# Vandalism question.



## bob88 (Feb 16, 2006)

A friend living in Allston (D-14) has a motorcycle parked on a private street. (Radcliffe Street) and it was pushed over by some drunk kids on the weekend. 

The harley was slightly damaged, with broken mirror, signal lights and some scratches on the air filter cover and throttle grip. The motorcycle cover is also torn. 

As its an old motorcycle, there is no comprehensive insurance on the motorcycle.

I've asked him to go to the police station for the local district to make a report for filing. (As he cannot claim insurance) 

I don't see the police able to take more action or anything else he could do besides filing the report (and possibly increase patrol on the street if it is justified).

Yesterday, as the motorcycle is parked with the cover off, and some parts replaced, the new mirrors, footpegs and fuel cover are stolen.

Is there any other advice I could give him (Other than put your bike in a secured garage) I feel sorry for him as it is a nice bike he's restoring and there are many POS in the area he lives... (But nothing happened for 1 yr since he fully restored the bike and started to get plates for it)


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

Allston is a sewer...your friend should move, out west beyond the CT River...housing is wicked cheaper...so is food, clothes, et al. I don't want to hear about "his family is in the Bostoon area", etc. Massachusetts is a tiny state...you can be anywhere in the state within two hours. It's not like it's Texas or Alaska..or New York.

This is America...plenty of jobs to be had...if a citizen is unwilling to move then just "suck it up" and sell the bike to someone who can adequately secure it. Parking it on the street is just asking for trouble.


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## bob88 (Feb 16, 2006)

dcs2244 said:


> Allston is a sewer...your friend should move, out west beyond the CT River...housing is wicked cheaper...so is food, clothes, et al. I don't want to hear about "his family is in the Bostoon area", etc. Massachusetts is a tiny state...you can be anywhere in the state within two hours. It's not like it's Texas or Alaska..or New York.
> 
> This is America...plenty of jobs to be had...if a citizen is unwilling to move then just "suck it up" and sell the bike to someone who can adequately secure it. Parking it on the street is just asking for trouble.


To clarify, its actually a private street, with only private parking.

I was at the District D-14 police station today accompanying my friend who like to help out in police work to report a vandalism. This was just going to be a simple police report but the following incident that I witnessed really disappoints me as there are some really unprofessional bad cops that give cops a bad name.

When I entered the police station, there were some people infront of us reporting some incidents.

The patrolman at the desk, Badge number (**** : I copied it down) was just sending people away from the desk. At first it looked quite efficient as he asked some ladies who were dropping off some accident reports to just leave it there.

A vietnamese male entered, wanting to report a vandalism on his vehicle where his windows are smashed. But this guy wants to just keep a record as his insurance does not cover it. The officer says, "We do not really keep records. I can give you a report for your insurance claim."

At that time I wanted to tell him that the report though may not be significant, might have some trend which may be useful data some time in the future.

I stopped the vietnamese male who seemed annoyed and left without reporting it. I informed him that in Massachusetts, although he may not have comprehensive insurance for the car, the windows may be insured and he should call the insurance to see if he could make a claim. And if he could claim, he would still need the police report from this police station as he lived in this district.

A lady next in line asked if she could hand in some form as her house got broken into, but the detective in charge was on leave. The officer at the desk adviced her that she should hold on to the forms and other evidence till the detective comes back.

I glared at the officer at the desk as I'm sure that there will be another detective that might be in charge of the case, and she could speak to him instead. (That was how it was done during my time few years back.) The officer pushed some buttons on the phone and tells her that other detectives are not around and she should come back later.

My friend was next in line and my friend has done a lot of things to help out with local police officers and has even bought coffee on some policemen on traffic details in the cold winter. He also has given his advice about the treatment to muslims as he was an LEO from Singapore, but he owns a company that makes and sells socks (which can be used by LEO). Ha also gave out free samples to some Boston Policemen to wear, and they liked it.

So my friend's Harley was pushed over causing him more than $500 worth of damage. His motorcycle parts are recently replaced and they are stolen last night. I suggested that he should report this as it might be a chain of thefts in the area and it, the report can make the local police step up patrols.

His motorcycle was parked on the street for more than 1 year without any incidents and within the last week, it was vandalised and some parts are now stolen.

The officer at the desk said, "We do not keep records, this report is only for your own filings and for the insurance."

