Paper: ''Holidays are prime time for criminals''
On December 6, 2004, the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette published an article intended to help Christmas shoppers avoid being victimized.
- During the busy holiday season, shoppers can take some easy precautions to prevent becoming a victim of theft.
"Historically, we have seen the number of thefts go up during the holidays," Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen said. "What typically happens is that they look for targets of opportunity."
In Lancaster, there have been five robberies since Oct. 20 and 184 thefts reported since Sept. 30.
The writer, Carl Burnett Jr., even labored to obtain advice on theft prevention from a local criminal:
- Phillip A. Farley, 25, of Lancaster, agreed with Phalen.
Farley recently was released from prison after being convicted of breaking and entering.
"Put stuff in your trunk," Farley said. "Don't try to cover items on your seats with a blanket."
Finally, Eagle-Gazette quoted a mall employee, who offered this advice:
- Jessica Grigsby, 26, of Thornville, said it is important to make sure packages are under cover and hidden from view if they have to be left in a vehicle.
"Don't leave anything easily accessible," said Grigsby, who works at River Valley Mall.
If you're thinking this is pretty common sense stuff, you're right. This is common sense...to everyone, apparently, but the bureaucrats at the Ohio State Highway Patrol who lobbied for the "plain sight" language which currently dictates how CHL-holders may carry and store firearms in motor vehicles.
Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.
In order to follow the law as currently written, Ohio CHL-holders must carry their firearms in "plain sight" while driving. When they reach their destination, the criminals Sheriff Phalen says are looking for "targets of opportunity" will be able to watch for CHL-holders exiting their vehicles and concealed their firearms.
If their destination happens to have "no-guns" signs posted, the CHL-holder is really in trouble when it comes to following the advice of this article:
and
This is hard advice to follow under Ohio law, which requires CHL-holders to store their loaded firearm in a locked glove box (which many vehicles do not have), or in a locked case in plain sight in the vehicle. OFCC has already documented the theft of a CHL-holders' firearm, in its locked case, which was stored in plain sight, as mandated by Ohio law
Unless one could convince a jury that their truck IS a locked container in plain sight, storing a loaded firearm in the place this criminal says is most likely to protect it from attack is illegal, thanks to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
In order to store the firearm in the truck, the law mandates that CHL-holders must take the time to unload the firearm, and stow it in the trunk according to Ohio law, all while standing in the middle of a busy parking lot.
Which brings us back to the Sheriff's comments:
Thanks to the ridiculous and unnecessary provisions forced upon law-abiding citizens by the OSHP and Bob Taft, there are plenty more 'targets of opportunity' in Ohio parking lots that are holding valuables even more desireable to criminals than newly-purchased Christmas gifts.
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