Violence between repo men, car owners rising

[Roon]

HALSELL, Ala. - Alone in his mobile home off a winding dirt road, Jimmy Tanks heard a commotion at 2:30 a.m. just outside his bedroom window: Somebody was messing with his car.

The 67-year-old railroad retiree grabbed a gun, walked out the back door and confronted not a thief but a repo man and two helpers trying to tow off the Chrysler Sebring. Shots were fired, and Tanks wound up dead, a bullet in his chest.

The man who came to repossess the car, Kenneth Alvin Smith, is awaiting trial on a murder charge in a state considered a Wild West territory even by the standards of an industry that’s largely unregulated nationally. Since Tanks’ death last June, two other repo men from the same company Smith worked for were shot, one fatally.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29427734/

[mikelgb]

1. the whole concept of Repo is soo stupid

[MadHound]

3. So what should be done?

Should we just let people get away without paying for their bill?

I agree that there needs to be more regulation, in fact I think that every repo man should be accompanied by a uniformed officer to preclude this sort of shootout mentality.

But I don't think repo men should be done away with.

[mikelgb]

15. They should be liable for the cost of the merchandise

the actual car is worth less anyway...

the ideas below are good too

[Politicalboi]

23. Don't worry Kit car is on the way

You don't make your payment your computer in your car will not turn on your car.

[cherish44]

4. Really. Why come take a car at 2 in the morning?

Go up knock on the door. Tell the guy they're coming to repo the car. If he gets belligerent, call the cops. This guy's defense could easily one that he thought he was being robbed.

[Roon]

8. I normally would say that it should be like an eviction of a rental

I am not sure,but I think more cars get repoed than people get evicted. I wouldn't know where to find the stats. I think a cop should be present when a car is being repoed,but there are so many cars being repoed that having a cop present would be unfeasible.

[tanngrisnir3]

25. Cops usually have a LOT more going on. They can't always drop

everything to go assist a commercial enterprise with people with little to no people skills.

[Roon]

5. When I was a kid, I bought a car from a dealership

I got divorced, lost my job, I couldn't afford the car anymore. So I took it back to the dealer and dropped the keys off in the key-drop box.

Two months later I was at work when I got summoned to go upstairs to the front desk.There was a repo guy there and he asked me where the car was. I told him I dropped it off and he didn't believe me. I talked to his boss on the phone and he didn't believe me either.

I guess they looked around and found the car because I never heard from them again. This guy spent two months trying to repo the car and it was sitting there on the lot the whole time.

[47of74]

2. Sheriff's right though

3am is not the time to be doing this stuff.

[pokercat999]

6. I'm sure the repo people target early morning hours because

that is when the are MOST likely to find the vehicle at home.

But I agree 3 am clanking around a driveway is asking for trouble and for the most part the chances are very strong that it's going to be "gun" trouble.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

9. Hi 47of74! Off topic... just wondering, what does your sigline mean?

[Democrats_win]

7. Being a Nazi sympathizer has it's risks.

People would have us believe that corporate and bankster fraud should be defended. I say f*ck that. Don't forget that the financial industry purchased our government which was 100% wrong. Now that they have failed America, they should not be entitled to use that government once again to make Americans suffer. They wrote the laws, now they MUST suffer the consequences of their immoral acts.

[Raskolnik]

14. And the award for most incongruous "Nazi" reference goes to...

Democrats_win!

[tanngrisnir3]

26. Hey, thanks for that utterly relevant point! Say, do you have a wombat handy?

[paulsby]

10. "the life of a repo man is always intense"

repo agents sometimes call us (the cops) when they get a beligerent.

but i agree that middle of the night repos of a car should be done with police escort. if the guy sees the cop car out front it prevents the mistake of thinking he is being victimized.

note also, that generally speaking, even if you see a guy stealing your car, that is NOT a justified reason to shoot.

it would certainly be justified to draw down on the guy, but auto theft is not a crime of violence and unless he comes at you, it's a bad shoot.

[Roon]

11. We have a "make my day" law in colorado

Which means you are able to shoot anyone on your property that is stealing.Think about it...you hear the dogs barking and you get up with a gun to check things out. You see some long haired person in your car! Would you shoot or not? How would you be able to tell that it's a repo-man?

[Pavulon]

12. The TOW TRUCK is a hint.

if you cant pay for something surrender it or sell it. This is a really simple concept.

[Roon]

13. Ah! Have you ever seen a repo-mans tow truck?

They are designed to look like any other car. When they flip a switch, the tow hoist comes out and they lock on. The repo man wants to be discreet. That's a given.

[Pavulon]

19. Yes, it is an f450 or similar vehicle

with a hydraulic lift in the rear. The repo man has a shitty job but someone has to do it.

[Roon]

21. You mean you've never seen one of these?

[Pavulon]

29. They use the hydraulics

where possible. That way they can snatch the car parallel.

[slackmaster]

18. No, Colorado law does NOT permit use of deadly force in defense of property

18-1-706. Use of physical force in defense of property.

A person is justified in using reasonable and appropriate physical force upon another person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent what he reasonably believes to be an attempt by the other person to commit theft, criminal mischief, or criminal tampering involving property, but he may use deadly physical force under these circumstances only in defense of himself or another as described in section 18-1-704.

This section justifies using a certain amount of force to prevent a property crime but deadly force is only justifiable if it's used in accordance with 18-1-704.

(Underlining added for emphasis.)

The ONLY state that allows deadly force in defense of movable property is Texas, and that has some limits.

[Roon]

20. Hmmm, ,interesting

There was person who shot and killed his ex-wife and boyfriend and got by with the "make my day" law..have to look into it. I don't own a firearm,so the point is pretty much moot.

[slackmaster]

24. You have to have a reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury before you can use deadly force

It's the same in every state that has Castle Doctrine laws, including California. (Except Texas.)

[DavidDvorkin]

16. They aren't the car owners in the eyes of the law

That's the real problem, isn't it? Until you've paid the car off and have the title, you're just borrowing it.

[pnutbutr]

17. I had a repo visit

It was because of a huge bank screw up. auto debit payments for three years until my due date landed on a sunday and the car was repo'd. Bank said I had been 2 months late for all three years but they never notified me. A week later I get about 30 predated late notices.

I would have beat some ass if I saw them taking my car.

[cherokeeprogressive]

22. Couldn't the finance companies report the vehicles as stolen?

Oh no wait, then we stand the risk of having citizens rousted in the middle of the night by pumped up cops.

Nevermind.

[tanngrisnir3]

27. Yes, they do report them as stolen, and no....

cops do NOT go looking for them, so there's no risk of your rather ridiculous contention.

I have, however, pulled over cars that had been reported stolen by the finance companies and it means an arrest and an impound.

[Tatiana]

28. Nowadays, companies are installing devices that control the car's computer.

I work with a woman who divorced and ran into some credit problems. The car company has some way of accessing her car's computer and if she doesn't make her monthly payment by a certain date, they will turn it off so that she can't start the car.

That's one way of ensuring payment, I suppose.

[Pavulon]

30. Never heard f that

would not be surprised thought.

[SmileyRose]

32. The "buy here pay here" places around here work that way.

[SmileyRose]

31. If it takes longer than 10 seconds to repo a car then the repo man sucks at his job

A really good repo man won't ever be seen in the first place, let alone need a gun........