" Nice work. Someone has to do the investigation and you can rest assured it won't be the law enforcement folks. All their training is a pure waste of time and money because it is almost never put to use for the average person's needs. Law enforcement personnel are more than happy to fill out the paperwork to cover their hind sides but that is about all. When it comes to burglary and other common crimes if you don't solve them yourself they won't get solved. Law enforcement doesn't get my respect because they favor keeping their talents if they have any, for the big crimes that get some real news coverage. Common crimes to common people don't count here in Napa and I can say that from my own experiences. On a side note, this is probably my last blog since I don't like the new rules for blogging by the Register. "

" I totally agree with "congratulations2U" about the law enforcement officials in Napa and about the Register's new blogging rules. First, I know of no one else in Napa who has ever gotten back stolen property. I sure haven't. Second, don't quit blogging just because we have to follow new rules. If you do that you take away your OWN freedom of speech. No, it will not be as anonymous, but it is still free and it is still there. You sound like a very intelligent person - continue to contribute, but there are so many ways you can say something and you seem to have very good control of the language. I would look forward to reading more of your blogs. You feel the way I do. "

" If there were enough cops to investigate every small property crime, we'd have nearly as many cops as citizens... I think they do a great job, considering their budget. Go ride along with some local cops and see what they do all day. They're definitely working hard. "

" they must be working hard at their second job at starbucks "

" What a bunch of cop haters. Try doing with out them and see how you like it. They have always been there for me when I needed them. I have a feeling you guys have a past with them. I'm with budget, go on a ride along or buy a scanner and see how busy they are. "

" Maybe you should go down to the police department and ask them how much "found" property they have stored there. Maybe one of your items might be down there. People need to be responsible for themselves. The police can't hold your hand. I have been a victim of theft and I got my stuff back. The reason I got it back is because I took the personal responsibility of writing down my serial numbers on my property and keeping that paper in my office. When the police took the report, I was able to give them that number. A couple months later, they arrested someone with a bunch of stolen property and one of the items came back to me (serial number). Don't blame the police. Blame tv shows like CSI who make people think that everyone's fingerprint and DNA is in the system. Not true. You can also thank CSI for making a more educated criminal who commits their crimes with gloves on. It's easy to judge when you have never walked a minute in someone's shoes. The police work very hard for the minimal staff they have. "

" Heaven forbid that police get a cup of coffee. Sre you not allowed to have a break or lunch time at your job? Maybe you should think about the fact that the police don't have regular work hours with regular breaks. When they are eating, they get sent to calls. They don't get to say, "sorry, can't got to that fight call cause I am on my lunch." So maybe next time you see them in Starbucks, think about that fact that their office is the front seat of the car, and they don't get to clock out for breaks. "

" Hey guys, be reasonable! Kudos to this citizen for solving his own crime, but if the cops were out looking for all of this 'petty crime' stuff there would be few of them to go around for other more serious issues and felons. The P.D. seem to be making a real effort on 'petty crime' and auto theft. These monthly reports and maps in the local paper of crime locations remind all of us to be wary and vigilant and give us a chance to help our own Police Dept. Unfortunately, there are just a LOT of thieves out there. It is hateful to be robbed, but thieves have been with us since the beginning of time, some people are just despicably dishonest. Have you ever thought how hard it is to be a cop? Dealing with the worst of society ALL the time; I would want a Starbucks pick me up too! "

" I grew up in Napa, and recently moved back from San Francisco. When I lived in SF for the past five years, I understood that the Police didn't care about property crime. I learned this personally when my car was stolen there. At least they were candid about it. There's a lot of homicide and violent crime to deal with there, after all. I personally recovered my car after I went online and found that my car was cited for a parking violation...a mile away. But NAPA???? Come on! You would think that a cop could poke his or her head over a wall. That's pretty elementary dear Watson. By the way, am I the only one who thinks the statement "...and spotted his some of stolen property" should have been corrected? Maybe this is the lesson for us Napans: cops and reporters should consider looking over their work more than once before making the final report. "

" Let's not forget the 4th amendment, which talks about search and seizure. The police have to abide by this pesky little document. And part of that responsibility is that if it isn't in plain view, they need a warrant. In other words, looking over a storage unit on private property would not constitute plain view. However, the same rules do not apply to the average citizen. We all want our privacy, maybe we should consider the fact that the cops didn't have enough information to get a warrant. "

" Good Point made 'Constitution' in your post about the snags obstructing the police in investigating many crimes. Laws made to protect citizens from over-zealous searches also stop many busts actually taking place, particularly regarding drugs and dealing. It would seem that in many cases the Police are dammned if they do and dammned if they don't. They can search me and my property any time they want, but then I am not a druggie or a thief so - no problem. "