Crime report (San Antonio, Anton, Lake City: houses, neighborhoods, taxes)

[elnina]

The FBI has released their annual crime report and the news isn't pretty for San Antonio.

Home break-ins top crime in San Antonio | News - Home

Tips to protect your home from burglaries, break-ins | News - Home

[rynetwo]

I wouldn't say its that bad but yea the city needs to figure out how to curb theft and burglaries.

If someone has a single family home it's SOOO easy to have/buy a security system and it's very worth it IMO.

[StacieDee]

I agree, having a security system for you and your family is a good idea! There are also other ways to stay safe on the home front. After researching many different sites geared towards (home) safety awareness we decided to try a few of the ideas out and they seem to be working great! First, we placed our spare key on our doggie (very large and intimidating dog), then we purchased light timers to simulate someone watching t.v. and the home being occupied. These are just a few of the tips I've picked up by researching the web. There are so many sights dedicated to home safety, you just have to look

[teenwolf80]

Originally Posted by elnina

The FBI has released their annual crime report and the news isn't pretty for San Antonio.

Home break-ins top crime in San Antonio | News - Home

Tips to protect your home from burglaries, break-ins | News - Home

Leave it to KSAT to focus squarely on the scary and negative aspect of the new report.

Also, I'm sorry, but this post (that I quoted) and the title of the thread are both overly sensational.

[The Man in SATX]

Originally Posted by teenwolf80

Leave it to KSAT to focus squarely on the scary and negative aspect of the new report.

Also, I'm sorry, but this post (that I quoted) and the title of the thread are both overly sensational.

Not sure why you made this comment as I don't see where KSAT 12 over sensationalized this report. It plainly states that robberies in homes have gone up. And according to someone they have. I also did not realize there was a positive aspect to having your house broken into. If you know what the positive aspect of that is.. please feel free to enlighten me.

The title of the thread was plain and simple..

What is sad is that it is increasing and it probably will go higher as we have a lot of younger generation people who want a lot but do not want to work for it.. so they simply steal it. Of course this goes for everyone but I see it more in the younger generation then the older.

As for me. I have both.. the alarm and lead.. so if I get the call and catch you in my casa.. the morgue will definitely be taking you out feet first. It is what it is.. you have to protect what is yours these days.. because SAPD is having a hard time protecting their own. With all the negative publicity they have with in their own department.

[lollygagger428]

Originally Posted by teenwolf80

Leave it to KSAT to focus squarely on the scary and negative aspect of the new report.

Also, I'm sorry, but this post (that I quoted) and the title of the thread are both overly sensational.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Better to get it out there so people consider moving here have all the facts, though.

[teenwolf80]

Originally Posted by lollygagger428

Sometimes the truth hurts. Better to get it out there so people consider moving here have all the facts, though.

What? San Antonio is a metro of 2.3 million people. There's going to be home burglaries. Hell, Salt Lake City saw 2,067 home burglaries between June 12 and May 13.

My point wasn't the fact that home burglaries are up, my point was that KSAT choose to focus on that aspect and that aspect alone.

They could have given a detailed report about overall crime either increasing or decreasing or point out that _____ crime decreased.

They didn't because they a sensational fear mongering station and have been for over a decade now. Tabloid journalism.

[teenwolf80]

Originally Posted by The Man in SATX

Not sure why you made this comment as I don't see where KSAT 12 over sensationalized this report. It plainly states that robberies in homes have gone up. And according to someone they have. I also did not realize there was a positive aspect to having your house broken into. If you know what the positive aspect of that is.. please feel free to enlighten me.

The title of the thread was plain and simple..

What is sad is that it is increasing and it probably will go higher as we have a lot of younger generation people who want a lot but do not want to work for it.. so they simply steal it. Of course this goes for everyone but I see it more in the younger generation then the older.

As for me. I have both.. the alarm and lead.. so if I get the call and catch you in my casa.. the morgue will definitely be taking you out feet first. It is what it is.. you have to protect what is yours these days.. because SAPD is having a hard time protecting their own. With all the negative publicity they have with in their own department.

My point was that KSAT chose to focus on that aspect and that aspect alone because it's "fear mongering" journalism. That's the truth.

That's not me making something up.

[SATX56]

More police presence in neighborhoods might help. It's a real rarity to see a police car in out neighborhood these days. I'm not living in Oz or Wonderland either.

[majormadmax]

Well, first thing we need to do is raise taxes because all those police officers are going to cost some money!

The SAPD has traditionally been undermanned per international standards for the number of police officers per populace, and it would require a lot more than increased officers on the streets to prevent crime.

Alarm systems are not the perfect answer either as many burglars know what the typical response time is for a given area and they will "smash and grab" and be gone before anyone responds (remember the alarm company will call the owner first before notifying police).

Dogs actually make a somewhat more effective deterrent as they will immediately engage any stranger coming into the house, either through physical contact or at least by barking at the intruder.

And as I've posted before, simple tactics such as locking one's doors and not leaving items in your cars parked in the driveways or streets would go a long way in reducing petty property crimes. Remove the opportunity and it will reduce the incidents.

Close your blinds during the day or at least set them to where someone can not look inside your windows. Lock your gates so a burglar would have to climb over the fence to get into your back yard (an obvious indicator). If you have glass doors at the back of your house, try to block someone from seeing inside or better yet, replace them with something that isn't so easily opened. Make sure your locks are sturdy and those tiny screws that homebuilders use when installing them have been replaced by something more able to take a blunt-force hit. And make sure those shrubs aren't providing the perfect cover for a burglar to sneak into your house. Better that they keep them from getting close to your windows, not help facilitate getting into your home!

And while it's not always possible, at least try to leave an impression that someone is home when nobody is. Leave TVs or radios on, and if you're using light timers, change them regularly so the lights don't come on at the same time every night (ala Home Alone).

Also, keeping an eye out on your street will go a long way in reducing crime as well. Unfortunately, many neighborhoods are like ours in that the vast majority of homes are empty during the day; and that fact is obvious due to the number of houses where residents park their vehicles outside. Take a look at your street one evening and then do so during the middle of the next work day, are there any indicators as to which houses are occupied and which are not?

Lastly, while some may not like the idea too much, it has been proven that criminals don't like their potential targets to be armed. It is a property owner's right to be able to defend themselves, their families and their property. Many individual's aversions to firearms are unfounded, they have been convinced by some propaganda that guns are inherently dangerous. Truth is that more people are killed in car accidents every year. While it is true that an improperly handled firearm is a threat, the gun itself is a simple inanimate object incapable of inflicting anything on its own. With training and an effort by the person using it, guns can be as safe as your toothbrush; and their proper usage can be one of the most effective means of deterring a burglar.

We cannot depend on the police to defend us, remember their job is to investigate and (hopefully) solve crimes. Protecting ourselves is our job, and honestly it doesn't take much to deter a potential thief from entering your home; you just have to make your house a little less inviting then your neighbor's!

Cheers! M2