[P95Carry]

Reviewing the ''1-10'' poll thread I did, where folks voted http://www.combatcarry.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=6580 (and thx to all) on their perceived risk factor - I got to thinking.

While it seems the 3 or 4 zone scored highest I was very aware of how many folks commented on how their area had ''gone down''. Either due to increased development and/or, because of drug oriented stuff moving in. Plenty of votes were higher too.

This is a worrying trend and I almost feel guilty compared to some because I am lucky enough to be well away from much of that.

I do have meth labs in the area - broadly - I do have knowledge of some fairly unpleasant events at times but hey - it is as nothing compared to some. All that and I rant on about my dedication to carry!!

However, it still does not change the fact as I said before - that frequency of ''events'' is not everything. Things can happen - period.

It is no wonder that we do elect to carry - but for some I have the feeling that if they didn't, they'd be walking a greater daily tightrope. That too making the lack of CCW uptake in such areas seem little short of crazy.

So - what may we see as the answers? OK, we here have a means of self defence but still have no wish to employ such ''just for kicks". We cannot go out and ''clean up the neighborhood''! LE is in most cases over-stretched beyond what is really acceptable (1:1700 - is that the ratio of LE to folks?).

How do you all see this, another say 5 years down the line? Some areas seem to be in almost exponential decline. Any remedies at all?

 

[rwojcik]

We are all at an disadvantage as we are not LEO's and at best are to just report any degredation of our neighborhoods. We are seeing the effects of urban sprawl outward from the inner-cities and as such the influx of the criminal minds. My old adage is that there would be no crime if we were all to live where no others did.

 

[Fjolnirsson]

How do you all see this, another say 5 years down the line? Some areas seem to be in almost exponential decline. Any remedies at all?

No doubt some will think me a "crazy cowboy", or feel that I'm "looking to shoot someone", but here's what I've done, and it works.
Get involved in stuff. Don't walk away. Be nosy, when people are in your neighborhood who don't belong there. Don't back down from the punks, don't allow them to take away your quiet neighborhood, and if they have, take it back! Start a neighborhood watch, call the cops, confront people who are doing wrong, before the real bad ones show up! It's a slow slide, a bad neighborhood doesn't just happen. You have to allow it to happen. Don't "mind your own business". If it affects your quality of life, it is your business! That little voice that says to you,"somethin' ain't right" is telling the truth!
Some here have read about where I used to live. It was tough, because the source of all the neighborhood trouble was one man, three doors down from me. He owned his house outright, and was in jail when we bought there, or we wouldn't have. Long story short, a piece of scum. We tried to ignore it, tried to go along to get along. We learned from that, don't do it. Fight. We solved the problem, just before we left the state. Got him sent to prison on a third strike.

I know the cars that belong in my neighborhood. I know the every day passers by, and I know the druggies. Some of the druggies don't bother anyone, and they don't conduct their business on the street or in the park nearby. I leave those guys alone. Others get the cops called on them whenever they meet up with someone, lots of times they go to jail when the cops arrive. If someone looks like they're casing a house, step out and ask if you can help them. It lets them know people are watching. Criminals are opportunists, if you make the job difficult, they don't want it. Like lions, they take the weakest in the herd, farthest from help, whatever. Do the obvious, security lights, car alarms, etc. Make your presence known. I walk the park every day I have a chance, with my 130 lb Great Dane by my side. The two of us get noticed. When I see something out of place at the park, I call the appropriate authorities, be it cops or public works. I have the phone numbers of every home owner on my block taped to my fridge, in case I need to reach them.
When I arrived here, it was a quiet, peaceful neighborhood. When summer came, things started getting rowdier, and we decided that wasn't gonna happen. Kids want to hand out in the parking lot of the city park after curfew, I don't care. If they play their music too loud, or start cursing and littering, I ask them once to stop. Twice gets the cops called. If I see that group again, I call the cops. Anything suspicious in the neighborhood, I'm on the phone, and my wife is the same. The whole block keeps an eye on each others houses. We aren't peering in each others windows, but if you hear a car outside, it doesn't hurt to see who it is.
Be a good neighbor.

 

[Gelicious]

Chris, your absolutly correct! Its pretty sad. Our little city of Bend used to be a 50k population of mostly buisnness owners and skiers here for the season, but now its a 80k population town that mostly consists of people trying to life in this part of oregon because its beautiful. But with more population comes more crime. Latley we have seen crime increase about 40% over last year, JUST IN JANUARY. there are a ton of robberys and holdups. We have LEO's but they cant be everywhere all the time.. But one thing i dont like is, If someone were to hold up a bank on the north end of town, then at the same time I bet you could rob 50 stores on the south end of town and not get caught. When something big happends in this town ALL the LEO's are there... leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselfs!

