DJRafu

Hey CL,

Got some unfortunate news. My GS was broken into one of the past few days as I was out of town for business. This evening, as I drove into my condo's subterranean garage I noticed the hood was partially open on my GS. First thought was, did the wife move the car while I was gone and didn't think too much of it. As I grabbed my suitcase I had a weird gut feeling and wanted to check out the car so I turned around and walked up to the passenger side. As I got closer, I saw all my Lexus manuals and other DMV documents strewn all over the front passenger side. Immediately, a numb feeling came over me and when I opened the passenger door, I knew my car was broken into but had no visible signs of damage! I carefully checked inside to see what was taken as I didn't want to disturb the scene of the crime. I don't keep anything in plain view but they took my dash cam and center console tray plus the garage access card which were all hidden inside the center console. Somehow these guys also got into my trunk and I lost close to $5,000 worth of stuff that were sitting in my trunk including my gift to the wife that I was hiding as I planned to give it to her for our anniversary this weekend!!!

I'm going down to the police station tomorrow as they weren't willing to send anyone out but was told nonchalantly, oh yeah, there were three other cars broken into in your garage. I was like what!? And this is what blew me away, he asked do you own a Lexus or Toyota, to which I answered yes and was told they believe these thieves are using a new technology to jam open doors! I remember reading an article on this a few years ago but totally forgot about it until today. This is ridiculous and wanted to know if anyone on CL has experienced the same. Also, does anyone know what the small access panel on the left side of the trunk is for? I noticed they popped open that panel but not sure if anything was taken. I'm distraught and also at a loss for words but hope no one else has had a similar experience.

I just moved into my new condo so I guess this is a way to welcome me to my new neighborhood. I've already asked my real estate agent to get comps to see how much I can rent the place out for while I look for a new place to live as I don't know if I want to live here anymore.

jjscsix

I'm sorry to hear about it, but it could happen anywhere to any car. I doubt if you'll outrun the problem. I cannot imagine keeping valuable items in my car, especially in a garage that has open access to others.

yardie876

Ouch, sorry to hear that man. I've realized the police department doesn't really offer any assistance when it comes to petit theft (even grand theft in your case). It's simply not worth their time since it's so common and items are rarely recovered.

lawdoc79

Sorry to hear about your tragedy. You might want to give your insurance company a call and see if you had coverage for your loss.

Sevn86

Sorry to hear about what happen to you OP. Like Yardie876 said, it not worth their time. Heck the Houston Police department is the same way. 4 years ago a 6 month prego lady hit me and the police made us wait in the middle of an intersection for over two hours and they still never showed up. We just gave up and moved our cars to the side. She gave me her info so I could claim as it was her fault and we also got the witness info and that was it. HPD is lazy. Yet across the street one block down we could see three cop cars in a restaurant parking lot and no one came out to help.

Im2bz2p345

+1

And this is why I hate the cops - they have no problem harassing everyday, law abiding citizens. They'll love to hand you over a ticket for going a tad over the speed limit, pulling you over if you don't completely stop at a stop sign, run a yellow (which they will argue went red by the time you crossed), harass you about your car's tint/exhaust/no license plate up front/etc. That's simply because it's so easy for them to collect revenue for normal citizens and doesn't put them in any danger.

They should be out constantly doing whatever it takes to track down criminals that commit grand theft. It seems way to easy these days to damage someone's car, jack their valuables, steal their tires, and the police just sit there with their hands up their butt.

Their salaries are ran off our hard working $$$, yet they don't give two $hi+s about you when you want them to investigate a matter & dig a little deeper (i.e. like when your boss pressures you to go above & beyond! They don't seem to have any of that pressure besides meeting their ticket quota).

Overall, this process of trying to get help when something like this happens to you and it just being tossed around like a joke/ignored is what leaves a sour taste in my mouth. "Not worth their time" is NOT an excuse in my book - at least show me that you're making an effort to do something about it.

/rant

So sorry to read about something like this happening to you OP! If there was any physical damage done to your vehicle, perhaps insurance could help you out, otherwise you're basically SOL on your valuables.

~ Im2bz2p345

1111GS

Sorry to hear and hope you had time to get a different present for your lady. Dash camera and add on stuff are nice but imo they attract these guys more when yours is parked in public areas. Have you thought about Lexus Enform? It's a bit pricey but I think it's worth it. You'll get a notification on your phone when something happens to your car. On top of that I really like Enform Remote.

DJRafu

Thanks for all the kind words. I moved from an LA County Sheriff territory where they came out for reports to the LAPD and experiencing a huge difference in service. I have nothing against both the LAPD and Sheriffs as they have a difficult job to do but was noting the difference in attitude both departments have against reports.

