X-ray glasses
byHigh and Dry on the Streets of Elsewhere Chapter One, part-g, Travel Advisory— Barcelona, a fusion of passion and creativity, chaos and order, where…
Thieves
One man
byHigh and Dry on the Streets of Elsewhere Chapter One, part-f, Travel Advisory — One man loses his wallet. It’s a small crime, a…
Call the bunco squad
byIn Orlando, Bob and I attended a four-day NABI training seminar–that’s the National Association of Bunco Investigators. Don’t you love the word bunco? More…
An ordinary day in the center of Rome
byHigh and Dry on the Streets of Elsewhere Chapter One, part-e, Travel Advisory — A somber crowd was gathered outside the police station. While…
Shocking statistics
byEvery single summer day, one hundred tourists will be pickpocketed near the Coliseum in Rome; another hundred will be hit near the Spanish Steps,…
Bottomfeeders of the criminal hierarchy
byHigh and Dry on the Streets of Elsewhere Chapter One, part-c, Travel Advisory Bob and I hit the ground and I squinted at the…
Thievery, connery, scamdom, and swindlehood
byHigh and Dry on the Streets of Elsewhere Chapter One, part-b, Travel Advisory If law enforcement can’t turn the trend, perhaps Bob and I…
Get your * hand out of my pocket!
by“Hey! Hey! Hey! Get your fucking hand out of my pocket! You try to steal my wallet again and I’ll kill you!” The would-be…
The travel industry’s dirty little secret
byBob and I contend that the crimes of street thieves, so often dubbed “petty,” are not that at all. First, tally the sheer number…
Thieves categorized
by“Criminals are born, not made. Delinquency is a physiological abnormality.” So said Cesare Lombroso, Italian professor of forensic medicine and psychology, in 1875. After…
Consorting with thieves
byPreface, part-b, Travel Advisory I tried to imagine the scenario: Kharem would slip his fingers into the pocket of some hapless tourist and we’d…
Stalking a moving target
byPreface, part-a, Travel Advisory If Bob’s and my first priority is putting pickpockets and con artists out of business, our second is to encourage…
Introduction
byCriminal limits are inside a person. How else can I explain why I cannot shoplift? I can’t steal a candy-bar from a supermarket, but…