In advance of the release of Metro's latest crime data later this month, there's this teaser from FOX 5's Wisdom Martin on escalating crime in the D.C. Metro system. The three worst stations for crime right now break down like this, according to the report: in D.C., the highest crime station is Gallery Place, where the most common crimes are thefts of electronic devices; while in the suburbs, it's the stations with the largest parking lots, New Carrollton in Maryland and Franconia-Springfield in Virginia, which are largely related to automobiles thefts and break-ins. Metro Transit Police told FOX 5 that arrests are also up this year, with 989 arrests made and 3,164 citations issued so far in 2009. WMATA is expected to release its most recent crime stats on Sept. 24. 
Photo by billadler
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if you're not paying attention to your surroundings anywhere in the city, it's hard to feel a lot of sympathy for loss of your stuff.
this isn't fremont, nebraska!
This. I'm constantly amazed at the number of people I see on the Metro with their iPods or SmarTrip cards in plain sight and easy for a thief to grab.
My iPod is generally on my head. I have not had a problem. Of course, if my iPod is NOT on my head, it is generally so far down at the bottom of my bag that no thief could get to it. Score one for disorganization.
I'm not getting how the thievery is occuring. Pickpocketing? Ripping devices out of people's hands? Why the hell are people walking around with valuables hanging out in plain sight?
This. Are the iPod thefts grab-and-run? Taken by force/threats? Or do people walk around with iPods sitting in their open purses or bags?
And tourists with cameras hanging by a thin strap around their necks or shoulders.
Another good reason not to have an iPod.
What are the others?
I like to read when traveling, don't like headphones, prefer to have my music collection on cd. I guess I'm old fashioned.
Get offa my lawn!
"Deputy Chief Jeff Delinski says they have recently seen an increase in robberies and thefts of small electronic devices like iPods and GPS devices."
GPS? Who brings GPS on the Metro? What's the use?
i get the feeling that's not exactly the case...
I'm assuming the GPS devices are being stolen from the parking lots.
I always keep my eye on my iPod when on the Metro. I keep all my .mp4 porn rips on it. Not all of it, just the classy stuff like "Bangin Grannies XVX" and "Shaving Ryans Privates." Also, everybody else on Metro is too f**king ugly to look at anyway, and when they do catch you looking at them, they threaten to cut you. So I'll just stick with the granny/depilatoryporn, thank you very much. Hot tip: be sure to turn the volume on your headphones down really low so as not to offend the Tea Party protesters or religous types. I had a hell of a time explaining why The Texas Longhorn and the Boston Batwanger were doing that thing they do with their tentpoles. I told the old ladies that it was a FDA-funded instructional video about an experimental treatment for priapism. They just sort of wandered off arguing loudly about socialism.
new carrolLton
Watch Teenagers in Gallery Place Metro
Yes, Cuberat-- the devices are stolen right out of people's hands. Happened to my friend at Gallery Place which watching a video on his iphone. Some young teenaged punk literally ran by, snatched it right out of his hand, and ran up the escalator. Once he realized what had happened, my friend, in work clothes and weighed down by a heavy computer bag, couldn't catch up. And of course, no one tried to help or stop the thief...
uyzie: did you friend yell out for help, like "stop, thief!" or something like that?
I saw this very thing happen yesterday. I got on the yellow line at Gallery Place heading towards Huntington at around 7:30 pm last night. There was this black teenager sitting in the seats closest to the door, and across the isle was a woman messing around w/ her ipod. Two stops later, at L'Enfant Plaza, the doors open and the teenager snatched the ipod right out of her hand and ran. It took the woman and everyone else probably 3-5 seconds to realize what had happened and by that time the thug was already up the stairs. Clearly he had done this before. My advice would be just to be more careful w/ your valuables.