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Police converge on a popular meeting place for WatchProSite members, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, a gun was discharged in a crowded restaurant. The suspects were trying to steal a Richard Mille watch off the wrist of one of the restaurant patrons.
How Police Are Using Technology To Catch Rolex Robbers
"Rolex Robbers" is the new term I'm using to denote watch thieves. And while Rolex watches aren't the exclusive watches being stolen, it is probably one of the more popular ones being stolen. Foster City, a city in California's San Francisco Bay Area and is about 22 miles South of San Francisco, in the Silicon Valley area. The Foster City Police were the heroes and were featured in a news report. The story starts with an unfortunate circumstance: an elderly Foster City resident was robbed of his Rolex when suspects identified him while he was shopping, the suspects then followed him home and forcibly removed the watch while the suspect was at home.
Fortunately, police were able to use license plate reading camera technology to identify the vehicle! And were able to find the vehicle and arrest three suspects likely connected to the crime a few days later.
Here's the video...
Police converge on a popular meeting place for WatchProSite members, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, a gun was discharged in a crowded restaurant. The suspects were trying to steal a Richard Mille watch off the wrist of one of the restaurant patrons.
it really is like the Wild West out there
stay safe & be smart everyone +++
I certainly am not going to stop wearing my watches out in public, so the crooks can go F' themselves - time to start packing heat
Politics aside...
Can't pack heat in the state of California without a permit. And... The California State Attorney General in some incredibly weird move, actually released a list of all the names and addresses of citizens with the special "concealed weapons permit" in the state of California. Think about this... This list includes judges, senators, powerful people, district attorneys who have prosecuted criminals, retired policemen, retired police chiefs, mayors, retired mayors... people of influence... people who probably need a concealed weapon permit... And then all of a sudden, in some short sighted move, the State Attorney General releases the complete list... Sometimes you wonder how did he ever see that as a good idea...
I could be wrong but I think technically in CA a LTC is a matter of public record so the list has always been there, just not publicized. Not saying it's right, but more that it's not arbitrary release of records but a consistent anti-gun mentality.
It equates having an LTC with being a sex offender or some other public safety hazard that requires that LTC holders be part of the public record. Also want to leave politics out of it but it is pretty nuts to equate the two.
The supreme court in NY just ruled that it was illegal for NYC to force LTC applicants to justify need, iow NYC just went from may issue to shall issue with a lot of hurdles and requirements but still, a big change. I imagine CA will have to move the same way based on the NYS ruling, interesting times for sure.
The supreme court in NY just ruled that it was illegal for NYC to force LTC applicants to justify need, iow NYC just went from may issue to shall issue with a lot of hurdles and requirements but still, a big change. I imagine CA will have to move the same way based on the NYS ruling, interesting times for sure.
There's a public list and a secret list...
In CA there's a public list and a "discreet list" to my knowledge. But I am really not an expert on this subject, so to say anymore would really be out of my depth. Agreed. Interesting and strange times for sure!
I'm grateful....
to not have yet been on that list despite having applied for a ccw back at the end of March, I'm expecting to hear back from the Sheriff's department this month! With that said, the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, to my sincere amazement, allows publishing of registered addresses for its many members (a good number of whom are current or ex law enforcement) through the opengov web portal. Even though this sensitive information isn't directly available on the BSIS website, the fact that it is eagerly allowed to be published online elsewhere is an indubitably egregious safety breech and concern. It's worth renting a PO box and using that as one's work address just for the peace of mind.... Anyway, like I mentioned elsewhere, my main source of income at this point in time is doing estate security for billionaires, and boy have they invested in extensive security measures in recent years........
Oh man, I need a refresher course on my equipment...
PTZ, remote access, this user interface isn't good for non professionals.
Exactly....
