They'll Steal Anything ...

PornoDoggy · 11-25-2005

Light poles vanishing -- believed sold for scrap by thieves
130 street fixtures in Baltimore have been cut down

Gary Gately, New York Times

Friday, November 25, 2005

Baltimore -- Given that they stand some 30 feet tall, their disappearance is attracting a good deal of attention here -- even as their final destination remains a mystery.

Thieves are sawing down aluminum light poles. Some 130 have vanished from Baltimore's streets in the last several weeks, authorities say, presumably sold for scrap metal. But so far the case of the pilfered poles has stumped the police and left many local residents wondering just how someone manages to make off with what would seem to be a conspicuous street fixture.

The poles, which weigh about 250 pounds apiece, have been snatched during the day and in the middle of the night, from two-lane blacktop roads and from parkways with three lanes on either side of grass median strips, in poor areas and in some of the city's most affluent neighborhoods. Left behind are half-foot stubs of metal, with wires that carry 120 volts neatly tied and wrapped in black electric tape.

"It's a newfound phenomenon; I have to say we haven't seen this before," a spokesman for the city's transportation department, David Brown, said. "Apparently, the culprits know what they're doing because we're talking about 30-foot poles here. It's not like you can stick one in a grocery cart and get rolling."

The culprits seem to have pole-snatching down to a model of precision and efficiency, city officials say. They appear to have gone so far as dressing up as utility crews, police say, and placing orange traffic cones around the poles about to be felled, to avoid arousing suspicion among motorists.

The missing poles have become yet another measure of the desperation in one of the country's most violent cities. Last year, Baltimore, with a population about one-twelfth that of New York City's, had a homicide rate more than five times as high.

An illegal drug trade fuels much of the violence. Health officials say 40,000 addicts live among Baltimore's estimated 650,000 residents. For at least a decade, addicts who cash in scrap metal to pay for their next fix have been ripping metal pipes, radiators and wires out of vacant houses, and prying cast-iron security grates and downspouts from buildings.

But the audacity of the latest thefts has startled even law enforcement officials. "It definitely is brazen," said Officer Nicole Monroe, a city police spokeswoman. "It surprises me that people would be so brazen as to do something like this."

The police have no suspects, Monroe said.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...NGE4FTR571.DTL

MorganGrayson · 11-26-2005

Quote:

Left behind are half-foot stubs of metal, with wires that carry 120 volts neatly tied and wrapped in black electric tape.

Tidy, safety-conscious, junkie thieves?

Red · 11-26-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by MorganGrayson

Tidy, safety-conscious, junkie thieves?

Not to mention very creative.

Grump · 11-26-2005

Polish Mafia is my guess

RyanLanane · 11-26-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grump

Polish Mafia is my guess

You think if we had a mafia, we would commit crimes that intelligent?

Wait, I guess it isn't that smart.. As A Polock, for a second there....

MorganGrayson · 11-26-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanLanane

You think if we had a mafia, we would commit crimes that intelligent?

Wait, I guess it isn't that smart.. As A Polock, for a second there....

Points coming for that.

(My husband is Slovak and has to borrow Polish jokes, as they don't have any of their own. Not even with regards to screwing in a lightbulb.)

PornoDoggy · 11-26-2005

Actually, the neatly taped off wires is a nice touch.

In St. Louis a few years back, they weren't nearly as ambitious when it came to street lamps. They were stealing only the aluminum access plate and exposing the wires. Over the course of one summer, about three kids got electricuted reaching in for an errant ball, or just to see what was in there.

They also used to steal empty or abandoned brick houses. A crew of four could take down and reclaim the bricks from a four-family in about three days, and get a couple thousand bucks for the bricks alone. A couple of fake permits, and nobody knew the difference.

11-25-2005	#1
PornoDoggy Cramming 3 people in a Room to Attend Show Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Amid the Cornfields of Illinois Posts: 5,366	They'll Steal Anything ... Light poles vanishing -- believed sold for scrap by thieves 130 street fixtures in Baltimore have been cut down Gary Gately, New York Times Friday, November 25, 2005 Baltimore -- Given that they stand some 30 feet tall, their disappearance is attracting a good deal of attention here -- even as their final destination remains a mystery. Thieves are sawing down aluminum light poles. Some 130 have vanished from Baltimore's streets in the last several weeks, authorities say, presumably sold for scrap metal. But so far the case of the pilfered poles has stumped the police and left many local residents wondering just how someone manages to make off with what would seem to be a conspicuous street fixture. The poles, which weigh about 250 pounds apiece, have been snatched during the day and in the middle of the night, from two-lane blacktop roads and from parkways with three lanes on either side of grass median strips, in poor areas and in some of the city's most affluent neighborhoods. Left behind are half-foot stubs of metal, with wires that carry 120 volts neatly tied and wrapped in black electric tape. "It's a newfound phenomenon; I have to say we haven't seen this before," a spokesman for the city's transportation department, David Brown, said. "Apparently, the culprits know what they're doing because we're talking about 30-foot poles here. It's not like you can stick one in a grocery cart and get rolling." The culprits seem to have pole-snatching down to a model of precision and efficiency, city officials say. They appear to have gone so far as dressing up as utility crews, police say, and placing orange traffic cones around the poles about to be felled, to avoid arousing suspicion among motorists. The missing poles have become yet another measure of the desperation in one of the country's most violent cities. Last year, Baltimore, with a population about one-twelfth that of New York City's, had a homicide rate more than five times as high. An illegal drug trade fuels much of the violence. Health officials say 40,000 addicts live among Baltimore's estimated 650,000 residents. For at least a decade, addicts who cash in scrap metal to pay for their next fix have been ripping metal pipes, radiators and wires out of vacant houses, and prying cast-iron security grates and downspouts from buildings. But the audacity of the latest thefts has startled even law enforcement officials. "It definitely is brazen," said Officer Nicole Monroe, a city police spokeswoman. "It surprises me that people would be so brazen as to do something like this." The police have no suspects, Monroe said. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...NGE4FTR571.DTL __________________ SEX STORY TEXT Exotic Material for Adult Websites Available for part time (project or ongoing) work ...

11-26-2005	#4
Grump Buys wine at Publix! Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 170	Re: They'll Steal Anything ... Polish Mafia is my guess

11-26-2005	#7
PornoDoggy Cramming 3 people in a Room to Attend Show Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Amid the Cornfields of Illinois Posts: 5,366	Re: They'll Steal Anything ... Actually, the neatly taped off wires is a nice touch. In St. Louis a few years back, they weren't nearly as ambitious when it came to street lamps. They were stealing only the aluminum access plate and exposing the wires. Over the course of one summer, about three kids got electricuted reaching in for an errant ball, or just to see what was in there. They also used to steal empty or abandoned brick houses. A crew of four could take down and reclaim the bricks from a four-family in about three days, and get a couple thousand bucks for the bricks alone. A couple of fake permits, and nobody knew the difference. __________________ SEX STORY TEXT Exotic Material for Adult Websites Available for part time (project or ongoing) work ...