Yea I usually only keep a pair of shoes and a shirt in the car but since we just moved in, I had kept some items in the GS's trunk thinking it'd be better there than in my other 2 since one is a CT, the wife's DD and a Subaru Outback(company car) where everything is in view. I'm now on craigslist and ebay looking to see if I can locate some of my stuff so I can report that to them as well since my Shoei helmet is very distinctive.

DJRafu

@1111GS I didn't know Lexus Enform had this service and will have to look into this. But, if I were in NY like this time, I guess there's not much I could've done even with a notification except maybe calling the LAPD line stating door was opened. As for the gift, my wife is understanding and plan to take her shopping for a different bag tonight.

Joe166

First, this is hardly a reason to "hate" cops, or to put all of them in the same basket. You get what you pay for. If you want every theft from a car fully investigated, with fingerprints and all the TV stuff, be prepared to pay a whole lot more for taxes.

Second, the OP should have some coverage on a home owners policy, which I would assume a new buyer would have, probably required by the lender or renters insurance, if you rent. While I haven't made too many claims on my policies, I am glad to have them as a backup.

Third, I don't know of too many police departments that have a ticket quota these days. If they do, I suspect they have no problem meeting whatever their quota is, based on the idiots I see on a regular basis on the roads around here AND the number of people who are so bitterly opposed to camera enforcement of the law, UNLESS they happen to get something stolen.

In this day and age, i really wonder about the mentality of someone who publicly (but anonymously, of course), espouses hate for Police Officers or any first responders. Take a look around at the number of officers some with families who have been cowardly assassinated just this year! No need to add to the turmoil, IMO. Next time you are in trouble, call your dentist or neighbor for help.

If they had more police officers I am sure they would love to investigate all crimes just like they do on TV, but as long as the politicians keep cutting them back on officers and hours and equipment, while putting extra anti terrorism duties on them, this will continue.

Having said that, I know that there are problems with individual police officers. I have personally experienced it. I have dealt with it. I do not paint all police officers with the same brush.

ARM350F

Weird the same thing just happened to me, however before the could take anything my neighbors saw and scared them off. Sorry to hear that happened hopefully they can find some of the stuff that was stolen.

Sevn86

I don't know who this was directed to but I just wanted to say that I don't hate the cops, they put their lives on the line everyday to protect us. I was just pointing out how HPD is lazy. The lady was okay but had slight pain and we called 911 like 3 times to get help so we could resolve this quickly so she could go home. I was surprised to see no one showed up. She was then telling me that her husband was in a wreck 8 months prior and HPD never showed up then as well. She said they ended up leaving the cars there to go eat at the restaurant near by while they waited but no one showed up. I can say from first hand experience that Sugar Land PD is awesome! They will show up for the smallest emergencies when called and may I add in record time. Plus they are always patrolling the areas. Same with the sheriffs in my area. They are always driving around too.

Joe166

I guess I should have been more directed. It was aimed primarily at the post just after yours. Read it.

1111GS

Here is a sample of Lexus Enform Remote.

Im2bz2p345

I agree with you - shouldn't put them all in the same bucket. I personally know some excellent cops. It's the bad ones that gives other a bad rap.

I don't know about the efficiency of law enforcement in the U.S. Until a 3rd party company does a independent investigation on how efficiently & effectively our money is being spent on law enforcement services and how well they are actually performing their jobs, I don't want to put any additional money money in an already broken system (much like our two party political system where it's so hard to get anything done in even 4 years!).

How do you think the police department stays afloat? It's the ticketing of your neighbor and his neighbor that causes it. If there are so many police offers devoted to the little things that I mentioned in my earlier post, how will they ever have the time to investigate any stolen item further?

They simply smirk at you, make you fill out some stupid police report (which, 99% of time, is just a waste of time), and send you on your way. So much for great customer service when we pay BILLIONS. If you really want to try to find an item that's stolen, you either have to waste your own time scouring the internet (i.e. craigslist), asking around.. or hire a private investigator.. which is even more money & time wasted.

If you go to just about any enthusiast car forum and ask the question "how many people here love your county's cops?".. chances are the response will be more in line with me than some articular love for the law enforcement.

My heart goes out to the cops & their loved ones who are killed in duty, but then again this is their job. You don't sign up to be a police officer to dance around in a tutu. Just like you don't sign up to be a front line soldier and not expect to be shot at during a time of conflict/war. It's a choice these individuals have - they are all adults with a mind of their own; nobody is holding their hand and forcing them to work in these particular fields. Their families also understand this "risk" that they are putting onto themselves.

More often than not, nothing bad happens, but public servants do face an inherit risk. I personally don't give them any special treatment just because they choose to put their life on the line.. if a cop dies.. it's the equivalent of my doctor dying.. no special treatment should be given to one or the other. This is just my personal opinion - a lot of people may disagree.

The frustration of law enforcement had caused one of the biggest riots in recent years.



This is much BIGGER discussion that really needs not to continue here. Wishing the OP the best!

~ Im2bz2p345