Christmas shopping starting early this year.

[rob_s]

Much less likely to encounter armed homeowners too.

at first, anyway...

[Caballoflaco]

These organized rings have been operating/escalating in the SF Bay Area for years. Started with groups of girls (locally the rings were known as "Rainbow Girls" for the colorful dress/hairstyles) bum rushing places like Victoria's Secret, Baby Gap, etc. Moved on to higher end stores, and started including the baby daddy's.

The auto burglary problem in this area is primarily driven by highly organized gangs, who are often armed. They will often engage in "robberies of opportunity" if a victim presents themselves. I think these organized theft rings are an outgrowth of that, coupled with lack of enforcement/prosecution. These guys make risk/reward calculations. They moved from primarily street robberies to auto burglary because the risk of arrest/prison was significantly less. This is just an evolution of that mindset, with probably some crossover of the participants.

My thinking, pessimistic though it it, is that retail response will be hardening or outright closing stores....which will again redirect these folks. I personally think we'll eventually see these platoon sized elements targeting high income residential areas. Imagine the streets being blocked to LE response as squads of dudes kick in doors in Blackhawk or Atherton or some other Richie Rich neighborhoods, looking for jewelry, cash and such. Much less likely to encounter armed homeowners too. Think it can't happen? Well.....like I said. I'm more pessimistic.

If this eventually becomes a “thing” I bet you guys would then see a rise in private security companies that offer better pay and working conditions than local police depts. further depleting your area of actual police man power.

[blues]

If this eventually becomes a “thing” I bet you guys would then see a rise in private security companies that offer better pay and working conditions than local police depts. further depleting your area of actual police man power.

I say we return to the days when rustlers and horse thieves were hanged outright. (One can wish, can't one?)

Get enough rich people disturbed by events and they'll push buttons in an attempt to bring law enforcement back. What's that they say about how a liberal becomes a conservative...?

[RevolverRob]

If armed, platoon sized, elements start kicking in your door, it's gonna suck to have your bullet buttoned AR locked in a safe with a 10-round mag.

[Totem Polar]

Think it can't happen? Well.....like I said. I'm more pessimistic.

You and I are drinking from the same cask, from different sides of the societal table, brother. This scenario is not an “if,” it’s a “when” unless some social mores around law enforcement change in a few major urban areas.

I can pour that ale even darker, though: at current trajectory, we are a decade out from both private security (as @Caballoflaco notes) and cartel-driven protection rackets vying for the public’s security dollars.

[AMC]

You and I are drinking from the same cask, from different sides of the societal table, brother. This scenario is not an “if,” it’s a “when” unless some social mores around law enforcement change in a few major urban areas.

I can pour that ale even darker, though: at current trajectory, we are a decade out from both private security (as @Caballoflaco notes) and cartel-driven protection rackets vying for the public’s security dollars.

As I told a non-LE friend concerned about these trends recently, we are passing through "Blade Runner", headed to "Road Warrior", with the eventual utopian goal of "The Hunger Games" in store for us down the line unless folks get their head outta their ass.

[TGS]

If this eventually becomes a “thing” I bet you guys would then see a rise in private security companies that offer better pay and working conditions than local police depts. further depleting your area of actual police man power.

We're pretty much talking about the plot of RoboCop, here.

[OlongJohnson]

That is a worrisome possibility. Pretty scary thought actually. I’ve never been to the Bay Area so I’m not familiar with the neighborhoods you mentioned. Kicking in doors in the nicer neighborhoods in Albuquerque would still get you a decent chance of finding bullets coming your way but I can imagine that’s not the case for the nicer neighborhoods of the Bay Area.

Depends which house.

[rob_s]

You and I are drinking from the same cask, from different sides of the societal table, brother. This scenario is not an “if,” it’s a “when” unless some social mores around law enforcement change in a few major urban areas.

that's a poor recipe for success, and I suspect we are well past whatever minimal impact that kind of approach might have had, and largely ignores the broader current situation.

i know, it's the "easy button" ("hire more cops, pay cops more, get them bigger guns") and I'm not actually opposed to much of it, but it's not going to be effective.

if we're going to equate these things to wars, maybe we need to look more closely at lessons learned from Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq and the outcomes thereof. This ain't gonna be trench warfare.

like it or not, ever since 0 won in 2008, the sense of entitlement has been growing. The past year or two hasn't improved things. The media and the "left" keep telling everyone they are "owed" and "due" and that "it's not your fault". The long-term repercussions of this aren't even starting to be felt.

2008. Think about that. 13 years ago. So anyone 18 or younger has only ever been even remotely aware of an entitlement society. Then figure that people probably aren't even beginning to be socio-politically aware until... 13? so you start to see why the great temper tantrum, as fueled by the media to sell soap and the left to garner votes and push the orange man out, really happened. Everyone 25-ish or younger is basically an entitled asshole with zero concept of history or how things really get done.

Atlas will either need to shrug, or get some balloons.

[BehindBlueI's]

plus, what's the real-world "cost" of being busted? At worst, felony arrest, misdemeanor charge, no contest, 12 month probation cut down to 6...

I don't know CA law, but it would likely be a Robbery charge here.