Rick at Hike Half Dome mentions getting a sticker on his window from the Fremont cops in the Mission Peak parking lot reminding him not to leave his windows open. He’d left a one-inch gap to let the heat escape. That’s all a crook needs, the cops told him.

Which brings to mind my encounter at Los Tranco Open Space Preserve awhile back, when a ranger from the open space authority was patrolling the parking lots, telling hikers not to leave any valuables in their cars because there had already been a couple break-ins that morning (I got there at 9 a.m.) and there had been a bunch more the day before. Who knew burglars had such an up-with-the-birds work ethic?

Los Trancos has a little knoll (grassy, no less) looking out over the parking lot — walking on it gave me fantasies of sitting up there with a rifle and scope and just picking off these twits. (Don’t worry, Criminal Window Smashing Scum of the Earth — I couldn’t hit a bus if I was sitting in the back seat — as I said, it was just a fantasy).

On another hike at Mission Peak, a volunteer patroller told me of almost comically negligent behavior among hikers that practically beg crooks to steal their stuff — leaving laptops on front seats, tossing wallets in the glove compartment, etc. BMW drivers seem to be the worst, I was told.

Car burglary is a small-potatoes crime — I’d hate to be in San Quentin on such a trivial rap; imagine one’s shame when surrounded by respectable murderers, rapists and heroin traffickers. Frankly, folks who do this for a living aren’t worth the expense of ammo required to shoot them.

Nevertheless, getting your windows broken and having to replace radios, laptops, PDAs, cellphones, wallets, credit cards, etc…, is a major hassle. Bottom line: leave your valuables at home, take your wallet with you, don’t assume things locked in your trunk are safe.

And keep your Charles Bronson fantasies to yourself. There’s no death penalty for car burglary, though I admit it seems there ought to be an ass-whooping one.