Petty Crime in your area

In the small rural town I live in, everybody knows everybody. And we all know the drug dealers. Our town has almost disappeared . A ghost town you might say. The sad part is the cops are involved with all kinds of activity. They pick up a pill whore, offer them drugs for sexual favors, do drug busts and keep the drugs for themselves. And if you need the police don't bother calling them. You might as well take care of the matter yourself. And 911 is a joke, a woman that lives in town was having a stroke and her husband called for an ambulance and they told him that they didn't know when an ambulance would get to her, that he would have to drive her himself!

Murders have started to become frequent, that's the scary part. Soon we will have to have bars on our windows a dog that bites anything that moves, security cameras , fences. Sad time we live in. And we haven't seen anything yet.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Not trying to argue but I'm also allowed an opinion.

Yes, you are. You expressed yours. I expressed mine. You then chose to debate my opinion for some reason that wasn’t even germane you your point or mine.

I’m sure you’re much more familiar with crime trends, data, and statistics than I am though, so I’ll bow out.

I'm about an hour north of Grand Rapids and naturally more crimes are happening as you get closer to the city. I'm also about an hour east of Muskegon that has a fairly high crime rate. I'm only about 6 miles from the main highway just off the exit road. There should be more crime around here where I am it would seem.

Now the small town on that highway exit, I call it Sin City. A tiny village really, but there have been a few murders (I knew one guy personally), a drive by shooting and the bank was robbed twice. I used to drive a friend to his job at the town bar, so I was a regular there for awhile. A lot of stuff happened at that bar, but never when I was there. I've never had anything stolen from a car in Sin City, so I don't lock my vehicle while I'm there.

There is a trailer park and a few streets of trashy neighborhood a couple miles away. Stuff get stolen from porches and garages around there, but I never had a problem visiting people I know around there either.

Most that has been happening to me personally is someone has been stealing mail. So now I'm looking into some trail cams to catch the scumbag.

I'd say what petty crimes do occur near me are committed mostly by low income locals who are either just really poor or who are meth addicts, opioid addicts or alcoholic bums.

a reply to: Sheye

Where are there farmers that can't protect themselves without guns? California, obviously, but are there other places?

It's inconceivable to me. My grandfather was a farmer in Nebraska, and his gun was as much a part of the farm as his tractor. (coyotes vs. livestock)

a reply to: drussell41

I live in Canada

a reply to: JAGStorm

It's odd. Crime stats show that property crimes are are down in my city. Violent crimes are level. Time frame is 1999-2016. However, on my neighborhood newswatch kind of thing, more people are reporting thefts and really strange things....like people sleeping under their backyard deck. Said sleeper was pulled out by a German Shepherd Dog. I had my first home invasion attempt. I wonder if the stats are being fudged or if this is just an unlucky neighborhood.

I really hope we don't have to get a dog. We love them and have had a Schutzhund dog in the past, but (1) our cats are insane....not a good cat crew at the present time....and (2) we'd have to take out a home loan to put in a door into the backyard, basically replacing a wall of windows. Having to take a dog outside to potty every single time (versus just opening a door) is a nonstarter. However, I'm pretty sure it will happen if we find someone in our backyard. Someone keeps going back there. We thought it was a latch failing, but then we put on a good one.....and it was opened. Whoever did it, did so between 1 and 5 PM. Pretty brazen. A padlock is next but it doesn't address the threat of someone creeping around our property. Like, why? Something to steal? Place to sleep? Just general creepiness? Casing everything for future personal crime?

Sorry if this is disjointed. I've been sick for over a week. No real food for nine days isn't great for mental acuity.....or functioning of any kind.

originally posted by: Sheye
a reply to: drussell41

I live in Canada

No kidding? Your farmers can't have weapons to defend themselves against wildlife up there? Your wildlife can be much worse than that found in Nebraska.

Holy crap.

Wait. Can they shoot bear, moose, wolves, etc., but just not humans who would kill them? Or is everything allowed to attack and kill rural families in Canada?

