[NY TIMES] A Truckload of Nike Shoes, Left as ‘Bait,’ Stings Chicago

Prostitution happens everywhere my friend. Why not sting in poor rural areas? What difference does it make if there are more Johns in one area vs another?

But they don't. You never see a sting operation in Appalachia.

 

We have probably reached a point of diminishing returns where at least I may be arguing just to argue.

That being said, I just googled "appalachian sting operations."

The first hit is a video explaining that the numerous moonshine sting operations are rocking Appalachia. This is from 2018. Opinions could differ but I think moonshine is probably less of an issue than repeated thefts.

The next deal with a number of sting operations in the Appalachia area targeting OxyContin (the Hillbilly heroin apparently).

Then, you have the ones outlining (admittedly, the older) bear poaching sting operations.

Yes, I cheated. I used google.

But, it appears that sting operations target all kinds of people in all kinds of areas.

That being said, enjoyed discussing with you. I respect your passion. Let's just agree to disagree on this one.

 

I shouldn't have to explain the value of status items like Nikes in poor black neighborhoods. Why not Pea coats or Vespa scooters or jars of mayonnaise?

What police used in San Francisco is completely irrelevant to what this company did in Chicago.

 

Sorry, but the Pinkertons don't exist anymore, I think?hope.

 

Good job, Officers.

 

What's the source of that table?

 

Sorry how is the police trying to bait the moonshiners?

Sting operation are meant to get people who are already committing a crime. My whole point is that what happened with the truck is the police were inducing people to commit a crime. That's what I and others are taking issue with. It's one thing to go after criminals, it's another to make the criminal.

All your examples are those of going after existing criminals. Do you see the difference?

 

Correlation does not equal causation. Every non-racist knows that.

Studies show that homicide rate is driven by socioeconomic factors, not race, which would seem to be the obvious truth.

 

How is a locked, unmarked truck inducing anyone who is not a criminal to be a criminal? What law-abiding person sees a locked truck and decides its OK to break into it and steal stuff?

The operation was conducted "after several thefts of parked and locked freight trucks and containers in the immediate area."

Do you want to also argue that those past thefts were not done by criminals, but by innocent people who happened upon those locked trucks/containers and just couldn't help themselves?

Would you be OK with only prosecuting the people who were caught and had a past criminal record, and letting 1st time offenders go with a warning?

 

Last I checked, you and I were discussing whether everything was racially based. So, that was the reason for my pointing out the bike bait operation in San Francisco -- to show sting operations are used all over and aren't automatically a race driven thing.

On your point about the Nikes, I already conceded I didn't have a good answer for that based on the facts we have.

But, given that the railcars were unmarked, I'm not sure why it matters. Seems like the people who cut the lock into the railcar didn't know if it was Pea coats or Vespa scooters. Maybe the real events are different than reported.

If someone chose Nikes because they believed it would be a more a tempting status item, I would need to think more about it. Not sure a sting shouldn't be tempting.

But I do pause over whether the general idea that people living in poor, black neighborhoods can't control themselves over Nikes is a pretty racist concept by itself. If the Rail Company official thought that, maybe he was being racist.

But is that an argument any of us should want to make? That people in poor black neighborhoods can't control themselves over Nikes? I would think the small subset of people in any neighborhood who can't stop themselves from stealing a particular status item would be considered criminals.

 

I have no problem with thieves being caught this way whether it is in Chicago in an unmarked truck or whether they did something similar in Appalachia. Even if the truck was clearly labeled to be containing Nike shoes (it was not) it would not bother me just as it would not bother me if they set a labeled truckload of corn (used for moonshine) out in Appalachia. lol, By just looking at the title of the thread I correctly guessed which members would be defending the thieves as poor innocent victims.

 

I don't know what to say. The article couldn't be clearer that the Rail Company had already been the victim of multiple break-ins. People were "already committing a crime."

 

What seems odd is that the argument seems to have shifted to whether residents of a "poor black neighborhood" can or should be expected to be able to control themselves in the face of a status item like Nike shoes.

I can see where if others on this board or in real life even suggested that they could not, they would be rightly slammed.

The people in any neighborhood who can't keep themselves from stealing are thieves.

 

Just stop already. You're getting ridiculous. And you're the only one who is taking sides with this issue.

 

This thread is very disingenuous. This was a Norfolk Southern Railway police sting led by Norfolk Southern Railway police. Chicago violence and Chicago's PD resources/reaction to said violence are completely unrelated. Railway police have NO jurisdiction on curtailing, fighting, protecting, against city violence.

The real and only debate here is do we agree with the tactics used by railway police to protect railway assets in an area that has seen prior thefts?

Personally, I say NO because I am 100% against entrapment tactics by any LEOs. I'm a traditionalist, protect your **** with guards, surveillance, etc... and if you lose your **** investigate it and file an insurance claim.

And note to OP @Os Trigonum , let's not D&D made up crap. We got enough real bullshit to discuss.

 

Bro, I read the NY Times here https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/us/chicago-bait-truck.html

It was Railway police sting NOT a Chicago PD sting. A sting I'm against btw... Seems to me that private police forces, entrapping minorities, etc..., are much better and real topics than Chicago crime and Chicago PD reaction to it in a thread that has nothing to do with Chicago PD.

 

Special Agents have primary jurisdiction over crimes committed against the railroad. ... Railroad police are certified state law enforcement officers with investigative and arrest powers both on and off railroad property in most states. They also have interstate law enforcement authority pursuant to federal law.

 

pick up a bunch of call girls and male prostitutes and leave them in front of the gop convention next time.
Unless they had some nike sb freddy kreugers, I wouldn't go near the truck.