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Is there anything I can do?

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wes84

Junior Member
About 5 years ago I had my car parked behind a friend's shop. The car had alot of aftermarket equipment and I was working on the sound system at the time. One night it was broken into and everything stolen (speakers, subwoofers, amps, headlights, radio, wiring, etc). The police had a k9 track to someone's backyard about a block or 2 away where they claimed they lost the scent. It was also in the police report that a man was on the porch of the house saying "mom, get inside. They're looking for me." Another thing that bothered me was that when I asked the cops if they were going to check for prints I was told "No. This was a pro. They would have wore gloves." Later on I found out that the man whose backyard the k9s tracked to had a criminal record and was responsible for stealing catalytic converters from cars at the business next door to where my car was. I had also heard from a cop friend of a friend that this guy was some kind of informant, which lead me to believe the cops were protecting this guy which is why he was never investigated or his property searched. I would like to know if there's anything I can do like attempt to sue the police dept? Mind you this happened about 5 years ago. I had about $10k in receipts for the things stolen, but only received about $1.5k for damage to my car as none of the aftermarket equipment was covered by my insurance. I still have the car and it has sat in a garage since this happened, as I get upset everytime I see it ripped apart. I just want to know if there's anything I can still do.
 


quincy

Senior Member
About 5 years ago I had my car parked behind a friend's shop. The car had alot of aftermarket equipment and I was working on the sound system at the time. One night it was broken into and everything stolen (speakers, subwoofers, amps, headlights, radio, wiring, etc). The police had a k9 track to someone's backyard about a block or 2 away where they claimed they lost the scent. It was also in the police report that a man was on the porch of the house saying "mom, get inside. They're looking for me." Another thing that bothered me was that when I asked the cops if they were going to check for prints I was told "No. This was a pro. They would have wore gloves." Later on I found out that the man whose backyard the k9s tracked to had a criminal record and was responsible for stealing catalytic converters from cars at the business next door to where my car was. I had also heard from a cop friend of a friend that this guy was some kind of informant, which lead me to believe the cops were protecting this guy which is why he was never investigated or his property searched. I would like to know if there's anything I can do like attempt to sue the police dept? Mind you this happened about 5 years ago. I had about $10k in receipts for the things stolen, but only received about $1.5k for damage to my car as none of the aftermarket equipment was covered by my insurance. I still have the car and it has sat in a garage since this happened, as I get upset everytime I see it ripped apart. I just want to know if there's anything I can still do.
What is the name of your state?
 

HighwayMan

Super Secret Senior Member
I still have the car and it has sat in a garage since this happened, as I get upset everytime I see it ripped apart. I just want to know if there's anything I can still do.
So you have a perfectly good car that you let sit because you're upset about a theft? That's a bit extreme.

In the future you should get customized parts and equipment coverage to minimize your loss. Having $10k worth of customized equipment would seem to be a big risk without this.

Why has it taken you five years to deal with this? I would have suggested going to the police department and speaking with a supervisor, but it's a little late now.
 

wes84

Junior Member
So you have a perfectly good car that you let sit because you're upset about a theft? That's a bit extreme.

In the future you should get customized parts and equipment coverage to minimize your loss. Having $10k worth of customized equipment would seem to be a big risk without this.

Why has it taken you five years to deal with this? I would have suggested going to the police department and speaking with a supervisor, but it's a little late now.
Its a mustang. I've had the car since i was 17. It was my first car and was a daily driver. As the years passed i modified it and it became more of a show car, so it was less practical to drive it often. I put my blood, sweat, and tears, and alot of money into that car and i did all the work myself, and someone ripped most of it apart in 1 night. The worst part is knowing who did it but not being able to do anything about it. And i agree with you about getting the aftermarkert part insurance. I probably should have looked into that at the time. And yes, alot of time has passed. It may seem extreme to you, but when i see the car ripped apart it kills me after how much of my life, time, and money i put into it, and also knowing who was responsible for it at the same time. Aside from that i dont really have the time or money to get it going again right now. I guess i also just didnt know what to do. The cops did absolutely nothing and let the guy get away with it. and challenging/suing the police seemed like a pretty big ordeal, so the car just sat, and continues to sit for now.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Its a mustang. I've had the car since i was 17. It was my first car and was a daily driver. As the years passed i modified it and it became more of a show car, so it was less practical to drive it often. I put my blood, sweat, and tears, and alot of money into that car and i did all the work myself, and someone ripped most of it apart in 1 night. The worst part is knowing who did it but not being able to do anything about it. And i agree with you about getting the aftermarkert part insurance. I probably should have looked into that at the time. And yes, alot of time has passed. It may seem extreme to you, but when i see the car ripped apart it kills me after how much of my life, time, and money i put into it, and also knowing who was responsible for it at the same time. Aside from that i dont really have the time or money to get it going again right now. I guess i also just didnt know what to do. The cops did absolutely nothing and let the guy get away with it. and challenging/suing the police seemed like a pretty big ordeal, so the car just sat, and continues to sit for now.
I am sorry about your car.

If you had any evidence five years ago that the fellow took your car parts, you could have sued him, and if the police had evidence, they might have charged him. But suing the police would have been a futile task.

Thank you for providing your state name.
 

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