Color me Not Impressed. Pretty sad situation.

originally posted by: drussell41

originally posted by: Sheye
a reply to: drussell41

I live in Canada

No kidding? Your farmers can't have weapons to defend themselves against wildlife up there? Your wildlife can be much worse than that found in Nebraska.

Holy crap.

They can have guns for wildlife but you can’t shoot it at a human intruder.

originally posted by: Sheye

originally posted by: drussell41

originally posted by: Sheye
a reply to: drussell41

I live in Canada

No kidding? Your farmers can't have weapons to defend themselves against wildlife up there? Your wildlife can be much worse than that found in Nebraska.

Holy crap.

They can have guns for wildlife but you can’t shoot it at a human intruder.

That's pretty screwed up. A human can kill you in ways that makes an animal attack look kind in comparison.

a reply to: JAGStorm

One thing that was a wake-up for me was how much crime a single family can cause.

The neighborhood I'm in is quiet, but for a period of years there was a family for whom the family enterprise was crime of various kinds. Home and vehicle break-ins all over the neighborhood. Police would do nothing even when it was clear that stolen items were sitting in the yard of this family. Then the sons got more ambitious and involved in gang and drug activity. That led to disputes with other gangs; one of the sons was left in a disabled state after a beating.

A couple of years later, the mother in the family passed away and apparently the second son moved away. Neighborhood has been very quiet since then. Apparently, all it took was a couple of bad apples.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Neighborhood has been very quiet since then. Apparently, all it took was a couple of bad apples.

You make a good point. I think that most petty crimes happen within a radius of one to maybe three miles of where the criminal lives. There are the few usual suspects in most of these cases.

a reply to: Macenroe82

It’s gotten so bad that today in the paper, the paramedics are asking for body armour when having to deal with the low lives.

Well that is pretty sad and scary at the same time. When it gets to that point, they are no longer just paramedics are they.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

I hate to be the one that sounds elitist, because wealthy people are not free of corruption, and their crimes can have much greater impacts on our society and communities, than any petty thug, but I too have seen an increase in crime in my area with the influx of city dwellers.

I moved out here into the woods twenty years ago when the closet paved road was at least twenty miles away. I still live on a 5 mile dirt road, that looks more like a widened cow pasture than a road. With the increase in the number of paved roads, came an increase in the number of people that have no love for the rural lifestyle, and with them have come an increase in the number of crimes. Most of them are petty thefts and vandalism. A couple of years ago when it became obvious we a had a problem that was new and increasing, a little investigative work revealed that we had four halfway houses that had been set up in our area.

Now this to me is the result of people with zero critical thinking skills. One of the first sayings I remember coming out of my grandmother's mouth is, "Idle hands are the devil's playground." So some bureaucrat thought it was a good idea to house a bunch of young thugs in a rural community where there isn't even reliable taxi service, and closest Mall is 45 minutes out, drive time. What the hell do they think they are going to do. I can assure you that they were not interested in gardening, not even the illegal stuff, anything that involves work is an anathema to them.

Again, I am not saying that children from middle income or wealthy families don't commit crimes. The biggest difference is that you can eventually find them and hold their parents responsible, at least financially. When the low income thugs take over, the police seem to show little interest in finding the culprits, and you can forget about restitution.

Yes, I believe it is a sign of the times. Not necessarily because of finances, but because most people have given up on the present generation. They have no expectations for themselves and society has led them to believe that the only thing that matters is what makes them happy for the moment.

I am a Baby Boomer. I was taught from the age of eight, "if you want something, you have to work for it". Baby Boomers taught their children, "If you want something, you have to ask for it". This generation's parents, taught them that they don't even have to ask or dream for anything, because everything the previous generation ever wanted or dreamed of having, will just be handed to them.

Now look at the fine mess we have gotten ourselves into.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

A couple of years ago when it became obvious we a had a problem that was new and increasing, a little investigative work revealed that we had four halfway houses that had been set up in our area.

