‘New’ crime really an old one, with a simple solution
Back in the day, automobiles were large enough for a full-size suitcase to lay flat in the rear floorboard. Today, many automobiles are so small that a suitcase won’t even fit upright in the rear floorboard. Some are so small that it often feels like a size 10 shoe is hard to squeeze in. It doesn’t appear, however, that any car is too small for an enterprising criminal to slide inside to break the law.
The word “slider” and the word “crime” seem to clash as much as the word “mustard” and the word “candy.” But these days in the Atlanta area, thieves are sliding into and stealing cars or from cars as easy as if they were taking candy from a baby.
After years of developing the habit, and after years of successful tedium, some drivers leave their cars unlocked when they exit, especially at gas stations. A “slider crime” is just a new term given to an existing crime where thieves slide down below eye level to steal a car or from a car.
These crimes are being reported as a “New type of thievery and a new phenomenon,” but crooks have been committing this type of crime ever since cars were first manufactured. There is an increase in these crimes in our area, and there is nothing natural about it. It is just an unfortunate and brazen crime that is ugly, uncorked and unamusing. It is also happening in small towns, urban areas, suburban areas and all points in between.
I think of a slider as a skinny piece of cooked ground beef with onions, pickles and mustard slid between two pieces of bun. I think of a person who commits a slider crime as a crooked piece of human wearing onion or mustard colored clothing slid behind jail bars.
Fox 5 News reported that West Paces and Northside in Buckhead are Atlanta’s “hot spots” for “slider crimes.” Nonetheless, this does not mean that all other areas are perfectly safe. We don’t always have a choice in everything. But, it is not hard to improve our chances of not falling victim to people wanting to take what we worked hard to earn.
11Alive reported that in 2017, of the 466 gas stations in Fulton County, there 361 of them reported crimes, most of which were “slider crimes.” If victim drivers are lucky, a slider will steal something from their car. If victim drivers are unlucky, a slider will steal their car with baby on board, house keys in the ignition and a GPS programmed for the victim’s home. Usually, a slider criminal is looking for an easy target, and they tend to use another vehicle to initiate their escape.
Some people are calling this type of crime a new age theft problem. I can agree that we are in a new age, but these crimes are nothing more than crimes of opportunity. Crooks cannot as easily slide into a locked car. It certainly is not difficult for drivers to remove their keys and lock their car when they exit.
This isn’t the 1950s when many homes and churches didn’t even have locks. Gone are the days that a child could ride on a car’s rear deck under the rear window. Gone are the days of uniformed ushers, intermissions, double features, Edsels and penny boxes of matches. These things have been replaced by cable television, electric cars, vapes and many other changes in technology. What also seems to have vanished is some people’s good judgment and common sense.
In this new age, we do not have to always live in fear, we just have to always be aware and think. Before we drive away from a stop sign, we look in both directions. That is a conscious decision to be safe. It is not any harder to be safety conscious when exiting a car.
It doesn’t matter if we drive a newer car with a small floorboard or a vintage car with a larger floorboard. What matters is that we take the necessary precaution of keeping crooks from setting foot in our car.
One easy way for people to become a victim is by assuming that they might become a victim. All drivers should know that they have the opportunity and ability to “Lock it up and lock it down.” Police departments are diligently working on a solution to the problem of slider crimes, but the solution is already in the driver’s hand, “Lock it up and take the key.”
Charlie Sewell is the retired Powder Springs police chief. His book, ‘I’d Rather You Call Me Charlie: Reminiscences Filled With Twists Of Devilment, Devotion And A Little Danger Here And There’ is available on Amazon. Email him at retiredchiefsewell@gmail.com.