Lyndon Area Business Association

Hello everyone,
I was in a recent online conversation about whether crime rates were rising
in general across the country. This is a post in that discussion from a
detective in an un-named police force.

Bob 

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I am a police investigator currently and I investigate a lot of burglaries
and thefts. Here's some of my observations. This is based on investigations
and interviews with suspects.

Stealing is DEFINATELY up over past years in my area. I'm not sure about
YOUR area but every other officer that I know in other jurisdictions are
also telling me the same thing.

Stealing from big stores is way up. Lots of pushout thefts from places like
Walmart. Usually electronics and other high dollar items. Many stores have
responded by adding LOTS of cameras. Helps us solve the crimes but it's not
stopping it.

Fraud is WAY up. In particular, check fraud. Latest scam is to steal
outgoing mail out of homeowners' mailboxes. They then steal the checks from
the mail. The crooks then either print new checks or they wash the
handwritten ink off the checks and re-write them at big box stores...usually
for electronics and such. FYI, using gel ink pens make it nearly impossible
to wash the ink off your checks. I will not go into detail on a public forum
on how to print or wash checks but believe me....it's easy. Quick solution
for you.....NEVER place outgoing mail in your mailbox. ALWAYS mail it at a
post office. Also, if you work retail or own a retail business, ALWAYS ask
for ID and tell the customer to TAKE THE ID OUT. Most of these thieves are
using pretty crappy fake IDs to pass checks and they do NOT want to remove
the ID from their wallet. Once you ask them to remove it, they usually leave
without buying anything.

Seems common sense but LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS!! House, car, garage. In
MOST burglaries, the suspect doesn't force entry. Most thieves are cowards
and do NOT want to make noise or attract attention. They usually enter
through unlocked doors or open/unlocked windows. Securing your stuff will
stop MOST burglars. We have "car hoppers" in my area. They walk around at
night trying doors. When they find unlocked doors, they open them and
rummage through the vehicle looking for stuff to steal. It's not uncommon to
find 10-20 cars hit in a neighborhood in one night. Usually petty theft.

If you have a garage full of junk, clean it out and park your vehicle inside
(only in America we store cheap junk inside our garages and we park
expensive cars outside!!). Vehicles outside are frequently targeted for
thefts and if they are secured inside, they are MUCH less likely to be
targeted.

Speaking of vehicles, don't bother to put a nice stereo inside your vehicle.
Stick to the factory stereo. Aftermarket stereos are the #1 target of
thieves stealing from vehicles. Putting a nice stereo inside your vehicle is
a surefire way to get unwanted attention to your vehicle. Also, most thieves
can get your stereo out in less than 1 min. So, it's very unlikely that the
police or you will catch them in the act. They almost always do even more
damage than the cost of the stereo when they steal it. Save yourself the
hassle and settle for the factory stereo. There is a good market for stolen
aftermarket stereos but no market for factory stereos.

Always remember that you can't stop thieves. Thieves are by nature, lazy.
Make your house harder to steal from than your neighbor's house, and the
thieves will move on to easier pickings.

MOST burglaries are committed by someone the victim knows. Screen your
friends and know them. Make friends carefully.

Everyone thinks that meth users are the biggest thieves. They are big
thieves but there is one type of drug abuser that is a bigger thief than
meth users. Prescription med users are hands down, the biggest thieves that
the police deal with. WAY more than meth users. Prescription drug abuse is
WAY up and getting MUCH MUCH MUCH worse. There is nothing on the horizon at
the moment that will slow the rapid rise of prescription drug addicts. Meth
users are stigmatized to some extent and are viewed as poor and lacking in
education....largely true too. Pills abusers cross ALL levels of economic
status (but if they don't get help they all end up broke!). If you have a
pill abuser in your family, friend, or neighbor, no matter how nice that
person is or was, that person IS a thief....without a doubt. You cannot
support a pill habit without stealing. $100-400 PER DAY in drug costs is
common. You can't support that kind of habit without stealing.

Speaking of pill abusers. If you have prescription pills that are in high
demand by addicts, NEVER NEVER NEVER tell anyone that you have them. A pill
abuser will ignore ALL security features of your house and may break in
knowing FULL WELL that you have cameras and will catch them. They don't
care. They will do ANYTHING to support their habit. NEVER trust a pill
abuser.

Good luck and keep your stuff and, more importantly, your family safe.

Thank you for posting this.  You are a diligent and conscientious Block Captain and an asset to the community.  You should run for the Bellemeade City Commission next election and mayor the election after that.  Those are personal comments, but I think everyone should be aware of your interest and efforts in and for Bellemeade because a great number of people benfit from the things you do.

Thanks to both of you fine gentlemen. 

I was reading through the old posts on here looking for a comment that out illustrious mayor once made that has proven to be totally erroneous when I ran across this one.  In the presence of the recent activity in and near our neighborhood and the valiant effort of a dozen of our neighbors to rejuvenate Neighborhood Watch, I thought this post by Mr. Bob Ellliott, who should be our mayor, should be pushed to the top of the list to remind us of some simple things we should do to stay safe (is that a long sentence or is that a long sentence!).