 

[rocky]

towns and cities increase population and , more folks = more crime. Just had a armed standoff up here. Domestic dispute turned into a standoff for 3 hours. The longer I live here , the worse I expect it will get.

 

[vzwnnj]

Unfortunately, the more people in an area, the more crime. Im not sure if thats just a mathmatical reality (same percentage of BGs to GGs but you hear more about crime) or if a larger population just draws more BGs (more targets?). All you can do is prepare and be aware

 

[NevJohn]

My wife is so paranoid that if I confront whomever is causing a problem, that they will come back and do either damage to us or our property. Most are "punks" (wannabe-teens), if you get my drift. This neighborhood is use to be all "WASP", but more and more minorities are coming in. Granted, they arent the "low-income" families, but alot of them bring the "whole family" with them from the old country, and in a single home, you might have 3-4 families living, with all the little "rugrats" around, plus the "punks".
I have started see "Tagging" here now, which is not a good sign. Someone even "tagged" a motorhome around the block with gang graffiti. We're pretty sure we know who it is, just gotta catch them, as the LEO's wont spend anytime on it, as it is not a priority.

My 2 cents worth..

John

 

[QKShooter]

Increase In Crime

Small time crime has increased in my area. Shoplifting...breaking into cars...some purse snatching (which has since stopped)
My area (in general) is very safe. Kids goofing around at night. I'm SURE drug use has increased because it has everywhere. That has increased the # of domestic incidents.
Recently we have had a few homes broken into at night but, some folks here still don't lock their doors & windows at night. :blink: Idiots!
The last murder here was 50 years ago though.
We did have a bank robbery here some years ago. Whoa!...that was big news.
We have had some intimidation type demands for $$$ that were non violent but, I'm sure things will get worse eventually.
I do not let an increase in crime affect my life routine. I am (of course) always more careful.
None of us should let the criminals win.
If they prevent you from living your life as a free American citizen...then they have won.
Be careful ~ Stay Aware ~ Be Prepared...but, don't let the criminals rob you of your life...or the enjoyment of it because then YOU are the prisoner.

 

[Wayne]

My problem, as said before, is that the meth heads (most transients) moved into the house across the street after the main person (he was a shady char. but he was honest and kept people out of the neighborhood) died and the ex-wife moved in her druggie boyfriend and he allowed the other druggies to set up.

As Fjolnirsson has mentioned, I am the one that decided to get involved, not only with them but one of their main sources (busted 6 times on felony drug charges but still out and about) who owns a "junk store" which I wouldn't doubt is 99% stolen goods. But as another has mentioned I am having the stress of doing so because I have to watch my back 24/7 and I have no doubt that they will try to damage my property, up to and including burning down the house. I don't care about my property but my dog and cat are in the house when I am at work.

I have called the police but as mentioned before, they are strenched thin due to the incompetence of the city/state governments when it comes to funding. I have a direct contact at the Sheriffs Department with radio number but again, it's just to come and take a report and add it to the reports that I've already made.

Most of the reasons why the crime rates are going up is due to the Lane County city hall actually published crimes that they WILL NOT presecute, property crime being one of them. Now the transients and thieves know that if caught, no big deal so they basically have the go ahead from the government to steal as much as they want.

The other big reason is the meth problem. Sure, our governor "shut down" the small labs but now MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia are bringing up the stuff from the Mexican super labs and the stuff is more pure (addictive) then the small lab stuff. So of course this brings in the gangs. And since the meth is more addictive, the people (mostly transients) are getting bolder and bolder at assaults, breaking and entering, etc.. And the county won't do a dang thing about it.

Also, in Oregon we cannot use lethal force in the protection of property and we do have a duty to retreat. So if you see someone on your property, breaking into your car, you can only call 911 and watch.

The Deputy that I've been dealing with has been cruising the road more freq. and the druggies know it so they won't do anything until they stop (which if nothing happens then they will patrol another area more freq.). They also do most of their "stuff" at night as I watch cars and trucks come and go. I don't know if the Deputies patrol that much at night (I'm working with a dayshift Deputy) but they can't do anything anyway that I know of.

What can be done? Well, just doing what Fjolnirsson had mentioned and then put up with the stress of worrying about what they may do to retaliate, nothing much. You can call the LEO's and make reports on stolen goods, suspious activity, etc.. and then when the word gets back to them (and it does) then you just have to take the stress and hope that they mess up sooner rather than later and end up back in prison.

