The evening news = School for criminals

I understand they have to report the news, but do they have to be so darn descriptive? Tonight on the news there was, yet another, report about cooper thefts. This time A/C units. I looked around here and see that other states are dealing with this as well, and the A/C thing isn’t new, but I hadn’t heard about it until today. Now, after that report, I know exactly what to do if I ever want to remove the copper form an air conditioner.

I see this all the time. I don’t have any interest in censoring the news. I do think they should use some common sense when reporting things like this. Stop telling people every step to commit a crime, geez ya might as well draw the crooks a diagram!!

I agree 100%! I live in a rural county thats wrecked with meth, yet I can watch the local news where they repeatedly say what the most common ingredients are and also as a part of the story say that people who make meth can easily find out how to do it online. Granted anyone with half a brain probably already knows this without the news telling them, but why risk it.

peace

I think they do this to tempt people to keep committing these crimes.

How else can the police remain employed without crime? If crime decreases....do you think they would like to decrease their police forces?


So the only solution is to make sure crime increases at a decent rate...by promoting it on television.

Are they telling you how to commit the crime or how to spot it happening? Must be your brain interpreting it the other way...

reply to post by boncho


I don't think I needed a close up of the back of the A/C unit, with someone pointing to the parts that are valuable, and which parts are removed to get to the part.

A simple "People are now stealing A./C units, be on the lookout!" would of done just fine

Originally posted by dalemcfad
I agree 100%! I live in a rural county thats wrecked with meth, yet I can watch the local news where they repeatedly say what the most common ingredients are and also as a part of the story say that people who make meth can easily find out how to do it online. Granted anyone with half a brain probably already knows this without the news telling them, but why risk it.

peace

Umm I doubt ANYONE would go and cook meth (something that takes time, money and knowledge) if they didn't already know what the precursors were, it's fairly common knowledge anyway..

I thought the same thing, when they demonstrated how burglers were kicking doors in. showing exactley where to kick and demonstrating on different types of locks...

Originally posted by Nick_X
I think they do this to tempt people to keep committing these crimes.

How else can the police remain employed without crime? If crime decreases....do you think they would like to decrease their police forces?


So the only solution is to make sure crime increases at a decent rate...by promoting it on television.

I don't know, maybe you're right...What other reason would they have for laying it all out like that?

Umm I doubt ANYONE would go and cook meth (something that takes time, money and knowledge) if they didn't already know what the precursors were, it's fairly common knowledge anyway

reply to post by posthuman


I was just referring to meth as an example to add to the OP's sentiment. I understand what you are saying, but one would have to ask the question how did it become "common knowledge" in the first place and just because it's common, does that mean it's ok to "run" with it on the eleven o'clock news?

reply to post by dalemcfad


It isn't comman knowledge to me. I think I've probably seen or read about the ingredients before somewhere, but right now I couldn't tell ya what they are. I understood your point, thanks for posting

I know what you mean. I was listening to a radio station near Chicago when they announced that someone had accidentally cut an underground telephone line and told what areas of the city wouldn't be able to call police or the fire department for at least two hours.

Originally posted by dalemcfad

Umm I doubt ANYONE would go and cook meth (something that takes time, money and knowledge) if they didn't already know what the precursors were, it's fairly common knowledge anyway

reply to post by posthuman

 

I was just referring to meth as an example to add to the OP's sentiment. I understand what you are saying, but one would have to ask the question how did it become "common knowledge" in the first place and just because it's common, does that mean it's ok to "run" with it on the eleven o'clock news?

edit on 26-7-2011 by dalemcfad because: (no reason given)

Well it's like saying to create a nuclear blast we need to split an atom.. I'm not gonna go and build a weapon just because I found out one identifiable step of the process. If the average joe was sitting on his couch and heard "pseudoephedrine, a compound used in the synthesis of methamphetamine" they're hardly gonna go out and set up a meth lab, in fact we KNOW this because there's not an influx of methamphetamine on the streets after these news reports.

Have a bit more faith in your fellow man, just because someone's given a bit of knowledge doesn't mean they'll use it in a bad way; most people who acted on that news report probably made their A/C harder to steal as a result of the info provided.

reply to post by posthuman


No, sorry, I have no faith in the addicted people who steal copper to support their habits. I bet there were 20+ people that night with a new idea for making money, and thanks to the descriptive newscast, knew exactly how to do it.

reply to post by MidnightSunshine


If they haven't pawned their TV yet do you really think they'd steal copper from people's A/C units for money?

edit - I don't think there should be any bias in terms of what info is released in the news; if we want the truth from all facets of the media then we can't be selective about when it's provided - or else we end up right where we are now.

reply to post by posthuman


Yes. I think people who steal have televisions, cell phones, and believe it or not, even jobs too. I don't want to limit the information reported, just some comman sense in delivering the details.