# My friend just got robbed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2012, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588 "2012-11-20T05:23:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/41 "2012-11-20T23:29:12Z")
Also, “Burgle” is a really fun word to say. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/42 "2012-11-20T23:30:49Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Yes. > > It really bugs me when people refer to “burglaries” as “robberies”. They both can involve theft, but otherwise they are very different things–so this isn’t just a pedantic rant about people confusing similar words. A robbery consists of a threat of violence (and sometimes not just a threat) against a person. A burglary does not. > > I came into this thread concerned that a friend of yours had gone through an experience that might have been terrifying. Instead I find out that he/she just got separated from some possessions. It sucks to have stuff stolen from you, but, sorry to say, a thread about burglary just doesn’t have the gravity of a thread about robbery. Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, I didn’t know the lingo. I’ve never been through this type of thing before. But a friend of mine just made a good point. One of our other friends, who knows the code, also has substance abuse problems. We’re not judging him even though he matches much of the same criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/43 "2012-11-20T23:45:49Z")
Whether it’s a burglary or a robbery, I don’t care. But seriously, fuck Rich. Anyone who steals from a friend is no friend of mine. I would tell the police that I think Rich robbed Bill, let them investigate, and if Rich is clean, it’s not clear he will ever even know you were the one who narced him out. The simple fact that I might have a friend who was sketchy enough that I might think he was the culprit that robbed another person I knew would almost surely mean I wouldn’t be friends with that person to begin with. I certainly wouldn’t confront him or try to follow him, because the former will never end well, and the latter is a huge commitment of time. The assumption is what? That Rich is going to break down and admit to stealing and just return everything and you will all go on being friends like you were before? Not a chance. If Rich really did do it, he will deny it and act insulted you’d accuse him of it. Your plan to follow him also assumes he will go right from stealing the stuff to pawning it, and that he has not either a) immediately pawned before you even hatched this plan or b) isn’t planning to sit on the jewelry for several weeks before he does the pawning long after you’ve given up following him. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/44 "2012-11-21T00:04:30Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > But a friend of mine just made a good point. One of our other friends, who knows the code, also has substance abuse problems. We’re not judging him even though he matches much of the same criteria. That is a good point, but shit, **another** friend knows it?! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/45 "2012-11-21T01:11:51Z")
And he probably knows, you’ll blame Rich first. Convenient, no? You’re not a cop. Stop playing at being one. You don’t know who did this. You just have suspicions. Would like your good friends to convict you of something based on suspicion? I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/46 "2012-11-21T01:43:33Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > And he probably knows, you’ll blame Rich first. Convenient, no? > > You’re not a cop. Stop playing at being one. You don’t know who did this. You just have suspicions. Would like your good friends to convict you of something based on suspicion? I hope not. You’re absolutely right. I appreciate the perspective. Because I realize it is all speculation at this point and there’s a million other things that could have happened that I just don’t know about. But as the cops said, and another poster, it usually is somebody you know. No job, no money, addiction problem, knows the garage code. I can’t ignore these signs. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/47 "2012-11-21T02:02:27Z")
Sorry about your friend, We are going through some similar stuff with one of my younger sisters. Stole stuff, pawned it, items located, sister called out on it, attacked my mom, restraining orders, multiple violations of restraining orders. Violation #3 went totally batshit and added resisting arrest and assaulting a police office to her resume. …and she still says she has no problem and that everyone else is the problem. While awaiting trial in jail for her 4th restraining order violation. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/48 "2012-11-21T02:08:32Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > But as the cops said, and another poster, it usually is somebody you know. No job, no money, addiction problem, knows the garage code. I can’t ignore these signs. and as long as this information is relayed to the police, they can follow up on it. Its what they are good at. If there is 7 people with the code, they will run them all down and cross reference alibis and such. For example, maybe someone else who was “at work” but has a mobile occupation say a pest control guy, who may have serviced a customer nearby. If he is aware of the druggie friends, he could just do it assuming everyone would run at the druggies afterall, he was at work and his employer confirms it. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/49 "2012-11-21T02:48:06Z")
Ex-cop. Let the cops handle it. Make sure they know about Rich and why. They’ll take it from there. They’re really much smarter than you think they are. Everyone: Get a safe. A big one. We all have cameras, video cameras, laptops, jewelry, passports, wedding albums, back-up hard drive with your life on it, and more. Car titles, birth certificates, insurance papers, whole-home inventory - all this will be lost in a fire, and you’re much more likely to suffer a house fire than a burglary. We always have a stack of cash on hand for emergencies. Way more than $1,100. Although it does get used for pizza/chinese food more than bail or buying emergency supplies during hurricanes, I still may need to buy a car or something big on a weekend where I can’t use an ATM. I was going to give my son one of [these](http://www.sentrysafe.com/Products/4/1160_Fire_Chest)to take to college until I saw [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGA4P-Ma20E&feature=related). I have one of [these](http://www.sentrysafe.com/Products/176/KS4100_KeepSafe_)inside one of [these](http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/fortress.htm) just for extra protection of papers and passports and hard drives. I have a couple of the big guys, because we have a lot of stuff. You don’t have to spend 5 grand on a safe, but please don’t go to Walmart and spend 500 and think your stuff is safe. Just lose a couple of laptops, a good camera, and a couple of guns, and a $1,700 [safe](http://www.cannonsafe.com/series/scout/s35.html)- that will last forever - doesn’t sound so crazy… And I promise you, Rich can’t get in it! ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/50 "2012-11-21T04:02:32Z")
I think it’s Bill, and he’s got plenty of people around to blame, apparantly. /armchair ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/51 "2012-11-21T07:16:11Z")
Bill is an idiot who has just learned an expensive lesson on why you don’t hand out your security code. At least 7 people know it? Lay off Rich. He has enough problems of his own. The least of which is being a very convenient scapegoat. So what if other people who knew the code were at work? They could’ve gone in their lunch break. Or gotten someone else to do the dirty deed, and split the takings. It’s certainly not a good thing to have happened; but being so stupid about a security code is a crime against common sense. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/52 "2012-11-21T13:21:18Z")
> [@](#): > > No job, no money, addiction problem, knows the garage code. I can’t ignore these signs. These things make him unfortunate, not guilty. If you can’t ‘ignore’ these signs, in favour of any actual evidence, I’m glad you’re not serving on a jury. And if you _could_ be fairer minded on a jury, then why not now? One of the things that tips druggies into crime is that they are often scrapegoats for every ill, real or not. Because they are druggies, everyone automatically blames them for everything. You really notice it in bad neighbourhoods. Everything is blamed on them, when clearly they aren’t doing it all. It’s just easier to blame someone you know is ‘likely’ guilty of something, if not this, that to engage the brain and admit there is no really way to know. People are then stunned, when the level of crime necessitates cameras, to see it’s not all the druggies at all. It’s a lot of skunky people who know, full well, the neighbourhood junkies will get the blame for everything. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588/53 "2012-11-21T14:24:41Z")
> [@ed\_anger](#): > > it’s Rich. I’m not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou. [/Marge Gunderson] mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-just-got-robbed/641588.md?page=2)