Rash Of Stolen Gear In Portand Oregon

[Plaidman]

I just made a police report about my gear being stolen out of my car. They told me that another climber in the Portland area just had his gear stolen out of his car. Mine was stolen on 11/11 or 11/12/07 out of my car. His was stolen 11/10 the police told me. I will be posting a list of my gear in the lost forum. Just wanted to let people know to be aware in my area of the recent break ins.

[Chad_A]

Thanks much, good reality check. I need to make sure I get my stuff out of the truck every night...

[kevbone]

I just made a police report about my gear being stolen out of my car. They told me that another climber in the Portland area just had his gear stolen out of his car. Mine was stolen on 11/11 or 11/12/07 out of my car. His was stolen 11/10 the police told me. I will be posting a list of my gear in the lost forum. Just wanted to let people know to be aware in my area of the recent break ins.

 

That is totally lame. Where did this happen at?

[Plaidman]

It happened near 39th ave and Woodstock. Really closer to Reed Collage.

[archenemy]

Bummer to hear that.

Don't lose hope--remember the guy who found his stuff at a yard sale in Ballard earlier this year and made a follow-up police report (if I remember the story right). I think he even posted a maplink to the house...

[sampdx]

Plaidman - sorry to hear about your stuff. That's brutal.

 

And for those of you who don't know, don't leave anything in your car near PRG in Portland. I've had more than one friend get his stuff stolen there; even right from the parking lot of PRG. Apparently, there is a methadone clinic nearby that attracts unsavory types.

[Lowlander]

Sorry to hear that. I had all my gear stolen, and my car, in Vancouver B.C. Now I have Renters Insurance. A little late for me, but I hope everyone else reading this post gets it. I'll keep a look out for your gear on Craigslist.

[JosephH]

I had renters insurance when mine was stolen in '93 and they were great - didn't ask for documentation of any kind, just a list of what was taken and cost. Check came a week later - presto, new rack. But it took me years to replace some of that old tymey stuff; some of it had to wait until ebay was invented before I could replace it.

[tvashtarkatena]

This is probably the best approach. Look under Craigslist sporting section using a generic search term like "climbing" periodically. Not that much climbing gear is sold on Craigslist, so the list won't be very long. The perps have to get rid of it somehow; pawn shops don't buy climbing gear, and it's not exactly yard sale season right now. Craigslist would be the logical place. The hard part will be linking the perps to the actual burglary. If you find it on craigslist, you might want to get some advice from the cops before you pursue retrieving it. I'm the guy that found the stolen gear at a yard sale in Ballard and, sadly, even though I had the goods and linked them to the original owner, the cops could not link anyone in the house to the actual burglary. The result: no bust. At least the guy got his gear back, though.

 

Also, notify the used gear shops in your area to be on the lookout.

 

Good luck.

[rbw1966]

Another Portlander had his rack--and wallet--stolen from his truck at the Bagdad Theatre. When he canceled his credit card the CSR told him his card had just been used to rent a hotel room downtown. He called the hotel and sure enough, he was registered. He called the cops who told him it was a low priority and they might take action--it was only when he said he was going to take action himself that the cops acted. he got most of his stuff back.

 

Property crimes are pretty low on the cops priority scale.

 

Be sure and check next adventure too.

 

Good luck.

[Bug]

There are always people walking around in places like JT and the Valley selling gear. Most of them are legit but watch what you buy.

[Chad_A]

He called the cops who told him it was a low priority and they might take action--it was only when he said he was going to take action himself that the cops acted.

 

Goddammit, that's frustrating. I'd like to see the look on the thief's face when the cops knocked on the door.

[Plaidman]

Some of my gear was found. The backpack and a few things. Not much. Very bummed out. Should be happy to get anything.

The gear was found on the Springwater Corridor near 39th and Johnson Creek Blvd.

[billcoe]

Heres hopin the MF BASTARD dies of an overdose and when the cops show up to haul the stinking maggot infested body away they see your stuff and you get it all back.

 

Good luck.

[JayB]

Sorry to hear about the theft, Plaidman. That kind of thing hurts. For most folks, each piece of gear represents a little bit of extra work, sacrifice, savings, etc, and the thought of going through all of that again just to replace what's been stolen is often way worse than the actual theft.

 

They need to start building backpack-sized Lo-Jack devices...

[owah_tagoo_siam]

Plaidman,

I feel your pain. After returning late from a trip to Smith a couple days ago I decided to unpack in the morning. In the morning my car was gone and with it a substantial amount of gear. The 98 subaru outback(457 UMH if anyone sees it)is fully insured but i don't have renters insurance so i get screwed on everything that was inside. I will also put up my lost items list in the gear section so if someone spots it please let me know. I am currently trying to decide if i will use the car insurance money to buy a car or replace my gear........

Notes to self(and others)

#1 Renters insurance, maybe a good thing.

#2 Never be too tired to unpack.

#3 Don't ever park your car in Tacoma.

[markwebster]

It's a bummer hearing about all these gear thefts. Like someone else said, watch craigs list and ebay as these turkeys have to sell it somewhere.

 

From the day I got my first apartment, I've always had renters insurance and/or homeowners. It's a pain to pay, but is worth the money.

 

I take pictures of my rack every year, and keep all receipts to prove it's mine in case of theft. I have my camera equipment and laptop on a special rider on my insurance policy, so it's covered even if I drop it in a lake, replacement value.

 

One of the reasons I've held onto my 30 year old lowe backpack is that it looks horrible, stained, ripped and patched...surely no worthwhile gear could be in that old beater?

 

I also usually use a pedal lock on my clutch pedal (similar to the club but better) to make stealing my car less attractive, and make the criminals aware that I'm aware of them and thinking about security.

 

If I have something valuable in my car, I cover it up with a coat or old blanket to make it look more like a pile of laundry.

 

Last but not least, I keep a rubber chicken visible in the car as my security system.

 

I know you're all laughing, but think about it...chickens are used as voodoo appliances in some cultures. They're also fun to have around, kids go crazy over them, especially the screaming yellow chickens at the joke shops. I've had perfect strangers ask to have their pictures taken with the chicken.

 

I can't see into the minds of criminals, but if there is a chance I can make them pause and wonder about the meaning of that rubber chicken...maybe they'll just move onto the next car.

 

I don't know if it's just luck, or karma, or the rubber chicken in all three of our cars, but we've never been robbed. The one time my son got busted into at college in Tacoma, he'd left the chicken behind the seat where it couldn't be seen.

 

I guess a car alarm might be cool too. A guy at work had a car alarm that paged him if it was triggered. Seems like most people ignore them now, I've never had one.

 

Anyway, sorry to hear about these losses. With all the work we put into buying and caring for our rack and ropes and stuff, to have it ripped off would hurt bad.

[lizard_brain]

This was dicussed at length in another thread last summer, but lately, especially along I-90 trailheads, it's not always the valuables in your car that they're after. If you're obviously a hiker/climber and going to be gone for a day or two, they take not only what is in your car, but your registration, with your address on it, and clean out your house while you're gone. It's happened to one or two people on this forum. Keep a copy of your registration in your car with your address blacked out, and the original at home. I even take the copy with me in my pack instead of leaving it in my car when it's parked at a trailhead.

 

I figure whatever I leave in my car at any time is fair game.

[treknclime]

Good tips, everyone! Thanks!