Introduction:
This two-part series explores the crucial role played by criminal expertise in carjacking.
Specifically, this series describes the way an offender's perceptual skills (aimed at discerning the suitability of a carjacking target) and procedural skills (aimed at enacting the carjacking offense itself) relate to one another in a process emanating from the interacting characteristics of the vehicle, driver, environment, and offender. The core assumption analyzed is that carjacking requires considerable skill to identify an appropriate offense opportunity and carry out the same. This argument contradicts a prevailing notion within the criminological literature that offending is a largely unskilled enterprise. Drawing on ethnographic data both original and in previous research it will be demonstrated that this not to be the case.
Carjacking is unlike other violent street offenses in that occupied vehicles are uniquely mobile and seldom remain viable targets for long. A car is here one moment and gone the next. Typically, there is little or no time for deliberation; potential carjackers must quickly decide if and how to proceed or the chance will be lost. To be successful, the would-be carjackers has to rely on their perceptual and procedural expertise to recognize and seize inherently transient opportunities under extreme time pressure. How does that expertise express itself during a carjacking?
Carjacking, a complex crime that combines elements of theft and robbery, requires more than just physical prowess or daring. It demands a sophisticated set of skills for identifying the right targets under conditions of significant time pressure and uncertainty. This blog post delves into the essential perceptual expertise that carjackers employ to select their targets, drawing on insights from a comprehensive article that explores the intricacies of this violent street crime.
In this body of work we focus Perceptual Skills needed in the offenders toolbox to be successful, and in the next installment, we will focus on Procedural Skills.
The source documentation we use is older, but the data summarized is from then active offenders and outlines specific methodologies used then and now. In our analysis below we use actual interview excerpts from the then offenders.
Perceptual skills allow potential carjackers to rapidly assess whether a vehicle and its surroundings present a viable opportunity for crime. This involves evaluating the vehicle's condition, make, and model; predicting the likelihood of compliance or resistance, the driver's vulnerability; and environmental factors such as the level of seclusion, lighting, and the presence or absence of potential witnesses or police and the carjacker's own capabilities and limitations. and assessing the potential for quick escape routes that minimize the chance of apprehension.
This combination of quickly assessing both the target and the surroundings is critical to our notion of the refined perceptual skills needed to carry out an attack successfully. These skills are honed through experience and are crucial for identifying a target that can be successfully commandeered with the lowest risk of intervention or resistance.
At the heart of carjacking lies the criminal's ability to process a myriad of cues swiftly which often dictate the ease with which a carjacking can be initiated and completed. Contrary to the common perception that crime, including carjacking, is a largely unskilled enterprise, research demonstrates that successful carjackers exhibit a high level of expertise in both the selection (perceptual skills) and execution (procedural skills) of their crimes.
Targeting & Compliance:
Given that a would-be offender is motivated to carjack a vehicle, additional steps in the targeting process that come into consideration which are the potential vehicle’s value and disposability, i.e. the ease with which it can be sold. Additional risk associated with driver(s) previously outlined is the likelihood of resistance to the carjacker’s demands. Resistance has many manifestations, including everything from “freezing up” to screaming, speeding off, or shooting at the offender.
To increase the odds of compliance, carjackers purposefully target individuals perceived as unlikely to put up a fight. Some carjackers reportedly select victims on the basis of their physical appearance. The carjacker just quoted that they preferred victimizing females because “a male is considered "more" difficult to deal with in a jacking than a female, […] he going to want to scuffle”. Yet other carjackers report that women are less desirable targets because they are apt to scream; according to one offender, “Females they, they stupid. They, they resist. You know you got a whole gun big ole .44 in their face—and they just hollering. I want your money. I don’t want you to holler. … I did like two females and they acted the same way so I say man don’t fuck with the females”.
Carjackers also consider the victim’s age as a predictor of resistance. Kristy, a female offender, reasoned, younger woman, they going to give a pretty good fight. You pick an older woman and you don’t have to worry too much. And another offender selected a target basis on that person’s physical size: “I seen that little person I know he was little and he looked like he was scared […] He was puny … I knew I could have took it from him. … He was like skinny… He was just real little and looked like he was scared.
Other potential victims apparently have that inexpressible quality (to the offender) that deters trouble or attracts it. One offender said, “Sometimes you can judge a person. You can look at them and know that ain’t the one to mess with”. “You can actually look at a person and tell what kind of person you dealing with.” describing one of his victims as a “little punk. … He don’t know how to fight, he don’t know how to do nothing, … I said, ‘give me your car.’ He said, ‘all right,’ gave me his car … I punched him in the face and skirted off in his car”.