As I did not want to start an arguement with this person, I urged my friend to make the report. The officer asked the location, time and what was damaged.

My friend actually has a typed report on exactly what happened and a list of the damage and what was stolen, but the officer does not seem to be interested. Instead he typed a 3 line report stating briefly that the motorcycle was damaged and parts are taken on the specific dates.

The officer did not read the report back to my friend and did not allow my friend to append any other evidence as the officer claims, "You can show the damages and give your lists to your insurance."

I am very unhappy that such an attitude exist, and I've talked to some of my friends at E-5 and apparently lazy cops are a common thing..

Damn.


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## topcop14 (Jul 13, 2004)

While I can not comment on Boston Pd I will say that for the most part an incident of Vandalism with no suspects will equal a entry into the log only. We are not in the business of doing reports for insurance companies or for your records. My favorite is when people want new cell phone they tell there cell company it was lost or stolen. They are then told to file a police report. When they get to our station they are told sorry. We don't take reports on lost cell phones. We will log that you came in but thats it. It comes down to time, resources and money. Until the lemmings increase the budget and give us the resources we need, get used to it.


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## quality617 (Oct 14, 2003)

bob88 said:


> My friend actually has a typed report on exactly what happened and a list of the damage and what was stolen, but the officer does not seem to be interested. Instead he typed a 3 line report stating briefly that the motorcycle was damaged and parts are taken on the specific dates.
> 
> The officer did not read the report back to my friend and did not allow my friend to append any other evidence as the officer claims, "You can show the damages and give your lists to your insurance."
> 
> ...


Police reports are not evidence in an insurance claim. Just because it's in a police report, doesn't give the claim credibility. You two could be lying through your teeth for all we know. Both of you might have damaged the motorcycle yourself, and are looking for a payout from the insurance company. When nobody saw nothin, and all you have are parts that will never be found, that's all you get; three lines in a police report, because thats all it rates.

Your friends motorcycle was vandalized? Sorry to hear it, and welcome to Allston.

Lazy cops? Jesus, try dealing with lazy citizens. Apparently you have some sad friends in "E-5", none of then cops, I'll bet.


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## tomcats (Aug 26, 2005)

because you buy a cop on a detail a coffee you expect special treatment??????.......I've had people buy me coffee while I'm on a detail and the last thing I would do is drink it. There are people who don't like cops out there......I know it's hard to believe!!!!!.......Any cops down the cape going to Dunkin Donuts anytime soon???????..A vandalized motorcycle may seem like a life altering event to you but with no suspects or witnesses what would you have the officer do.....form a task force?, call swat?, stake out your friends motorcycle?...if we had time and resources we might.......Ok we still wouldn't!!!!


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## bob88 (Feb 16, 2006)

I felt sorry for my friend too, as its a nice bike and all, and the thing is not really about getting an arrest. I think the reason for filing to the public is more of a closure, and not telling people that the Police will not do anything (although it may be truth) sounds bad.

I would say the better reply is that "We may step up patrol in the area to look out and prevent future occurances." Its more assuring and makes people feel that the Police is doing something, and perhaps a drive by around the area would suffice to create a peace of mind.

Telling people outright that filing a police report is useless and the police will not act on it, just makes the experience bad. If it was so difficult and time consuming, perhaps there are volunteers or auxliaries that could help out at the police reports (anyway a patrol supervisor would need to read through it). If people stop coming to make reports for vandalism, assaults and other crimes, the crime does not magically disappear.

All the reports are logged and the log is just data. I just feel strongly that with more data, and acting upon it, there is a chance to reduce crime, making the neighbourhood safer. (like patroling the affected area at the same time a few days or a week after the incident)

My friend is *not* going to make an insurance claim, and the report is more for a closure, and in the hope that if similar occurance happen to other people in the area, maybe a pattern can be observed and the culprit could be apprehended.

I know in certain towns, some of these occurances of thief and vandalism are not even in the log, to give an appearance that the town is safe, as there is a matrix that is calculated using this log, and the public can have access to the monthly summarized police log.

(I talked to some officers in Singapore when I was there visiting. The reason that Singapore looks like its crime free is that a lot of the police reports are not logged. Some of the officers print it out on a piece of paper and give it to the victim, and it is not even officially in the computer. Does this way of not logging reduce crime?)

