# Food theft on the rise?



## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

> Repeat burglar steals from Centralia woman's freezer


Repeat burglar steals from Centralia woman's freezer | NWCN.com Washington - Oregon - Idaho

There was also a short segment about a restaurant or event place having been broken into, but nothing "valuable" was taken excpet food from the kitchen. I have yet to be able to find this video, but on the same news source site, NWCN.com

After thinking back, I remember there being another report like this out of our region not too long ago.

This simply could be someone who finds it easy to steal food from others and it could also be a sign of things to come. Obviously at least this guy, stealing from this woman, knew she had a decent stock in her freezer initially.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Must have been drugged up.


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## woodsman23 (Aug 6, 2009)

Or maybe just hungry!!


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Hard to tell, but I do remember a story before, and then today another about a business also. 

I just could not say what this guys thing was about, hunger, laziness, a creep, drugs.....In the video he looks ok, but I suppose it is hard to tell.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

One time vacationing, we stopped at a sight seeing place, we had left overs and beer in a cooler in the back of the truck. 

They stole the food and beer.

Left all the expensive racket straps. :dunno:

Must have been hungry.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

My father-in-law had a chest freezer on his back porch and came home to find hundreds of dollars of meat gone. He put a padlock on it. 

The grocery store I worked at had a few regulars, homeless types, that would slip food in their pockets. We started cornering them when they came in the door and giving them packets of crackers from the deli and old bread and donuts and stuff that had already been marked down and sitting there all day. Sometimes there'd be a sandwich or fried chicken, kind of on the dry side but they never seemed to mind. Usually we'd throw in a cup of coffee or pop and send them on their way. 

I was also a Sheriff's department dispatcher for a while, and we had a few regulars that would make a fuss in someplace like McDonalds so the deputies would come and arrest them. When we inventoried their pockets they were full of things like sugar and ketchup packets, no big deal. The whole thing with them was to get arrested and spend a night in the county lock-up for disorderly conduct, get a shower and a couple of free meals, and be turned back out on the street. It was a small town in mid-Montana with no homeless shelter. Come fall and cold weather, they headed south.

I guess as people get more hungry, they'll resort to whatever they have to, but sad to think it'll come to having to lock up our food in our homes.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

That's rough. I would be putting a lock on the fridge and the garage.


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

We have had donut shop broken into around here and pallets of sugar stolen! I am guessing they were not going to be making homemade pastries with it!


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

You can only imagine what crime would become in an era of hyperinflation. If the Federal Reserve prints too many dollars we could see a cart full of groceries that costs $1000. Even if you had the money to buy the groceries you might get robbed of the groceries in the parking lot.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

gypsysue said:


> My father-in-law had a chest freezer on his back porch and came home to find hundreds of dollars of meat gone. He put a padlock on it.
> 
> The grocery store I worked at had a few regulars, homeless types, that would slip food in their pockets. We started cornering them when they came in the door and giving them packets of crackers from the deli and old bread and donuts and stuff that had already been marked down and sitting there all day. Sometimes there'd be a sandwich or fried chicken, kind of on the dry side but they never seemed to mind. Usually we'd throw in a cup of coffee or pop and send them on their way.
> 
> ...


I have a freezer with a lock...I do keep it locked and the key is attached with a string to the door hinge at top...
I don't mind feeding someone..just take a little though, not all!!
I keep it locked only after I heard a story of a woman who lost all meat, veggies, everything when a huge roast fell off shelf and opened door while on vacation.

My two freezers are in plain sight in the garage...and my buckets, trash cans, and shelfs of water...what can I do???


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## Ponce (May 3, 2009)

I have 7-8 years of food....I keep it at four different places.......I am more scared of "the law" that I am of the average hungry people.

While playing cards at the casino this cop told me...."I don't need preps, with my gun and badge I can get whatever I want".

In my tiny town there will be no cops or sheriff....only the militia......when I asked the City Mayor "What about the poor in the city WTSHTF" and his hanswer was "F them"........that tells me a lot.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

The gardening forum I'm on has several threads about people stealing from their gardens. I'd link they so that you could read what some folks have to put up with, but many members here don't like it when you link to other forums. 
One lady had her whole garden just up and disappear while she was working one day... her neighbor said a big truck pulled up and took everything.. all while smiling like a ghoul. Glad she is not my neighbor. I'd of smacked her.

As times get tougher I think gardens will have to be more "protected". Bad enuf that I get deer problems but to have to protect my garden from 2 legged thieves is just disturbing.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Ponce said:


> I have 7-8 years of food....I keep it at four different places.......I am more scared of "the law" that I am of the average hungry people.
> 
> While playing cards at the casino this cop told me...."I don't need preps, with my gun and badge I can get whatever I want".
> 
> In my tiny town there will be no cops or sheriff....only the militia......when I asked the City Mayor "What about the poor in the city WTSHTF" and his hanswer was "F them"........that tells me a lot.


That is not a single event either-even Mother earth news had in their letters this last issue the same as your post.. I could not believe that folks would be that way.. Scary to think that there are folks with that mind set all over..


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Emerald said:


> That is not a single event either-even Mother earth news had in their letters this last issue the same as your post.. I could not believe that folks would be that way.. Scary to think that there are folks with that mind set all over..


scary to think that they are in *positions of authority*


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Unfortunately, it could become a situation where we will have to hide our reserves in order to keep it from desperate people. Right now what little we have had stored up (we have been helping our oldest daughter, her husband and two small children, stores are not as good right now) and our freezer are in the garage, and the garage door does not lock at all, and it is about 51 years old, flimsy and could be easily busted in.....we don't own it so any changes we could make, we might not get back. 

I suppose if things got bad, we could build a wall behind the garage door, so it would appear the door accesses the garage, but really does not....


