Polizei M5 144B was attacked by New York’s infamously skilled car thieves last night whilst briefly parked on the street. Yes. I’m an idiot, but I’ve parked 144A and B - fully stickered - on numerous streets in dozens of countries throughout the world, and never had a problem.
144B won, of course, surviving with only a broken passenger window, a well-abused yet-still-functional ignition cylinder, and the loss of but two of its four Garmin GPS units.
Given the surreal deterrent effect our Polizei livery has had on both law enforcement and civilians in the past, I’ve been grappling with the psychology of these particular thieves. The questions:
1) Did they think they were breaking into a real police car? If so, did they recognize it as foreign, if not German?
2) If not, did they recognize it as Team Polizei’s? And if so, did they target it because this was so?
3) Even if they didn’t think 144B was a police car - real or fake - why would they want to steal such a conspicuous car? How would they have expected to drive it anywhere? To whom did they expect to sell it? And why would they have smashed the passenger window? And why did they fail to start it?
4) Once having entered the car and failing to start it and observing the brobdingnagian array of electronics, why did they only steal the Garmin 7500 and 2650 GPS units?
Survey says…idioten!
Neither Garmin turned up on Craigslist or eBay today, but should anyone come across a 7500 or 2650 sans mounts, cables, adaptors, boxes or manuals, please contact me immediately.
Whatever the truth, 144B survived. Replacement GPS’s will be installed tomorrow, as will a new window. (Pics tomorrow.)
@ The Thieves: The Garmins are useless to you. I’ve retained the unit’s serial numbers, and Garmin doesn’t allow mapset installation or updating without the unique digital key associated only with Team Polizei’s Garmin user account. Enjoy!
Alex, I’ve got a new window if you need one. Already has tint. From an ‘03 M5 I’m parting out. Sorry about the burglary…sounds like some pretty moronic doofuses.
you gotta love the fact they didnt take anything they can use/sell… i love idiots.
It does boggle the mind rather, after all the effort, why only take two? Come to that, why do it in the first place. Although they did get something out of it, as opposed to the people who smashed my windscreen last night for no reason (as far as i can work out) other than to see what happened. You have to love laminated glass though.
good luck on getting all the tiny pieces back out, selotape i’ve always found to be useful for the splinters of it that inevitably get into any carpetted surface.
Laurie
wow.. idiots indeed. but bold ones at that..
that car would be spotted sooo fast in the city if it where to be stolen..
I hope they are cought, and get some 144 justice!
Best of luck Alex
Perhaps they needed to be 3000 miles away in 32hrs 7 mins.
They surely thought it would be one heck of a joyride! With lights on, pedestrians leaping out of the way, and police confused at a reported stolen police car when all cars were accounted for, and they would have loved you to take the heat for it all.
We’re glad you and said M5 are fine, and no such crimes happened whilst wearing the Polizei 144 logo/brand.
I bet it was Rawlings hehe
I had my Garmin c550 stolen out of my Jeep when I pulled over to help out with a car accident. The Theives not only got away with my Garmin(which had and always does security code enabled) as well as the stereo out of one of the cars that was hit…
What was really scary was my GPS was programed to my house where the theieves obviously now know I am not at. Needless to say I made it home in record time and had the neighbors on look out until i made it
Insane dumbness! I think they were a little thirsty, and could not find their “haterade!”
so will the next addon be a Viper system?
Sounds like it’s time to install some “tear gas und wasser kanonen”
Perhaps - if they were conscious of precisely who they were robbing - they thought the GPS’ would have your cross-country routes in it and such. A bit of research wouldn’t have killed them in this case though, let’s face it.
That’s really bad news Alex. Chances are they won’t get caught so we will never know why they did it.
Wow…Only thing I can think of is that they can try to get bragging rights with their friends..
Couldn’t you get finger prints?
I’m glad 144B survived
damn. at least they didn’t steal it like they stole mine : (
Alex, Don’t forget to have those GPS units entered NCIC by your police(using their serial numbers). Then if they turn up anywhere in the US they can be identified. Also contact the surrounding county Sheriffs Offices as they may turn up in pawn shops but these Offices likely will not know they are stolen. Alex….you knew all this!
I bet it was that guy from Gumball in the Lambo you pulled over!
I think they were not trying to steal the car. They went for the GPS units…only for them! We have some problem with these kind of thieves in Germany. Police says they only need a couple of secounds and then there gone…
just check eBay - I bet you spot your Garmins soon…
Really bad news…but at least they can’t use the things they took!
I’m really sorry about that and I hope you will get your garmins back.
I am sure it was an idiot who is proud of has stolen Alex Roy’s Garmins.
If they knew it was team polizei’s car they may have stolen them to see if he could uncover another secret run? Probably not but it could be the case.
Sorry to hear it, having some jerk break into your car really is one of those kinds of crimes that get under the skin.
May the God of Nonviolent and Unprofitable Crimes punish them!
Even though this is a bummer, I’m looking forward to hearing about the upgrades.
Isn’t there a way to trace them when he’s (or they are) trying to use the gps?
hey alex where are the pics you promised?
I’m also waiting for the pics
To answer your questions.
1. They don’t care. See also: Crack
2. See Also: Money for Crack
3. They could have sold it to me. i would have set up the meeting. Hog tied them, beaten them and waited until you arrived to go medieval on them.
4. See also: Rock