If you shop at stores such as Walmart, Kmart, or Target (or other smaller stores)......and park your car on their property.....when you are well into the back of the store and your location is known...they can and will enter your car and go through it.

While in your car they might damage your property or possibly plant "evidence" or a surveillance bug.

You will not know your car has been entered unless you see it happen...or they leave a typical calling card...seat belt pulled out and twisted...lights left on...etc.

While you are supposedly protected from "unreasonable searches and seizures" by the 4th admendment....but since your car is on the stores' property...they can "legally" enter your car and search it.

They won't have a warrant...and you won't likely even know it happened unless you find damage to your property...or see something disturbed.

Since most people shop in various stores and park in their lots...in effect the 4th amendment has been circumvented.

Factoid: 82% of Americans made a purchase at Wal-Mart in 2002.

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Bill of Rights

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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Remedies:

* Avoid shopping in large dept stores. Shop smaller stores or online?

* Park near the front door & windows so that your car is always observable from inside.

* Lock your car and set the alarm....though this won't really be effective if they want in bad enough.

* They will have "backdoor" methods to get into your car.

* They can have a key made by using your VIN number as seen on your dash...and so can the typical criminal. They can use a "slim jim".


Remember...the police are well insinuated with and involved with retail businesses as they are with most other businesses.

That is just plain scary. If you are a person who speaks out, doesn't follow the sheep, and remains true to yourself.......lookout. These are the people who are the most likely to be targeted.

A targeted individual. Of course, such people really don't exist. It's only in their imagination.

I am a teacher. Monday I was sitting outside eating my lunch with another teacher. We saw two men on top of a vacant building across the street and thought it looked suspicious because there were no ladders. I went inside and told our resident cop (we have one in our building). They caught the two men and took them to jail. They were steeling copper to sale for drug money.

Today the paper comes out about "Alert teachers help apprehend thieves".
Then they proceed to put OUR TWO NAMES in the paper! These two thieves are drug users and we could have some of their family members in one of our classes! They (and their family and friends) now know where we work and who we are.

I went to the paper today after I left school and asked to speak to the editor. He assured me that it was public record and the thieves could go to the police station and asked to see the report and get our names that way. Now how many criminals go walking in a POLICE STATION on their own accord?

Maybe this is the way they are going to get me. Skip the setting me up.....go straight to getting me hurt or killed!

I know.....I am paranoid

cUDYXubu--in your post...who are "they" that are going to search my car? I'm personally not too worried.

Sadie...
OMG! I'd be filing a complaint somewhere! Since the information was already in the paper...could you submit a letter to the editor to be publish in their paper, telling of what happened? I do have my doubts they would print it, but if not, is there another area paper that would run it? It is quite interesting in my small town... you often have to read the paper from Minneapolis to find out what is "really" happening in my own town. I suppose the editors don't want to step on someone toes that they feel are important or prominant city figures.

The local paper that put it in there is REALLY printed by the Dayton Daily the bigger paper - so I really doubt they would print anything. Their editor let it slide right on through. That little tid bit slipped right through 2 editors.

Plus I don't want to call anymore attention to it. The damage is done. Why create more damage? I am keeping quiet and waiting for people to say I saw you name in the paper. Only two people have said anything (other than the teachers at school who told me about it in the first place).

I have told my kids if ANYTHING happens to me - to SUE the pants off of them. There are probably no attorneys around here with any guts to do though.

If you don't care if "they" get into your locked car and go thru your stuff...and possibly do damage to your belongings....among other possible things they could do....then go ahead and enjoy it.

Might want to check and see if your head's still up there though?

Might ask a lawyer if you have a chance of getting some recompense for your now increased security needs?

They should have asked your permission in this case...IMO.

I would be careful about going out in public alone.

Doesnt matter. Once you make it to a police report its public records thats it.