Philly Daily ran my Crime Beat column om pickpockets today.
You can read the
column via the below link or the below text:
Davis: The grinch in your pocket — eight things pickpockets don’t want you to know - Philly Daily
A crime victim contacted
me and told me that he had taken the subway from Snyder Avenue to Center City
to do some Christmas shopping a few days ago.
Getting off the
subway car at the Walnut-Chestnut station, a young man entering the subway car and
bumped into him. As he turned to look at the person who slammed into him, a
second young man entering the subway car bumped into him from his other side.
It was not until
he attempted to pay for an item at a store on Walnut Street that he reached
into his back pants pocket to retrieve his wallet and discovered the wallet was
no longer there.
It dawned on him
thar the two young men who jostled him had lifted his wallet. He was furious
that he was robbed and although his wallet held little cash, it did hold
several of his credit cards.
Unable to now go
Christmas shopping, he called his wife and asked her to drive into Center City
and pick him up. Once home, he got on the phone and contacted the credit card
companies and canceled the stolen cards.
The grinch
pickpockets ruined his day of shopping, as well as his holiday merry mood, but
thankfully his wife had credit cards they could use for Christmas shopping
until he received his new credit cards.
A pickpocket is
defined by Jay Robert Nash’s “Dictionary of Crime” as a thief who is an expert
at stealing valuables from purses and pockets without force, usually in crowds
where his movements will not be noticed and he can get away quickly.
Like the
pickpocketed victim who contacted me, thousands of passengers will take SEPTA
to go shopping during this holiday season, in addition to the thousands more who
routinely take SEPTA to work every day.
Ensuring the security and safety of
passengers on SEPTA’s buses, subway cars, trains and stations are the
responsibility of the SEPTA Transit Police Officers. They are responsible
for policing the entire regional SEPTA system, covering an area of five
Pennsylvania counties - Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia
- as well as three states - Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
According
to SEPTA, nearly 250 sworn officers serve and protect within the 2,200
square-mile SEPTA service area. There are three patrol districts, allowing
officers to easily respond to emergencies while empowering them to quickly make
decisions and address local issues.
The
Transit Police Department extends beyond the regular beat with units of
specially trained officers. These units receive an additional level of training
and provide specialized support in policing a public transit system.
I recall meeting
with a SEPTA Transit police officer some years ago. The officer, Lisa Manzano,
then-an 11-year SEPTA police veteran, spoke about crime.
“Don’t look like
you need help or you’re distracted,” Manzano advised. “Criminals always pick on
people who look vulnerable. If you appear confident, it will make a big
difference.”
Manzano spoke of
eight things pickpockets don’t want you to know.
“The first tip
is never display money in a crowd. The second thing is to immediately check
your wallet or purse when you are jostled in a crowd.”
The third tip is
to beware of loud arguments and commotions aboard SEPTA vehicles or station
platforms. Manzano said that many times these incidents are staged to distract
you while you pocket is being picked.
The fourth tip
that pickpockets don’t want you to know is that women should carry their
handbags under their arms with the clasp towards their bodies. Never let it
dangle by the handle. Keep your handbag with you at all times and always keep
it closed. Never place your handbag on the seat beside you.
The fifth tip is
to that men should carry their wallet in their inside coat pocket or side pants
pocket, and never in the rear pants pocket.
“Never wear
necklaces, gold chains or other jewelry in plain view is the sixth tip,”
Manzano said. “And the seventh tip is to call out immediately if you find that
your pocket has been picked. Let the SEPTA operator and your fellow passengers
know there is a pickpocket on the vehicle.”
The eighth thing
that pickpockets don’t want you to know is the SEPTA emergency telephone
number, which is 215-580-8111. If you suspect pickpockets are at work on a
particular transit route or subway station, call the emergency number, which is
monitored 24-hours-a-day,
“Pickpockets are
very good and clever They know how the system works,” Manzano said. “We’ve been
working the pickpocket problem since day one.
“If there are a
lot of people shopping or coming back and forth from the check cashing places,
or the banks, the pickpockets will be there. It could be a young person or an
older person, a male or female team, or one person dressed in business attire
and the other dressed casually.”
So be on guard
for grinch pickpockets who are out to rob you and ruin your holiday season.
Paul
Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here weekly. He is also a frequent
contributor to Broad + Liberty and Counterterrorism magazine. He
can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.
Note: You can also read my other Philly Daily Crime Beat Columns via the below link:
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