In SF they would be taken quickly by the homeless for parts, probably the batteries most of all. That and rummaged through for drugs, or repurposed to deliver drugs.
You can communicate like this and have it be effective if you have an established good relationship with the recipient. That’s why team cohesiveness is important.
Context of whom you are communicating with is also important. That’s the trade off of approaches like these rules. In some situations they are fine. In others not so much.