BILLINGS — Sean Osborne, the owner of Keep It Alive Collectibles, continues to deal with the impact of being one of six people who had $13,000 of pop-culture paraphernalia stolen from Billings Hotel and Convention Center during Silverstorm's Pop-Culture Con.
“I really haven’t heard from any of the detectives yet or the hotel hasn’t reached out," said Osborne.
Following MTN's story from late last month, Billings Police Department Senior Det. Jeff Chartier reached out, wondering why said incident stood out to our news team.
“Why is this a news item when (theft is) just endless? Every day people are getting ripped off," said Chartier.
He said theft is Billings' most prolific crime among its 54,000 total incidents this year as of Tuesday, noting that two suspects had been apprehended by the time MTN's initial story was published.
"It’s happening right now. While we’re talking, somewhere, probably within eyesight of us, someone is stealing something," said Chartier.
Trending among incidents of theft, he and Osborne said they've noticed Legos and Pokemon items are frequently "boosted."
“People want to vilify certain neighborhoods," said Chartier. "Well, theft is everywhere.”
Some novelty brands, Lego in particular, are thought to be better investments than gold, art, and financial securities, according to one study.
“They’re serial thieves," said Chartier, "This is what they’re doing every day, seven days a week, day in, day out.”
He said he believes what will be 100,000 total incidents by the end of the year will be the result of what he called a "broken window" concept, meaning relatively minor crimes like theft, without penalties by the criminal justice system, will lead to more severe crimes like assault and murder.
“The public is going to have to make a decision to put up the money to build the jail," said Chartier, who believes the overcrowding of Yellowstone County Detention Facility is the root cause of criminal lifestyles.
He said criminals are often not appropriately penalized with time in jail for theft because murders and sex crimes are prioritized.
"A short-term, temporary facility will be (snaps fingers) filled up like that," said Chartier, "and I can tell you, the number one thing that’s gonna fill it up immediately ... is going to be theft and outstanding arrest warrants.”
Often, not having a place to house thieves leads to a forced release and a "slap on the wrist," making those who commit crimes feel as though they will not be punished, according to Chartier.
