Solving for Smash and grabs?

Something that has been on my mind for the last week or so since Tom Emmer mentioned it on twitter, because when presented with a problem it turns in my head until a solution come to mind. But I digress.

Smash and grabs, seem to have grown in popularity due to the fact that, it’s an easy crime to commit. It Is Easy win two ways; one is it is simple, grab what you can and run out as fast as you can. There are no selecting targeted items or anything like that. It all has value, which is where the number two reason comes in. value, it would have no value if there was no place to sell the stolen goods. With that said I see two possible paths to solving this problem.

The first path to solving this problem, involving regulating web sellers such as amazon to force and or coerce them into implementing industry standers for online sales. It could be as simple as changing the way the packaging is for online sales, or as complicated as we would like to make it.

My first reaction was to just control the big guys such as amazon, but that would do little good as you knock one down 5 more places to sell will pop up. The net is too vast in that way, which means we would have to focus on what we can control, and not who we can control.

The second path I see is to implement disciplinary actions against individual actors, but in general I disagree with this type of action. Not because it doesn’t work, it does. But more so I dislike jailing people, it does little good for the individual and it cost me the taxpayer money to house, secure, and feed them. I would much rather see monetary, punishments with minimum jail time. As a monetary punishment would have the same effect of discouraging the bad behavior while having the effect of putting money in the pocket of the Taxpayer.

Odds are the solution is a combination of the two paths, but as of yet that is not for me to decide, as of now.