Bad Info Cost Someone $50,000

I wonder which bad piece of advice the owner of these 6 radio controlled planes got that cost them $50,000+.

I also wonder how many hours this hobbyist poured into these planes. Flying radio controlled planes isn’t usually a hobby for the rich and elite. I imagine they were a middle class family who worked hard for things they care about, just like I’ve always had to do. None of that time and care poured into this hobby is likely to come back to them now.

The police are asking for the press to help 11 days after the theft of these model airplanes from a utility trailer. The trailer the planes were in was recovered, but the planes are now gone. If they are ever found at all, it will probably be in pieces.

Here are some typical guidelines that may have cost the owner of these planes dearly.

• Keep your items locked up
• Keep them in a well lit place.

The saying that ‘keeping your items locked up keeps the honest ones away’ is still true. The problem with this saying is that the dishonest ones now pack cordless grinders and bolt cutters and are high on crystal meth. They aren’t honest, and they only need two minutes to get through most locks.

Locks are ok advice if you have protection beyond the locks. In this case, the owners didn’t seem to have anything. The volume of crimes from addicts is too high and the police force numbers are too few, to do much more than issue a press release like this one asking for help.

Keep everything well lit

This has to be one of the worst pieces of advice related to home security. Keeping items you don’t want stolen in a well lit place is supposed to make thieves want to avoid trying crime there. The facts show well lit parking lots, even hotels and condominiums, are some of the highest theft locations. If you are counting on lights to keep your property safe, it doesn’t work anymore.

What will save you the heartache and financial setbacks

Most of the people who try stealing model airplanes and utility trailers are not high level thieves with some fancy plan. These criminals are most likely desperate addicts trapped into trying to pay a drug debt for fear of a vicious beating. They need something to steal, and they need it NOW.

What is needed to stop an addict like this isn’t a lengthy investigation using fingerprints, video footage, and fancy forensics. None of those things are cheap enough to be used in a property crime investigation like this. What is needed is fast, noisy deterrence, and solid proof to be shared immediately. The faster information gets shared to people who will look at it, even before a crime is attempted, the better it stops an addict.

Every minute that ticks by while an addict is looking for something, anything, to help them get the next fix without them feeling like there is anything to worry about, is another minute a hard working person is about to finance an addicts bad habits.

I got so sick and tired of watching people trying to fix their property losses after they were victims, I created a free 60 second quiz to help homeowners recognize where there were holes in their home security the criminals could use.

Go to score.lightcatch.net if you want to avoid learning what was bad advice after you are a victim.

After studying over 10,000 property crimes we didn’t just have nice sounding theories that came from a book somewhere.

Thank you to Anna Junker and the Edmonton Sun for this June 27, 2022 article - RCMP investigating theft of model planes worth more than $50,000.