I had someone sneak into my home and steal electronics, I have had someone steal my AC unit and the wiring at my old house and now a friend says that his car was broken into overnight. Is it just me or have any of you guys been a victim of crime this year?
Quote from: RecycleMichael on May 14, 2013, 07:38:10 AM
I had someone sneak into my home and steal electronics, I have had someone steal my AC unit and the wiring at my old house and now a friend says that his car was broken into overnight. Is it just me or have any of you guys been a victim of crime this year?
Not yet, but knocking wood.
Not saying this happened in your friend's case, but in a lot of cases people invite theft in their cars by leaving things out in the open that entice thieves. Leaving your GPS suction-cupped to the window is a big no-no, yet I see it all over town.
I would be willing to say that theft is up due to the ever growing drug problem. I can give you crazy stories about what has been stolen from some of our sites, but I would be here a long time. And really, the "what" is crazy, but the "how" is just insane.
Our shop has been a consistent target for metal thieves for quite some time since it's located on the edge of Garden City. We've improved our on-site security with cameras and warning signs, as well as being more careful where we store certain metals. We've not had a theft in the last six or so months I'm aware of. We do keep a number of vehicles locked up in two separate compounds and it's rare anyone messes with them. I'm sure it's only a matter of time though before someone decides it's worth the risk to go after something of ours.
As far as around my home, not a thing, nor any of my neighbors that I'm aware of. One of my former neighbors had a gun safe stolen a few years back, but I'm pretty certain he got burglarized by someone who knew him and knew his travel schedule.
I feel like it is compared to five years ago. Maybe I am less naive though.
I think most crime is cyclical and related to the economic condition of the community. Five years ago Tulsa and the country were going into a recession.
Maybe it is just me. I may just be a magnet for trouble. But I am curious. Has any one else been having real crime issues this year?
Our street has been victimized pretty regularly in the last quarter. They start at Peoria and work their way west hitting what ever car is parked on the street or whose car door is unlocked. Sometimes, (like mine last week) they bust a window and rifle through the car. Stuff is often strewn along the street till the next car. Sometimes childish graffiti leads me to believe it is young teens.
Our garages are separate from our homes so they are also good targets. You can see a correlation between a spike in drug arrests and these break ins. That's when the drugs ar hitting the street.
Here's a page that offers crime statistics up to 2011:
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Tulsa-Oklahoma.html (http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Tulsa-Oklahoma.html)
The murder rate is steady year to year. Robberies and thefts are slightly down while burglaries are slightly up.
As always, statistics only apply to other people.
Unfortunately, that's about a year or more old. And, due to the hopelessness of getting your stuff back, people just stop reporting them. Never buy really good buys from Craigslst, or out of peoples trunks or pawn shops. Most of it is stolen. You simply subsidize their business.
One of my part time residences is in a ragged part of a small town southeast of OKC (Valley Brook - I bet Conan knows it). It is usually about this time of year when I can go sit outside the front door and hear the sounds of gunfire in the distance..... does that count?
Quote from: AquaMan on May 14, 2013, 07:16:40 PM
Unfortunately, that's about a year or more old. And, due to the hopelessness of getting your stuff back, people just stop reporting them. Never buy really good buys from Craigslst, or out of peoples trunks or pawn shops. Most of it is stolen. You simply subsidize their business.
Most of the pawn shops are above board and report most stuff that comes in the door. If there is no serial number, or unique, identifiable marking, there isn't much that can be done. Etch a 'code' into anything without S/N and take a picture of it. Example - all Craftsman end wrenches look the same unless marked.
I wouldn't agree with most, but there are some. Rose is clean. Anything near 11th is suspect. South Peoria is dicey. I have tracked stuff down they took without proper ID and never put on the books because they knew they could move it quickly. Anyone whose dealt with a small retail business knows how easy it is to hide transactions.
"How long have you owned this specialty tool which you don't know how to operate and seems to have taken more money to buy than you've seen in your lifetime? 1 year? Okay. Thank you Mr. Chuck Stake"
Quote from: AquaMan on May 14, 2013, 07:29:10 PM
I wouldn't agree with most, but there are some. Rose is clean. Anything near 11th is suspect. South Peoria is dicey. I have tracked stuff down they took without proper ID and never put on the books because they knew they could move it quickly. Anyone whose dealt with a small retail business knows how easy it is to hide transactions.
"How long have you owned this specialty tool which you don't know how to operate and seems to have taken more money to buy than you've seen in your lifetime? 1 year? Okay. Thank you Mr. Chuck Stake"
Both Rose's...Ray and John are both good people!
Quote from: RecycleMichael on May 14, 2013, 05:10:57 PM
I think most crime is cyclical and related to the economic condition of the community. Five years ago Tulsa and the country were going into a recession.
Maybe it is just me. I may just be a magnet for trouble. But I am curious. Has any one else been having real crime issues this year?
Got my tag stolen off of my car and my girlfriend got her car broken into this year. Mainly theft issues. But in retrospect those things happened back in the day multiple times. My main issue is that I feel less safe these days.