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How to clean up San Francisco from camera thefts

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If you missed the explosive report by KGO-TV reporter Dan Noyes on the theft epidemic in San Francisco, I want to both share his stories, and offer some common-sense solutions to a problem that’s gotten way out of hand.

You know that thieves in San Francisco (and elsewhere) are smashing the windows of cars to rob stuff, sensing that the police won’t chase or arrest them. Photographers have been followed by thieves, had their gear taken, which got quickly resold on the streets. They easily move laptops in broad daylight, and even though they’ve been recorded on video doing so, the city continues to allow it to happen, with few arrests.

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Photographer followed home and robbed of his gear at gun point

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This video posted recently by Chelsea and Tony Northrup is a bit of a wake-up call for all of us and tells the story of their friend Louis Chan who was out shooting at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and then followed home by armed thieves. Many of us carry around a huge amount of camera gear that adds up to thousands and we need to be aware of how to minimise our risk of being a target.

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Photographer robbed and severely injured while trying his new camera on Christmas Day

On 25 December, while trying out his new camera he got for Christmas, photographer Robbie Valenzuela got robbed. A thief snatched the camera and jumped into his car. Valenzuela reportedly held onto the car for several blocks, which caused him to suffer a major head injury.

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SD card found on the street leads police to murder charge after viewing its contents

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The incidence of dumb criminals filming and photographing their crimes, or at least being caught on camera by their victims, seems to be on the rise. KTUU reports that a woman contacted police in Anchorage, Alaska last week after discovering a memory card in the street. A memory card which she said contained the video of a homicide.

Two days later, police discovered human remains found near a highway. At the time, police said that the cause of death was unknown, as was the amount of time the remains had been there, and the victim’s identity was unknown. Now, police believe that the victim is the one shown on the SD card, and an arrest has been made.

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The truck carrying all of Sony’s gear for NAB gets stolen on the way to Vegas

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There’s a report coming out of Canon Rumors at the moment that one of Sony’s trucks has been stolen. This truck apparently contains all of the equipment that was destined to appear at the NAB show in Las Vegas taking place next week. CR also report that Sony’s truck contained some equipment from other manufacturers which would be used alongside Sony’s gear at the show.

There’s been no official announcement from Sony themselves, although Sony Alpha Rumors seem to back up the story. They say they’ve received a message stating that the truck has indeed been stolen.

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Thieves Steal Nearly $600k in Gear From Photography Equipment Rental LensProToGo

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As long as humans are humans, humans will act like humans.  Pretty redundant, but no less profound.  That was made clear to LensProToGo employees who arrived at work yesterday to find a smashed window and discover that they had been robbed.  Descending like vultures in the night, the thieves helped themselves to nearly $600k-worth of photography gear, presumably to support their out-of-control World of Warcraft addictions.

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Recording Shows, NYC Drone Incident Was Not Risky To The Helicopter

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Yesterday we shared a story about a couple of drones flying at an NYPD helicopter and putting it at severe risk. Well guess what, A recording from LaGuardia airport Air Traffic Control tells a different story all together.

Yesterday’s story was about two individuals, Remy Castro and Wilkins Mendoza, who were flying their quadcopters  over George Washington Bridge in New York while a police helicopter was patrolling the area. Yesterday, the story was about how the helicopter had to take evasive action to avoid a hit. Remy and Wilkins were arrested.

Today, Motherboard shares that a recording of the air traffic control from LaGuardia airport was posted by the website liveatc.net. Hear below.[Read More…]

Two Drones Nearly Hit a Helicopter, and the Men Responsible React in the Most Immature Manner Possible

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At about 12:15 midnight, Remy Castro and Wilkins Mendoza were flying their two quadcopters over George Washington Bridge in New York; at the same time, an New York Police Department chopper was present and patrolling the area – the two remote controlled quadcopters were headed straight for it. Luckily, the NYPD officers present noticed the two of them, and had to divert the chopper’s direction to avoid hitting the two of them.

Had one of the quadcopters hit the propeller of the chopper, things could have gotten ugly. There were a number of ways things could have gone wrong in this situation, and it shouldn’t be happening in the first place if we expect to be able to keep our right to freely use quadcopters in the US. If you follow this website at all, you know our stance on photography and how it relates to the law; but as supportive as we are of the right to use these devices, we can’t be surprised when regulations get put up because of things like this.

The two men that manned the quadcopters were immediately arrested after the NYPD traced the flying devices back to them. And even after they were taken in, they spewed out dialogue that was nothing short of immature and inexcusable. One of them told the Criminal Court that it was “just a toy” and that they “were just playing with it“.[Read More…]

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