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On the other hand, there are some civilians who are plain annoying, and some loons on the street that just like to waste our time. But I still think that most people will be too lazy to report a vandalism or some minor crime, and if we turn away those that do make the effort to go to the police station to report, we will just get less witnesses when needed. I think its just a vicious cycle which should be corrected.

Allston is filled with drunk students at night, but it does not mean that anyone parked in Allston deserves to have their property vandalized.


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## robinlow (Feb 18, 2006)

I'm sorry that I created all this discussion about my motorcycle.

My motorcycle was vandalized and I was not sure whether I should make a police report, but I went to my friend Bob and Dave, and they told me to go ahead. In fact Bob accompanied me to the police station to make the report.

I'm sorry that my motorcycle was vandalized and sorry to have wasted your time on this forum on something as trivial as this.

Bob, you're a good friend and I thank you for going to make the report with me. I don't need you to elaborate this further as it is my fault to have the motorcycle out of the storage in winter.

In Singapore, more than half the police are "national service" (at the age of 18~21 all male in Singapore have to serve their national service) and so the attitude for cops in Singapore is usually bad as they are poorly paid and its like serving time. There is also bad leadership to start with.

I still think that most police are pretty professional here and if any departments need help in anything, I'd be glad to volunteer.


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## k12kop (May 24, 2005)

Bob or whoever, How many forums are you going to post on. You know what I'm talking about. Some of the comments you've made are way out of line If you have any thing to do with the Job you would know that the desk officer is the busiest cop in the house, Giving the officer dirty looks or making allegations about being a bad cop is not going to cut it. Your not the only one out there who subscribes to more than one board.


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## bluesamurai22 (Nov 20, 2004)

I used to live on Royce Road (1 year and 9 months in 1988-1990). Besides the parking and the drunken A-holes I liked it there a lot. About a week before I moved I had all 4 tires slashed on my car when it was parked right in front of Great Scott. I didn't bother reporting it because I knew it wouldn't matter at the time. That said, I think you did the right thing by making a report.

There is very little chance that this is part of a pattern but you never know. I know Boston was a COMPSTAT department a while back and probably still is today. Whether a department is into COMPSTAT or Community Policing they would be looking at things like this at least to some small degree. The big problem with anything like this in Allston is that you are surrounded by spoiled drunken college kids. There isn't much you can do about that.

I would suggest trying to find a more secure place to park the bike. If you can find someone with a driveway or garage nearby that will either let you park there or rent some space you would be a lot better off.

There are a few things you can do to lower the chances of your bike being vandalised or stolen. Because Harley's and sportbikes are such high-theft and heavily crashed vehicles I think your chances of having another incident are very high.

Consider a motion alarm with a pager. Something like a Scorpio - http://www.scorpioalarms.com/sr-i500.aspx Everybody ignores alarms so the pager is a very nice feature.

I would also suggest getting a hevy duty Kryptonite m/c lock and locking cover like a Dowco Guardian. (Make sure your motorcycle lock is not the tubed cylander type - these can be opened with a bic pen) You can run the lock through the holes at the base of the cover.

If you get that driveway space or garage find an immovable object to lock the bike to - a lot of bike thefts are carry-offs. It's very easy to throw a bike in a van and drive away - the alarm and lock can be dealt with easily this way.

If you throw any more expensive parts on your bike try to find discreet spots to engrave your VIN. This makes them easier to recover and less valuable to thieves.

Lastly, I would consider getting a Lojack system. Your insurance discount should make this worth your money - http://www.lojack.com/

Here's a good website that shows several M/C security products: http://www.lockitt.com/

Find the items you like and then look on http://www.Froogle.com to find the lowest price for each item.

You could always sell the HD and get a bike (or 3 for the same price) that won't get hurt when it's tipped over and is too ugly to steal:


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## robinlow (Feb 18, 2006)

k12kop said:


> Bob or whoever, How many forums are you going to post on. You know what I'm talking about. Some of the comments you've made are way out of line If you have any thing to do with the Job you would know that the desk officer is the busiest cop in the house, Giving the officer dirty looks or making allegations about being a bad cop is not going to cut it. Your not the only one out there who subscribes to more than one board.


I think Bob just has standards that are sometimes too high and too much beliefs about honor and stuff.

I read the post on officer.com too, and I felt that some replies were pretty much not answering the question. I think the post was under "Ask a cop" and not "Comment on the poster."

By the way, Bob was a cop in the 70's but later he was in the military, and then became an auliliary. He retired several years back due to army related injuries.

