Spot Crime website question (Baltimore: credit card, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[eav1221]

when I enter an address in the spotcrime.com website, TONS of theft walking dudes come up. I'd like to know what kind of Theft this signifies...like breaking and entering? or theft off of someone's porch? or theft out of someone's car? What kind of Theft are we talking? Just about every address you enter on SpotCrime.com when checking crime out in neighborhoods comes up with these little blue men everywhere. To me, as a swf buying my first home, it's unnerving. I'm having second thoughts about buying a house in Baltimore. What do these little blue dudes EVERYWHERE really mean?

[remstone]

Originally Posted by eav1221

What do these little blue dudes EVERYWHERE really mean?

Car break-ins.

And that you're freaking out.

[eav1221]

what do you mean, I'm "freaking out." Elaborate, please. I'm trying to make the biggest purchase of my life and turn to this board for advice and wisdom, not to be insulted.

[boomtownfunlover]

Theft is theft as opposed to robbery which could involve a physical threat or actual assault. If you click on the little blue man are you given any details? If an icon indicates multiple thefts at one location it probaby indicates retail shoplifting. You can also try crimereports.com.

[Tinawina]

"Theft" on that website is generally petty theft. Car break ins, taking stuff off a porch maybe, shoplifting... That kind of thing. Very common in any big city.

Burglary is usually someone breaking into a house or shed. I think credit card fraud also falls under that heading, which is why you will see that pop up at stores.

Robbery is probably the most serious of the stealing categories, since that involves person to person stuff like muggings and armed robbery.

That website will scare the hell out of folks unnecessarily I think. It helps sometimes to plug in an address for a neighborhood you know to be pretty decent, and see the stats then compare. Also look at the exact descriptions of a lot of crimes. You may see most of the things called "burglary" are really midday shed breakins or someone taking piping out of unoccupied houses. Or you see an "assault" and it was a domestic dispute or a fight outside a bar.

[eav1221]

Thanks. I saw all these "thefts" and it gave no further information. I don't mind petty thefts/car break ins...I was worried about breaking and entering. That would be a different story. I'm by myself. I just want to feel safe in the neighborhood where I end up buying...probably Hampden.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

If you click, the distinction is made. Most of those "Theft" or "Larceny" incidents will be showing places where someone broke into a car.

Safety is 99 percent perception, ya know? Take a trip to these places you're looking late at night, and see if you feel comfortable enough. As you say, it's the biggest decision. ... and while the internet is good for many things, your perception tell you if a place feels right.

[remstone]

Sorry, I probably could have said freaking out unnecessarily. I don't wish to insult. But there are a bunch of us who have put some time into aiding you through this process, and you do keep shifting focus. Let's just say it wouldn't be fun to be your realtor.

[rudy_d]

As others have said, I think it's quite safe to say that the vast majority of those thefts are car break-ins. And, I know it's not nice to blame the victim, but many could have been prevented with a little common sense or effort. I constantly see cars in my city neighborhood filled with stuff in plain view. Even if it's not valuable, that doesn't make much difference for the desperate person who is trying to quickly make a buck and isn't doing a thorough cost/benefit analysis.

These crimes are also very cyclical. You'll see a bunch of car break-ins in a short period of time in a neighborhood, and then nothing for a long stretch, probably because a serial perp has been locked up for something.

[boomtownfunlover]

Don't worry about the little blue men, eav, Hampden is as good a place as any for your first house.