You are clearly well versed in the fundamentals since you know what you are speaking of 
. Anyway, he has invested hundreds of thousands just into the systems that go into running this office which I work out of the majority of the time. Obviously, he owns multiple properties worldwide, and not all of them receive the same level of security attention. Even as it is, it costs him millions of dollars per year to run the security measures. In case I receive my CCW foreseeably, I have the option to select shifts that are not constrained to the estate itself, but to physically driving him around town when he happens to be in L.A. .... We'll see what happens, so far so good 
. Cheers, Filip
. Anyway, he has invested hundreds of thousands just into the systems that go into running this office which I work out of the majority of the time. Obviously, he owns multiple properties worldwide, and not all of them receive the same level of security attention. Even as it is, it costs him millions of dollars per year to run the security measures. In case I receive my CCW foreseeably, I have the option to select shifts that are not constrained to the estate itself, but to physically driving him around town when he happens to be in L.A. .... We'll see what happens, so far so good . Cheers, Filip
I don't even know how to reset the email warning reports...
And there are some bugs in the software. Upon a system reset, I have to go in and toggle off and toggle back on certain settings. Obviously the operating system of these devices weren't designed very well. Hopefully a better system comes one day! Good luck with the CCW permit!
You know what else you can’t do in our lovely state???
Buy a freaking wood rubber band gun with an orange nozzle🙅♂️. I could more easily buy A REAL GUN than this wood toy… go figure.
I agree...
Police tracking your every move. At least this good thing came out of the Big Brother concept!
What's the date in California? The British have been doing this for 50 years or more.
Come on....
that's blind prejudice . Criminals come in all shapes and forms, from everywhere in the world ....
. Criminals come in all shapes and forms, from everywhere in the world ....
Interesting read for me, a non US Resident. And yes, it appears that Rolexes are becoming targets, perhaps because of the hype.
Possibly. Part of it's hype. Part of it is the fact that there are a lot of illegitimate dealers willing to move stolen Rolexes...
Low level thieves only get a tiny fraction of the value for what they steal. There are fences and middlemen, all of whom get a cut. Furthermore, low level thieves are often in need of money immediately. And with the rush, they can't get a significant value from the watch.
Wow - I didn’t realise that it’s part of a rather complex supply chain. Thanks for sharing.
Can't say I'm an expert witness in that regard...
Can't say that I have work experience in fencing stolen watches. So I can't say I'm an expert in that regard! And hopefully I never will be!
Possibly!
It's also a lot of unscrupulous dealers. It's in the industry news that some dealers get caught with multiple stolen watches. These dealers have been in the Los Angeles area in the past, Miami, and Diamond District of New York City.
Watch theft is the new hype!
Watches and wallets were stolen for decades(my dad got mugged in the ‘70s in Italy), it’s not a new phenomenon, however being picked up by the media and social media, it seems to create a new hype.
But the greatest stupidity is explaining in details how it’s done so it serves as a training course for the tiffs!
As for Cali, it’s a sad situation, however you get what you voted for right...?
While politics and elections are subjective, I still believe that the X placed in the right box can make a difference!
But the greatest stupidity is explaining in details how it’s done so it serves as a training course for the tiffs!
As for Cali, it’s a sad situation, however you get what you voted for right...?
While politics and elections are subjective, I still believe that the X placed in the right box can make a difference!
I agree. i remember in 1994 in LA with the opposite party in power, carjackings were rampant.
When a few people were killed the police ramped up the pressure on chop shops and the like. Now the crime is watch theft/muggings, and the reasons are complex. Immigration, loss of jobs, social media glamorizing watches, Rolex real or imagined shortage which ramped up prices, the haves vs have nots, the media fear machine, the fact that police weren't really caring that much about a few watches being stolen etc etc. Catching a few criminals probably isn't the answer, but instead drying up the market or distribution of the stolen watches is what needs to happen. Who's behind it, where are they going, etc. It certainly isn't the neighborhood pawn shops like in the past.
This is happening all over the world, not just California.
Maybe the real solution is that Rolex needs to create a better system?
For instance, Apple, created Find My iPhone. And made it harder for thieves to reset iPhones and wipe iPhone memories. Thus, making the phone kind of useless and not able to be sold if you had it password protected. Maybe Rolex needs to have a published online registry of stolen watches? Or something to deter thieves?