If I were to ask a question on a forum, I would probably hope for a constructive feedback and comments that can be acted on like "Since this happened, you should ..."

I guess we are living in the real world ...


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## k12kop (May 24, 2005)

Well Robin I'm sorry to hear about your bike, But Bob should know he should not be calling any cop doing his job a bad cop!


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## quality617 (Oct 14, 2003)

robinlow said:


> By the way, Bob was a cop in the 70's but later he was in the military, and then became an auliliary. He retired several years back due to army related injuries.
> 
> If I were to ask a question on a forum, I would probably hope for a constructive feedback and comments that can be acted on like "Since this happened, you should ..."
> I guess we are living in the real world ...


Oh, and where was "Bob" a police officer, where he may be able to teach us 'lazy cops' a thing or two about community policing? (Which, BTW, was all the rage in the 70's)

If "Bob" doesn't want snarky answers, "Bob" should refrain from comments like "apparently lazy cops are a common thing."

I don't see any lazy cops here, so it must be "Bob"s problem.


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## stm4710 (Jul 6, 2004)

To clarify, its actually a private street, with only private parking.

I was at the District D-14 police station today accompanying my friend who like to help out in police work to report a vandalism. This was just going to be a simple police report but the following incident that I witnessed really disappoints me as there are some really unprofessional bad cops that give cops a bad name.

When I entered the police station, there were some people infront of us reporting some incidents.

The patrolman at the desk, Badge number (**** : I copied it down) was just sending people away from the desk. At first it looked quite efficient as he asked some ladies who were dropping off some accident reports to just leave it there.* READ: I took down his badge number so I could sleep better at night. He asked for done reports to place in the spot for done reports. This guy is like robo cop.*

A vietnamese male entered, wanting to report a vandalism on his vehicle where his windows are smashed._ But this guy wants to just keep a record as his insurance does not cover it. The officer says, "We do not really keep records. I can give you a report for your insurance claim."_ *READ:The patron should keep a notebook himself and copys of the reports. The officer stated department policy. The officer offerd the patron a solution to his problem.*

At that time I wanted to tell him that the report though may not be significant, might have some trend which may be useful data some time in the future.

I stopped the vietnamese male who seemed annoyed and left without reporting it. I informed him that in Massachusetts, although he may not have comprehensive insurance for the car, the windows may be insured and he should call the insurance to see if he could make a claim. And if he could claim, he would still need the police report from this police station as he lived in this district. *READ: I stopped and talked to the gentleman who was in a tissy that this officer didnt call CSI to investigate his broken window. I suggested this guy use common sense and call his insurance company first to see what he needs.*

A lady next in line asked if she could hand in some form as her house got broken into, but the detective in charge was on leave. The officer at the desk adviced her that she should hold on to the forms and other evidence till the detective comes back. *READ: This officer had enough forthought to know that papers left with other people get lost by accident. Acting in her interest he advised her that the most effcient thing to do was wait till the right guy was in on monday.*

I glared at the officer at the desk as I'm sure that there will be another detective that might be in charge of the case, and she could speak to him instead. (That was how it was done during my time few years back.) The officer pushed some buttons on the phone and tells her that other detectives are not around and she should come back later. *READ: After I gave this officer my "I got MPA and thin blue line stickers on my car" look, this officer further attemped to make contact with the man she was seeking. After confirming that the person she wanted to speak with or a reasonable facsimile was not avalible, this officer suggested she come back at the time discussed above.*

My friend was next in line and my friend has done a lot of things to help out with local police officers and has even bought coffee on some policemen on traffic details in the cold winter. He also has given his advice about the treatment to muslims as he was an LEO from Singapore, but he owns a company that makes and sells socks (which can be used by LEO). Ha also gave out free samples to some Boston Policemen to wear, and they liked it. *READ: My friend decided to be friendly to a policeman in hopes he would be so impressed he would get a gold shield and be free from traffic tickets forever. He has also given answers to questions no one asked. He owns a companys that makes socks. Socks can be used by police officers, state troopers, criminals, lesbians, teachers, doctors,bus drivers and even pedestrians.*

So my friend's Harley was pushed over causing him more than $500 worth of damage. His motorcycle parts are recently replaced and they are stolen last night. I suggested that he should report this as it might be a chain of thefts in the area and it, the report can make the local police step up patrols.His motorcycle was parked on the street for more than 1 year without any incidents and within the last week, it was vandalised and some parts are now stolen. *READ: My friend leave's and expensive motorcycle out in the open in Allston with no attempts to secure or store this expensive and highly sought after piece of machinery. Amazingly in this toilet for 1 year it has not been stolen or damaged. I suggested that he make the report in case motorcycle tipping outwieghs cow tipping as public menace.*

The officer at the desk said, "We do not keep records, this report is only for your own filings and for the insurance."