Wayne

 

[artz]

I left a beautiful part of the country with very little crime in a town of 25K in the desert. It is a pro-gun town and its people are a tightly knit group. Ever since I moved back to help my mother, I can truthfully say its been horrible. PEOPLE,PEOPLE and more PEOPLE ! Let me explain....Metro Atlanta is under 30 minutes away. The next town 5 miles north is preparing to build up to 2500 plus homes. This town has never had more than 3K people in it when I was a kid.
The town 3 miles south has a 30K population and is starting to get larger also. Its a big industrial town. More and more industry is moving to mexico leaving people unemployed and trash is moving in to try to help themselves to whatever crime is available. Meth labs are everywhere it seems. Crime is very rapid. My cousin (the corr. officer) tells me all the good stuff that you never read in the daily rag)
I don't like it one bit...when mom passes on and things are where I'd like them to be. I believe it could be hi-time to haul butt back out to the west.... to west Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah.....some small town somewhere where the majority of the populace thinks its basically unhabitable and life is so much slower, but still gun friendly.
I ain't gonna cry over this situation, I'm just gonna prepare for it. Thats all I can do.... God bless us all

 

[gregarat]

So - what may we see as the answers?

I take time to socialize with my neighbors. We keep each other informed about any signs of trouble, and help each other if needed. I like the idea of a community, instead of lots of strangers living in one area.

 

[blacksan]

I honestly believe most people simply are blind to just how much crime occurs in there given area. In general, the local media only reports a small percentage of activity. I am always floored when some good citizen comments on how shocking a particular crime was to them when they read the morning headlines.

My particular area has roughly 12 active gangs, occasional murders, rapes, armed robberies, B&E's, home invasions and was in the not to distant past a major distribution point for Crystal Meth on the east coast. We are rural for the most part, but have a major roadway (I-81) that cuts through the valley increasing population at a fluctuating rate which in turn statistically increases crime along the corridor.

 

[joromu]

Population Growth

I agree that the popluation growth brings with it many problems. We live in the area of the two largest casino's in the world. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, both which are Indian owned. In the last 10 to 12 years this area has been overwhelmed with population from all over the world. These casinos travel to Asia, South America and Europe to bring in help. Crime has risen dramatically, housing is very scarce which has pushed the prices out of sight and are the reason many of the casino workers, especially the Asians, are living with 15, 20 or, in some cases, more in one house. All the emergency services, police, hospital, and all emergency personnel are stretched to their limits. chools are bulging at the seems and are in need of special teachers to teach English to the children of all the foreign workers. This is a small town area and we are finding more crime as things get more populated. I carry now but would never have considered it before the surge in population. Not only do the employees come from everwhere but also the customers. The drugs, assaults, etc. come right in along with them. The people who were brought up, schooled and work in this area are finding out that crime is not only in the big cities anymore it is these small town areas also. Be vigilant and don't be afraid to ask questions of people who seem to be out of place in your neighborhood. Neighborhood watch works!!!

 

[Wayne]

Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to give an interesting website. I don't know how well it will work for each individual person:

http://www.incidentlog.com/lookup.pl

Wayne

 

[P95Carry]

Tried that Wayne but zero results, even for Pittsburgh PA - does it do good for you?

 

[Wayne]

Well, I'll be stumped Chris. You're right. It works for me just fine for my city, state but I just tried some common cities that I've lived and it doesn't work.

Sorry about that, thought it was a great resource and didn't realize that it was flawed.

Wayne

 

[P95Carry]

Well - it sure looks mega useful but strange then it should have seemingly big gaps.

I may try a few other samples later to see.

 

[Bryan]

Many factors are putting a suck on LEs recrutement. Such as the many factors that are draining our economy, higher military retention, and some negative police perception. Things will only get worse on the LE side. Hopefully we can hold our own on our side. I hope there will not be a liberal democrat backlash next election.

 

[DarthMuffin]

Maybe I'm in the minority in that my neighborhood is actually getting *better*. It's an older part of town largely filled with big, beautiful Craftsman (aka Mission) style houses. Starting in the Great Depression through the 50's most of these were divided up into appartments. Now people are buying them back and turning them back into single family dwellings and restoring them. I got a good deal on ours. Since it was a 5-unit you had to get a commercial loan to buy it. I talked the seller into removing one door so we could call it a 4 unit. Now it's one main house and we still rent out the basement because we just don't need THAT much room.

There were a few incidents when we first got here--knifing tires, graffiti, and the crazy druggy lady who burst in demanding to know where her husband was and she knew my wife was fooling around with him. We were just moving in THAT DAY, the house was wide open due to people coming and going and I had a half-dozen friends out back enjoying beers and hamburgers. If she had not been half-dressed and very skinny (so she was obviously unarmed), and had my guns not have still been packed, it could have been messy. We've had no more incidents and the neighborhood has been quiet and enjoyable for a few years now.


The problem druggie house across the street finally got sold to a landlord who gives a rip and who's renter screening is more than holding a mirror under their nose to see if it fogs. A meth house 2 blocks away was busted and has since been beautifully restored. So I've got high hopes...

 

[P95Carry]

Darth - what a pleasure to read what you had to say - there may be hope yet! :smile: