The housing crisis has created a new wave of crime -- one that now requires specific police teams to deal with the issue. Details:
When Atlanta police officers Bryan Ernest and Bernatt Collins get a burglary call, they know the house they walk into will probably be stripped, right down to the materials inside the walls.
They are part of a special burglary detail formed to watch the increasing number of vacant houses resulting from unpaid mortgages.
Yikes!
We have an abandoned home not far from us that looks like it's been broken into, so I assume that the owners are long gone and don't care. Not a good deal for the neighbors (both their safety and their home values.)
They're probably going for the fixtures and copper pipes/wiring which they can then resell as scrap metal. Thankfully where I live you have to show ID when you are selling stuff like this. Since burglars don't want to reveal their identity, it seems like this should cut down on the crimes.
Posted by: Kevin | July 22, 2008 at 03:55 PM
In the Phoenix area I've seen plenty of these types of things. People will take the pluming right from out of the walls for the copper. It's ridiculous.
Posted by: WiseMoneyMatters | July 22, 2008 at 03:59 PM
Look up the Broken Window Theory
Posted by: Richard | July 22, 2008 at 05:07 PM
This is exactly type of activity which downgrades this country to a Third World status.
Posted by: Old Blue | July 22, 2008 at 05:12 PM
Why is the government not going after this unscrupulus yards that take in this copper? They know that these items are stolen and that the folks that are turning them in are low lives. It should be that they neeed a valid drivers lisence with a detail bill of lading description on what they have submitted and then a check to follow in the mail.
You throw the book at the scrapyard and the voltures will go away.
Posted by: Jose Perez Chicago | July 22, 2008 at 06:42 PM
Theft like this can leave a property in prime shape for flooding and explosions, depending on what thieves have stolen. It can be quite a dangerous situation.
Interesting article. I wonder if there's a money-making idea in that problem. That is, find people looking for temporary housing to live in a place while it's in the banks ownership. Cheaper than replacing lost or destroyed pipes and such.
On a similar note, I was speaking to an inspector who was saying that he's seen quite a few foreclosures in Beverly Hills, and he's seen a lot of vandalism which was likely been done by the former owners (i.e., owner(s) foreclosed on). We're talking smashing granite countertops, destroying carpets/floors, and stealing/destroying appliances. Mostly just malicious stuff.
Posted by: MetaMommy | July 22, 2008 at 07:40 PM
Sometimes I wonder if there's an opportunity for an outfit like the Nature Conservancy to buy these places for a song, raze them, and turn them into parkland.
Posted by: Foobarista | July 23, 2008 at 12:01 AM
The Atlantic Monthly a couple of months ago had an extremely interesting article about the phenomenon of suburbs and McMansions turning into slums virtually overnight. Today's inner-city slums have buildings that were exquisitely built and are durable, even 100 or so years later. Today's crap home fall to pieces quickly, especially without the constant presence of an owner/caretaker. Increasingly, urban blight has moved to the 'burbs.
Posted by: beloml | July 23, 2008 at 09:23 AM