FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: It’s real easy to blame Tucson Police Department for the loss of Mr.Thompson’s truck and trailer, but the story is much deeper then that. Mr. Thompson was very much to blame for the theft himself, leaving your vehicle unlocked, unattended with the motor running is a crime waiting to happen. Furthermore, Mr. Thompson should be aware that “I-10 and 22nd Street” is a 30-minute drive from the Mexico border. You know, the border without a fence or any real security. Vans and trucks are stolen from that section of Tucson quite frequently, driven into Mexico, loaded up with drugs and people, then driven back into the USA. IMO Mr. Thompson is very lucky to get his truck back, and I hope that in the future he uses better judgement and is more aware of his surroundings. Due to the close proximity to the Mexico border, Southern Arizona leads the nation in car thefts. You should let your readers know this, and warn them to never leave the keys in the ignition and doors unlocked. Also, it’s a good idea to look for a hotel a bit off of the highway, as thieves/smugglers stake out the ones on I-10. Eric Balderston Former CCS Racer Tucson, Arizona Roadracingworld.com Editorial Note: Nobody blames the Tucson Police Department for the theft; their indifferent reaction to the theft and what could be seen as attempted murder or at least assault with a deadly weapon and their implication that Thompson was involved in drug trafficing and/or prostitution is what came into question, in addition to their public info officer hanging up on a reporter trying to give them a chance to comment on the controversy. A crime victim being a dumbass doesn’t make them less a victim. In our experience we have found that police officers often treat young guys differently than they treat, for example, middle-age guys, and we also have found that people who are not local and are traveling on the Interstate tend to not be up to speed on which parts of a city are closer or farther from the border. This just in from the Roadracing World phone message center: From a phone message left at 8:58 p.m. Friday, November 3: “This is Sgt. Mark Robinson of the Tucson Police Department. I am one of the Public Information Officers for the department and I am reading a story on Roadracing World and I will give you a comment on it. We did not hang up on anybody from Roadracing World, that is an inaccuracy.” Roadracingworld.com Editorial Note: We know when we’ve been hung up on, although the female officer we reached (after following P.D. phone system instructions on how to reach “a public information officer”), explained the situation to and asked for a comment was obviously not Robinson. Our request was followed by an audible “click,” several minutes of dead air, and then a dial tone. Immediately following that incident, we sent the following e-mails, at 4:48 p.m. and 5:16 p.m. November 3, respectively, to Sgt. Mike Hammarstrom of the Tucson Police Department and Andrew Greenhill of the Mayor’s office, and waited around the office for another hour for a response; other than the phone message left by Robinson four hours later, we were not contacted via phone or e-mail reply: Dear Sgt. Hammarstrom: We are seeking comment from your department regarding the theft of motorcycle road racer Ben Thompson’s truck and trailer at I-10 and 22nd St. this morning. The theft and our previous attempt to obtain comment is covered in a series of posts on our news website, as linked below. FYI Thompson is a well-known professional motorcycle road racer and he has regularly been covered by our website and our print magazine. John Ulrich Vice President, Editor ROADRACING WORLD PUBLISHING, Inc. Mr. Greenhill: Our efforts to get a comment from a police department spokesman regarding the carjacking of motorcycle racer Ben Thompson and his subsequent experience with the Tucson P.D. have encountered a dead end. ~https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=27541~ If anybody from the the city of Tucson wishes to comment, please contact me at 951-245-6411 or respond to this e-mail address. Thank you. John Ulrich Vice President, Editor ROADRACING WORLD PUBLISHING, Inc.