As I did not want to start an arguement with this person, I urged my friend to make the report. The officer asked the location, time and what was damaged.
*READ: The officer again did his job and restated the function of the police department in this type of situation. And advised what the report was for. I did not want to start an arguement with this officer, as I did not have a leg to stand on. The officer then again did his job by asking PERTNENT questions about what went on.*

My friend actually has a typed report on exactly what happened and a list of the damage and what was stolen, but the officer does not seem to be interested. Instead he typed a 3 line report stating briefly that the motorcycle was damaged and parts are taken on the specific dates.

The officer did not read the report back to my friend and did not allow my friend to append any other evidence as the officer claims, "You can show the damages and give your lists to your insurance." *READ: My friend typed a report with an inventory of damages. The officer told me to give this info to my insurance company, since they will be writeing me a check, not the Boston Police. I was pissed that the officer included pernent impartial details, not the CSI story my friend wrote and refused to let my friend alter a police report.*

I am very unhappy that such an attitude exist, and I've talked to some of my friends at E-5 and apparently lazy cops are a common thing.. *READ: I am very dissapointed that this officer did not put on a tutu and dance for me. Appearently the police are here to save my ass, not kiss it.*

Damn.


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## k12kop (May 24, 2005)

Bob's out of line and needs to crawl back up under that bridge!


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## DVET1979 (Aug 4, 2004)

Thats Life In The Big City.................


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## robinlow (Feb 18, 2006)

My read on all the posts, things I've learned:

Getting stuff vandalized in Allston is an everyday thing.

Police officers doing their job should not bother as it is not their property or public property. If they can own it, they can replace it.

Writing a report and making sure report is complete and accurate to be filed in the log is like dancing in a tutu and kissing ass.

Any civilian who helps the police is automatically considered "*want to get a gold shield and be free from traffic tickets forever"*

Anyone saying a lazy cop exist would be lying and immediately flamed on the forums.
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I'm new to the forums thing and would like to understand if generalizing a common thing on the forums?

Why would the cops that are supposed to give advice give sarcarstic remarks instead?

I think Bob is not eloquent in puting the question together, so wouldn't "I don't see any lazy cops here, so it must be "Bob"s problem." suffice?

I'm now detered from asking questions as if I ask, "Is it right for NJ police to stop and search a 19 year old african american teen for walking down the street?" I would get some cryptic remark that has nothing to do with the answer to the question, that would just tell me that I'm stupid to be black in NJ or I should move out of NJ because shit happens in the real world."

I've read about many helpful posts and I'm grateful for the posts if I could actually act on the advice given and better my situation. (Isn't that what's the "Ask a cop" is for ?)

If not, perhaps we should have a seperate section on "Ask any question and get cryptic remarks or get flamed"

I don't even know why Bob would make such a long post, and the people answering the posts make such attempts to bring him down. He's suffering from disease and he's a little senile, so I hope his comment about "LAZY COPS" is not taken seriously by anyone.


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## quality617 (Oct 14, 2003)

robinlow said:


> My read on all the posts, things I've learned:


I won't even bother addressing your foolish complaints. Apparently you've learned nothing except how to whine like a baby and take parthian shots.

I call bullshit on "Bob" suffering from disease, much less him having been a cop. This thread is now just a distraction for when I finish reading the more substantive threads.


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2006)

This board is made up of LE/military/and hopefuls. These types are sarcastic and like to joke and be tough on each other. If you ask a question you will get an answer. Will you like the answer? I don't care. If you are one of the above types then you'll suck it up and drive on with the new knowledge hidden in the sarcasm. If you are deeply troubled by our caveman like humor, then ask your question on some feel good website. If you claim to be a PO/military (Bob) and are offended, either you should know better or, you were not a PO, or you were a REMF in uniform (there is nothing wrong w/ that, of course, but act like a man in your uniform).
Put on your thick skin and enjoy this board, otherwise, why are you on this?


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