ROOFEES

  The Naples Beach has always been a premier attraction. And long before we had shopping centers to attract auto burglars and assorted other thieves, the beach drew them like politicians to a lobbyist's free Caribbean cruise. But, let's face it, because of folk's disregard for security it was an easy way to make a slimy buck. How's that?

  Ladies think if they put their purse on the floor and throw a towel or newspaper over it, the thief will never look there. Wrong, madam!  That's the first place they do look because everyone does that. Of course there're many who are too lazy to even make that futile effort. They leave it in plain view it the seat. At least put the stuff in the trunk!

  But, sometimes, even that didn't work. Then, each automobile manufacturer had just a few key combinations for all their models. We'd commonly catch thieves with an 8" ring of keys--a hundred or so--that would open a majority of American cars. General Motors used very few keys for their entire fleet. Chances were good your Chevy key would open your neighbor's Pontiac.

  All thieves knew that and where to buy the keys sets. They also knew you could buy spare lock cylinders with keys. Using a bent-straight paper clip inserted in the small hole beside the key slot, you could remove that one, insert your own cylinder, and drive off.

  The best thieves didn't even need that stuff. On surveillance films we'd seen thieves approach a car, rock the window down a half-inch, drop through a string with a loop and a fishing weight on it, lift an interior lock button, and they were in. All in less than a minute.

  Some thieves had homemade "Slim Jims" that, when slid between the window and door, opened the lock with just an easy tug on the interior mechanism. Or, there was a Ford model that you could hand-bump on the rear corner of the trunk and the trunk lid would magically open. Thank God all that has improved over the years. Now, if we could just get folks to lock the damn cars.

  We had one cop, Byron Tomlinson, who had magical powers when it came to catching Auto B and E'ers. And everyone else. Byron could look down a beach-end avenue from a block away and catch the buggers in the act. Did it too many times to be explained by pure chance.  The rest of us weren't that gifted.
 Most of the activity took place at the Pier. The angle parking there, allowing the thief to get between two cars and not be seen, made it impossible for even Eagle-Eye Tomlinson to see them. You needed some elevation if you hoped to see anything. So, Mike Grimm, Ray Barnett and I took turns lying on the roof of the Price house, just south of the Pier entrance. The roof was made of copper. Directly in the sun. Even with cardboard, blankets, and camper mattresses, in about thirty-minutes we'd be medium rare--and we never caught a damn one.

  Mike decided to try other roof tops but none had a good view. Finally, he climbed to the roof atop the three-story old Naples Hotel at the end of the avenue leading to the Pier. He was afforded an excellent view--of the palm trees that  lined said street. Nothing else.

  Eventually, I guess we aggravated them enough, and Byron and the other uniformed cops caught enough, that they'd go elsewhere. Most were from out-of-town.

  But, they always returned, like the Snowbirds who fed them.

  Thanks to Mike and Ray