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I attend a fairly large congregation in Lubbock. We have security cameras inside and out and use radios to communicate. We generally have at least three team members on duty during services and bible class. Off duty team member radio up and listen in case there is an emergency.

Most of the time, thankfully, we don't do much but we are always watching and patrolling.

Tonight was no different. We had one member in the office watching the cameras and two members patrolling. I was off tonight and was in the office doing some administrative work and did not have a radio on.

We had a grey Tahoe cruise the parking lot. When they saw one of the team in the parking lot they took off. The patroller communicated with the camera guy and they saw the same thing. I had stepped out to meet with one of our children's coordinators regarding another matter from the morning. We happened to be in the foyer near one of the on duty members. He grabbed me and said the other team member saw the Tahoe again and they were snatching a compressor out of the back of a truck. He ran towards them while we headed out of a different door. They grabbed the compressor and got back in their truck. The member that was running towards them saw he wasn't going to get to them so he headed them off at the exit. Thankfully he didn't try to block them but rather got a description and license plate.

The two of us were in communication with him and followed his direction to a grocery store parking lot where they turned in (apparently to miss the light at the corner). We swarmed the parking lot but it became apparent that they just cut through. During this time the camera member was calling the police and giving them a description and plate number.

The police showed up in a few minutes. They ran the plate number but it came up for a vehicle from somewhere else. They checked the cameras and got the body style of the vehicle and that it had black wheels.

We lost this one and I don't know what we could have done any better other than sitting in the back of the truck. It is frustrating but I don't really know what we could have done better. We can't be everywhere and people still need to be responsible for their security and the security of their property. I'm pretty irritated as I am in charge of this ministry and it happened...and on my watch. The bad guys are brazen. We figured we scared them off but they were back in a few minutes. Arggg. I won't get any sleep tonight.

The church member probably should not have left the compressor accessible. You can only do what you can do remember locks are for honest people.

Two words. “Sniper Team” just kidding! Seriously though sounds like you did all you could do. You can’t do 100% of the work. You can only help someone so much. You did your part so feel good about it.

Stealing stuff out of the back of pickups—Sounds like low-life druggies to me.

I don’t know what you could’ve done differently either, other than maybe have more members. But if you did, or if the member who ran toward them did catch up with them,then what? What is your team ready to do over a theft other than Record details and call the cops?

carlson1 wrote:The church member probably should not have left the compressor accessible. You can only do what you can do remember locks are for honest people.

Stealing stuff out of the back of pickups—Sounds like low-life druggies to me.

Wow! You guys are on it! Much better than 99 percent of anywhere else. Be proud of yourself

You and your team did fabulously well!

You did everything you reasonably could to prevent the theft and recover the property. Things would very likely have gotten a lot messier if someone had blocked in or directly confronted a determined pair of thieves, and there might well have been negative consequences for team members.

The result wasn't perfect but it was real good. In real life, that's often as good as it gets.

Well done all around by your team. The prime focus for your team is lives, and it sounds like good decisions are being made all around. Property can be replaced. In the case of this particular property belonging to a member, the member did not secure it so it shouldn't be your team's responsibility. You all did what you could.

Two thoughts. Sniper team and tires.

I'm thinking it wasn't tied in? Untying it then lifting it to another vehicle would have created enough of a time delay to allow the team to close in! ??

I think you did everything you possibly could. Based on your description of the events, it sounds like you have a very vigilant team.

I made the mistake of leaving a compressor unsecured in my truck at a Home Depot, once, and it had been stolen when I got back. Video for that section off the parking lot was poor at best, and was only able to determine the make of the truck. I now keep a 3/8" aircraft cable with a heavy duty padlock to secure anything I put in the bed of my truck.

ELB wrote:I don’t know what you could’ve done differently either, other than maybe have more members. But if you did, or if the member who ran toward them did catch up with them,then what? What is your team ready to do over a theft other than Record details and call the cops?

get good descriptions of the perps as opposed to just their ride.......

block them in, and tell them that you're a BLM blockade (just until the cops show)

but seriously, you did what you could with your available resources. And yes, it's VERY frustrating......