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

HoppeEL4 said:


> Unfortunately, it could become a situation where we will have to hide our reserves in order to keep it from desperate people. Right now what little we have had stored up (we have been helping our oldest daughter, her husband and two small children, stores are not as good right now) and our freezer are in the garage, and the garage door does not lock at all, and it is about 51 years old, flimsy and could be easily busted in.....we don't own it so any changes we could make, we might not get back.
> 
> I suppose if things got bad, we could build a wall behind the garage door, so it would appear the door accesses the garage, but really does not....


When I read the original story and watched the video, all I could think was what a simple fix there is to this. If you don't want to bother with locking things, that is the price you pay. Locks are not that hard to put on. My freezer has a built in lock and I have always kept it locked, first while it was in my house and later when I moved it to my locked garage.

A hasp and a padlock are not that expensive or difficult to install and could be taken with you when you leave. The hasp involves a few screws and can be installed so that when it is closed and locked, the screws are covered up. I have put them on my gates and garden closet. I purchased one package of 4 hinges so that I only need one key for the whole works and keep it in my key box inside the back door.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

The garage currently needs to be secured, just because. However, even more so in case things become more difficult in this nation. My next project is to clear the garage out, prime it, including the cement floor (it is dank, mildewy and lined with old plywood), paint it all white inside, set up some better lighting, and make a blind for the tiny window. Then setting up two locks on each side of that old garage door. Also the garage door has glass inserts that have some kind of film that creates "privacy", but I think I am going to black them completely out so you cannot see light on through those.

This will become my complete pantry and storage.

Our house is a very basic, unassuming house. It is in need of updating (trim paint is chipping) and the yard is also a work in progress. Since there is always just our one vehicle in front, I have to say we do look very unlikely to have anything of interest to anyone, compared to the really big houses (mini mansions) just up the road from us, the ones sitting on the bluff, with the view of Mount Hood and the Sandy River below....

I also think the trick in tough times is to be secured, but not look like you are, and not look like you have anything to secure. Our one downfall is it is a ranch home, built right onto a cement pad, no crawl space underneath for us to use for hiding stuff. We have a shed in the back, one of those metal ones, and I had thought maybe we could make a false wall (one made out of similar metal siding) inside of it in order to store some things in there......


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

My current "hood" has been classified as one of the safest for towns over 100,000. Due to the massive loss of jobs and peoples' need to move out of town for work they have rented out thier homes. These homes are being rented to people that have not earned the right to live this area. Crime has been on the rise at an almost logrithmic rate. This week we had multiple car break-ins, several home invasions and an armed robbery.

Anything that is not bolted down has been stolen. Two central air-conditioners have been stolen, probably, for the scrap value of copper. Groceries have been stolen from cars as the people are unloding them. Our police department is very active, but in thier defense, they can not be everywhere at all times. The end result is people getting frustrated and becoming more armed.

I am in favor of an armed society. An armed society is a polite society. However, many of these people are not trained in the use of a weapon. This is going to lead to an incident that may not have a good outcome. You are not safe just because you have a shotgun or a hand gun. I am trying to help all of these people get training but most people believe it is not needed.

All of our preps are at risk. All we can do is moderate the possible losses. I, for one, do not want to shoot someone stealing a pound of rice to feed thier children. The current crimes are not for food but rather to buy drugs. I am frustrated beyond explaination. I want my Country back. I know that these crimes are just the "tip of the iceburg".

My children will be taken care of first. That is the only debt I owe. To what limits will I go to protect thier well being? There is no limit. I pray that things will calm down but know deep down we have not reached the tipping point.

Remember "There are more TAKERS than MAKERS" out there. Watch your back, keep a low profile and fly below the radar.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

tugboats said:


> All of our preps are at risk. All we can do is moderate the possible losses. I, for one, do not want to shoot someone stealing a pound of rice to feed thier children. The current crimes are not for food but rather to buy drugs. I am frustrated beyond explaination. I want my Country back. I know that these crimes are just the "tip of the iceburg".


The problem is you don't know WHY they're breaking into your place. Do they only want food or are they going to wipe out your entire family?:dunno: If they're breaking into my house, I'm shooting.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

tugboats, we recently moved out of town. We once lived in a duplex, inside a complex on the edge of a town with a population of 106,000. Since rentals were in abundance, there were a lot of people living there because it was fairly central and cheap. The town, once a small town with many family farms, just about 30 years ago, was becoming a suburban slum.

We lived there all too long, and saw local police in our complex, all too often. By the time we left, with the understanding of what was going on in our country around us, were fearful of what could happen should we live right where we were. The people that had moved in around us were like what you have been seeing.....gangs, people with probation officers coming for them, people that had police looking for them, one night police looking for the kid next door because he shot someone, and right before we "escaped" was a big time drug dealer.

We are now outside of any towns, in the country, and in these times, I still have some concerns, but my neighbors are great people (have been here since 1958), and they know everyone nearby. Living in town should there be a complete collapse will be really scary. 

I will keep people living in the heavy populations in my prayers, I fear for them after what we have seen in good times.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

tugboats said:


> Crime has been on the rise at an almost logrithmic rate.


Tugboats, I am so impressed. I bet 99% of the people in the US do not know what a logrithmic rate is!!!


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## Frugal_Farmers (Dec 13, 2010)

kejmack said:


> Tugboats, I am so impressed. I bet 99% of the people in the US do not know what a logrithmic rate is!!!


Come on now. Now you are insulting my intelligence. Evryone knows that logrithmic means: applying simple arithmetic principles to count your Lincoln Logs.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Frugal_Farmers said:


> Come on now. Now you are insulting my intelligence. Evryone knows that logrithmic means: applying simple arithmetic principles to count your Lincoln Logs.


Of course, what was I thinking? LOL


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