Chicago tried that experiment. They moved people out of the housing projects (Cabrini Green)
and integrated them into regular neighborhoods. I'm sure for some it's been successful, for others
all it has done is spread the crime to a wider area.


abc7chicago.com...

a reply to: LiquidCrystalz

I can relate to what you just wrote , But i am shocked at how easy American people just roll over and allow this to happen in
their hoods , I would never suggest following the cops home at the end of the shift to find out where they stay or getting to the local postman/woman for info and scaring them with a little note ditto with the crims they have to sleep somewhere , balaclavas and baseball bats are cheap on Amazon or Ebay and try and prove anything in court with a balaclava on [wink ]

Do not lick the letter or get the dog to do it either as DNA but if the policeman wife were to get a letter about what hubby is up to with ladies of the night ,well what goes round and all that .

I live somewhere quiet and small also in the UK ,Yes we do have petty crime , shoplifting and minor things but people kick back if someone they know gets burgled or hurt in any way , some joker moved in few doors away and had visitors that stood out as not local and before you know it heavily armed cops were at his door and he got busted as a safe house in what we call county lines drug dealing and it was a blast to watch Brit cops all tooled up like it was a shoot them up kids game yet my other neighbor 2 doors away sells MJ nobody cares or bats a eye lid at the steady stream of folk because it does not bring crime like hard drugs do .

Cause chaos with a tin of spray paint in noticeable places late one night xxxxx is a grass , Frighten your local governor and police chief from afar , they have weaknesses just like anyone else , the kids and wife failing that just get a few nutters drunk and go with the petrol bombs and you will have a quiet orderly life again

a reply to: JAGStorm

I have no problem with assisting folk that "want" to do better and are willing to make the sacrifices and to do the work. I have always been one of those people that liked a challenge and didn't settle for what the "world" said should be my oyster.

I have seen people start with nothing, rise out of the pit and shake off their chains. The guy that maintains my water system started out twenty years ago working for a guy that did not want a customer base so far off grid. He said that he could do ten systems in the time it took to come out to do just my single system. So he took on the homes that were rejected by his company and worked after hours and weekends to service our homes.

I don't have to tell you what happened, but he now has three trucks, a store, and six people he is now providing jobs for. I try to spend my money, even if I have to pay more, to support people like him, and small Mom and Pop businesses, that provide for a thriving hometown community.

There are a surprising number of families that have fostered and adopted orphans and children from broken homes and lives. We have three of the best MOPs programs you could ask for. Moms of Pre-schoolers provide mothers some down time, and provides them with support, emotionally, physically, and financially. There is no way to describe the feeling you get when you walk about town and have a child run up to you, wrapping their arms around your legs, squealing because they are so happy to see you, and realize it is one of the children that you helped care for, back when they were so young they couldn't even walk.

People deserve a chance to do better, but a chance means helping them plant and grow, it doesn't mean you cage them and feed them. One produces a garden, the other produces a junk heap. Just my opinion.

a reply to: [post=24741866]stonerwilliam[/post


Its hard to fight a corrupt system. You can't win.

a reply to: LiquidCrystalz

Depends on which nutter you have playing the game for you , a score draw in those circumstances is a fair result to achieve all things considered .

When their kids come home from school asking awkward questions , Like are you a bent cop daddy or the other half starts asking questions about mail they got in the post from Anon or a Facebook page were to pop up with videos all done behind a good vpn it would make people question things .

As you can tell i am one of those people in life that sometimes does not play nice of rubbed up the wrong way ,But i am good at achieving a objective no matter what it is , and sometimes you have to play dirty to get clean

a reply to: stonerwilliam

Dude........... I would not want to get on your bad side!

originally posted by: Sheye

originally posted by: drussell41

originally posted by: Sheye
a reply to: drussell41

I live in Canada

No kidding? Your farmers can't have weapons to defend themselves against wildlife up there? Your wildlife can be much worse than that found in Nebraska.

Holy crap.

They can have guns for wildlife but you can’t shoot it at a human intruder.

I live in Canada too. On a farm.

I'll be judged by 12 before I'm carried by 6. Period. Law or not...