Thanks to MVPD for responding quickly to apprehend these criminals. Also, big thanks to the alert neighbors who had the sense enough to notify the police. Anyone hanging out in front of my place gets a call to the PD, and few neighbors around me can keep them at bay if necessary.

To the writer of this story:
Please look up the definition of Robbery vs. Burglary. Your story is completely off base and needs correction, unless you are trying for the sensationalism angle...

According to the AP style guide, "Robbery in the legal sense involves the use of violence or threat in committing larceny. In a wider sense it means to plunder or rifle, and may thus be used even if a person was not present: His house was robbed while he was away."

"Every person who enters any house, room, apartment, tenement, shop, warehouse, store, mill, barn, stable, outhouse, or other building, tent, vessel, as defined in Section 21 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, floating home, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 18075.55 of the Health and Safety Code, railroad car, locked or sealed cargo container, whether or not mounted on a vehicle, trailer coach, as defined in Section 635 of the Vehicle Code, any house car, as defined in Section 362 of the Vehicle Code, when the doors are thereof, with intent to commit grand or petit larceny or any felony is guilty of burglary " (Cal Pen Code 459).

AND

"Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear.PC 211

OK? OK.

Yes, you've just quoted the legal sense, which I'd already confirmed was the case. Good work, rr.

Style over substance...

Hey, can you folks keep it up, it's pretty entertaining watching to so called adults rant! Hee...hee!

I'm 15.

rr - go outside and make some friends.

Don - You ought to do one of those mashup maps like the SF Chron does with homicides. You could show the robbery/theft locations in Mountain View on the map and also the location in EPA where the thieves are from.

That's a pretty stupid idea. What is the point, proving that all local thieves come from East Palo Alto? Sounds like something someone with some prejudices would say.

Yeah, yeah. Any commentary about crime and demographics is caused by racism.

-----

From my scan of the news in recent year, it appears to me that much of the crime on and around Castro has these common traits: late-night, young people, people from adjacent communities such as EPA, and alcohol. Of course, I would rather have hard facts than just my anecdotal evidence. I think that the MV Voice could do our community a great service by collecting and disseminating data about crimes and criminals that we could review and discuss.

I assume the MV PD has already collected much of the data. The MV Voice would just need to present the data in a useful format such as a Google mashup map.

If it turns out that my observations are largely correct, we could use the data to change city policies to reduce the number of bars, close bars earlier, or increase the mix of other types of businesses including family-oriented restaurants and non-restaurant businesses. If the data does not support my observations, then so be it.

The problem, USA, is that there really isnt enough of the sort of crime you're referring to in MV to have statistical significance or draw meaningful patterns. There's a decent number of petty thefts at San Antonio Shopping Center. There are more assaults at Shoreline during concert season- all pretty obvious.

Eric -- that could well be true, but wouldn't like to see some real data? The SJ Mercury has an even better mashup at Web Link

Don -- if you are going to edit my comments, could you also take care of Bruno's nastygrams too?

Baggy pants need to be outlawed, if anything for the fashion laws they violate.

USA-- try this:

Web Link

Thank, Eric. I had seen that before, but it's a bit obtuse. It is hard to see if there are any interesting geographic patterns or trends over time. I need to learn how to do those Google mashups, so I might take a crack at it with the data from MV PD.

Ned -- too funny.

No jail at all for both of them?....not fair. This is not USA style. If my place was burglarizied and they were released to their liberal parents, I would report both boys to credit unions until they paid up without a court approval...because I'm a good landlady.

Gee, give the guys a break. How else can they get laptops for school where the great divide between rich and poor has become even greater? And shame on you for buying Sony. Get an xbox 360 since so many xbox games are made here in Mountain View. The laptop should have been an Apple since, at least its designed in Cupertino. C'mon, buy local!