Perhaps these carjackers’ assessments were unconsciously based on the victims’ style. Victim selection may be based on a victim’s style combined with another demographic factor—race. In fact, many offenders hold stereotypical views and use this to their advantage.
The above descriptions of targeting by carjackers imply the use of perceptual skills; knowing which vehicles are appropriate to take and which drivers and situations will mitigate the potential for resistance or retaliation by a driver. In the above examples, there are a number of variables in the physical and social world that offenders must perceive and attend to before they can successfully initiate and carry out an offense. Many seasoned carjackers are able to identify a vehicle within moments of seeing it as “good for the taking.”
I can tell a car that’s a right car to take just by glancing at it. I got all kinds of things in my mind when I want a car. How much money I need. If someone want that kind of car. If there ain’t no cops, no witnesses. IF the car is driving fast or slow. If there’s a way for me to drive off where nobody can follow. But you know, I don’t think on all that. I don’t have to. I been doing this forever. I don’t to think on it. I just need to see that right car and that right situation. I’m on it in a slit second.
An Offenders Assessment:
And it was like magic. This car pulled the corner. It was like a blue Accord with a lady in it. Nobody else on the street. An old lady, middle-age lady. It was a just right lick, you know. Right car, right driver, right place, right time. I didn’t really think on it. That car turned the corner and I was like, Yes! That is the one. That is my ticket. That car was like, a turn-on for me. I saw that car and I saw heroin on four wheels, ha ha!
Viewing the target not simply as a car but rather as a car and driver was a perceptual skill exhibited by experienced carjackers. After all, the right car with the wrong driver (say, a tough customer instead of an elderly one) could prove to be disastrous as a target. One offender said: "I can tell by looking if that driver gonna be a problem. I been doing this for a while man and I know who a bitch is and who a hardcase is right off the bat.”
Conclusion
Understanding the perceptual expertise of carjackers sheds light on the complexity of criminal behavior in urban environments. It challenges the stereotype of offenders as impulsive and unskilled actors, revealing a layer of strategic calculation and skill that complicates the dynamics of crime. As we delve deeper into the nuances of criminal expertise, it becomes clear that addressing carjacking and similar crimes requires more than just heightened security measures; it demands an intricate understanding of the criminal mind and the development of equally sophisticated strategies for deterrence.
At VKIIOT we cannot stop a carjacker before the offense, but we can provide you aid after the carjacking by employing smart technologies to deliver SMS alerts even when your mobile phone is no longer in your possession. Within seconds all of your friends and family can be notified of the event and your location. Additionally we send out a vehicle GPS tracking link to your designated contacts so that they can forward it via SMS to the 911 centers for those centers that accept Text to 911.
The carjackers have perceptual skillsets, but we’ve got your back we have technology skillsets and even when things don’t seem to look good for you in the criminal mind, together we have the trap to turn the table and go on the offense. With VKIIOT we take you from the position of being the prey to being the predator, with tracking performed in under a minute.
Understanding the elements that make you a target for carjacking is the first step in bolstering your defense; the second, and perhaps most crucial, is equipping yourself with the right tools to respond effectively in the aftermath of such a harrowing experience. At VKIIOT, we extend beyond mere theoretical knowledge to offer practical and powerful solutions.
While preventing a carjacking altogether may be beyond our current capabilities, our commitment to aid and empower you in its wake is unwavering. By harnessing the power of smart technologies, VKIIOT is your steadfast ally, providing immediate support when you need it most. Imagine a system so responsive that, in the absence of your mobile phone, it can still send instant SMS alerts to your network of friends and family, informing them of the incident and transmitting your real-time location.
In those critical moments, not only is your circle of loved ones made aware, but they are also entrusted with a GPS tracking link of your vehicle. This pivotal information can be shared swiftly with emergency services, ensuring a prompt response. For the 911 centers equipped to handle Text to 911, this data becomes a lifeline, a direct line to potentially recovering what's yours.
Carjackers may possess the ability to swiftly assess a target, but rest assured, we have the technological prowess to outsmart them. With VKIIOT at your side, the tables are turned; the predator now becomes the prey and you are no longer a passive victim but an empowered individual with the means to act. Our advanced tracking initializes virtually instantly, shrinking the window of opportunity for the offender and maximizing your chances for a favorable outcome.
The journey from vulnerability to strength can be in the palm of your hands. To be part of this transformative experience, we invite you to sign up for our beta test page at VKIIOT. By participating, you become an integral part of a community that values safety, technology, and peace of mind. Join us as we pave the way for a future where the advantage is always in your hands.
Be an early adopter of this game-changing technology—take action, take control, and turn the tide on carjacking. Sign up for our beta today, and let VKIIOT be the guardian in your corner.
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