Be aware of neighbor vandalism.

[testmo]

PLOT TWIST: they were actually indian.

you should still feel safe. no one was harmed. not saying breaking into homes doesn't make one want to lose it, but no one was hurt.

[Even Further]

Vandalism is not accurate either.
This is breaking & entering, home burglary which is much more serious.
Good move to make it public and increase awareness in the area.

[TFW46]

Originally Posted by ninerfan

...The guy kept ringing the door bell to see if anyone was home and since no one answered they took the liberty of smashing the back window.
...I thought my area was safe..but unfortunately not so.

No area is safe.


Ringing the doorbell is a common ruse. Although I have an alarm system, I know they dont deter many burglars, who know they can get in and out before the cops show up. That's why I also have these at all entrances:

Amazon.com: STI ED-50 Rex Plus Electronic Watchdog, Barking Dog Alarm: Home Improvement


And I've also installed this kickproofing on my exterior doors:

http://www.doordevil.com/

[wclanton423]

Tell your neighbor to get the alarm company to call your neighborhood constable instead of the police in the future. Constables will show up faster than the police.

[Zhang Fei]

In my travels abroad, I've found window bars and high security doors to be almost ubiquitous. I suspect those installations would at least slow down some of the smash and grab type break-ins. It's interesting that most homeowners stateside don't opt for these installations. I understand the rationale, but given the reality of high crime rates, I'm surprised that so few have chosen to install them outside of the usual minority-dominated areas. I think there's a kind of denial involved - that if we simply wish real hard for Mayberry-like crime rates, we will end up living in Mayberry for real.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Katy4life

I'm sure Dopo would have had the same comments had they been white

Same thing applies, but Hispanic is more vague.
Color helps, but is useless without height, weight, age, etc.

[predatorprey]

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

In my travels abroad, I've found window bars and high security doors to be almost ubiquitous. I suspect those installations would at least slow down some of the smash and grab type break-ins. It's interesting that most homeowners stateside don't opt for these installations. I understand the rationale, but given the reality of high crime rates, I'm surprised that so few have chosen to install them outside of the usual minority-dominated areas. I think there's a kind of denial involved - that if we simply wish real hard for Mayberry-like crime rates, we will end up living in Mayberry for real.

You have any idea how much burglar bars bring down the home value and the stigma associated with them?

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by predatorprey

You have any idea how much burglar bars bring down the home value and the stigma associated with them?

Stateside, perhaps. Abroad, they're ubiquitous. Heck, in New York City, they're ubiquitous - ground floor units all have burglar bars on the windows. And Houston has a burglary rate that's 5x NYC's. In fact, I suspect the difference is partly due to the ubiquity of hardened installations in NYC via things like burglar bars. The combination of homes that are soft targets for burglars combined with a high burglary rate is kind of head-scratching.

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

Stateside, perhaps. Abroad, they're ubiquitous. Heck, in New York City, they're ubiquitous - ground floor units all have burglar bars on the windows. And Houston has a burglary rate that's 5x NYC's. In fact, I suspect the difference is partly due to the ubiquity of hardened installations in NYC via things like burglar bars. The combination of homes that are soft targets for burglars combined with a high burglary rate is kind of head-scratching.

True enough. There was a home invasion here in La Porte that stemmed from the residents not closing the garage door nor locking their doors. Yikes. Common ense evades people sometimes in their suburban utopia.

As for NYC, it's the lack of po-po in the parks that gets you.

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by AlfredB1979

True enough. There was a home invasion here in La Porte that stemmed from the residents not closing the garage door nor locking their doors. Yikes. Common ense evades people sometimes in their suburban utopia.

As for NYC, it's the lack of po-po in the parks that gets you.

It's not that bad. NYC has 80 cops per square mile compared to Houston's 8 cops per square mile. You're literally never more than a minute away from seeing a cop there.

As to the denizens of Mayberry on the Gulf not having any common sense, the amusing thing is that according to the FBI stats, NYC has a lower burglary rate per capita than most Houston suburbs, including La Porte: