  High Voltage.  Keep Out" around the test bench, so that if they touch something and get a shock, you could say that appropriate warning was given.

You can see those kind of warnings also around some houses when people have dogs (or at least less so these days, but I remember seeing those signs when I was a kid).

Unfortunately (not 100% sure, but I think I've already read about similar cases), it doesn't seem to hold much value, as if the intruder gets injured, you might still get sued even if you put huge warnings everywhere. (And what if the intruder can't read anyway? They could always try to pull that off.) I even think putting some kind of traps around your house (inside your property of course) would be illegal in many countries.