Have you or anyone you know been a crime victim in the Houston area? (Texas City: apartment, home) - (TX) - City-Data Forum

Zhang Fei · 01-03-2010, 09:34 PM

What happened, and did the Houston Police Department provide any closure, in the form of arrests or recovery of property?

Kenpar · 01-03-2010, 09:41 PM

Actually no to be honest. And I grew up in neighborhoods worse than most people in this forum.

jfre81 · 01-03-2010, 09:50 PM

Is Texas City close enough?

Zhang Fei · 01-03-2010, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfre81

Is Texas City close enough?

Sure - any city that is recognizably part of the Houston metro area. I suspect people from Texas City say they're from Houston when out-of-area relatives and friends ask.

Cowboys fan in Houston · 01-03-2010, 10:21 PM

My old man got robbed at gunpoint in a parking lot of a Fiesta on Fondren. The guy just took his wallet and left. Didnt seem to phase him much since he still goes there every time they want Mexican specialty items (every month or so). To my knowledge its a decent area of town too. I think its close to HBU.

jfre81 · 01-03-2010, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

Sure - any city that is recognizably part of the Houston metro area. I suspect people from Texas City say they're from Houston when out-of-area relatives and friends ask.

Well, I tell people I live in Houston but all my relatives and friends know where I grew up.

But since we've established this now, yeah, I had my car stereo stolen in 2001 when I went to a friend's house, got wasted and passed out. Left the detachable face on, so I deserved what I got. I didn't deal with HPD obviously, considering I was not in Houston.

I've lived in the city of Houston for three years as of this month and the only thing that's happened was getting my backglass busted out. I didn't deal with HPD then either, because they can't charge a hurricane with a crime. Basically, I've had no problems on my end, but then again I know better than to leave valuables in the car, doors unlocked etc.

Around 2004 or so a friend of mine got carjacked, but I don't remember where in the city he was or whether the cops found out who did it. They found the car totaled somewhere. I'd sold that car to him a few months earlier. So that's probably the closest link I've got to being a crime victim in Houston proper.

Txgal33 · 01-03-2010, 11:33 PM

Petty property theft if that counts. Was not petty to us though. Had truck broken into out in the driveway and yes it was locked. Stole what they could to include garage door opener. Needless to say we do not keep that in the vehicle by itself anymore. Had all of our front porch decor stolen a few years later. Had just staged it for a quick home sale. That was $120 down the drain.
Absolutely nothing major thankfully but still crime.

Poltracker · 01-04-2010, 04:35 AM

My car was broken into multiple times (Montrose area near Menil Museum), no arrests or recovery there that I know of.
Car stolen 3 times (twice from Montrose, once from Galleria), got it back twice w/o help of police as I had to be persistent about calling and seeing if it had been recovered when they said they would call me. Both times it was found in a parking lot somewhere, one of those times at Memorial City Mall. Never saw it again or heard anything the final time.
My apartment in Montrose was kick burglarized (I was hiding in the closet and terrified). The police showed up that time while it was ongoing and nabbed two people, but I didn't hear anything more about it, though I was told they were charged.
Myself and two others witnessed someone in a vehicle try to grab a girl in far SW Houston as she walked to a bus stop and interfered by providing shelter at our shop. Took the police 3 hours to arrive and they wouldn't even take our info because the victim had totally freaked and had her sister pick her up. Their opinion that they could not do anything since the victim was no longer present even if we gave them her info so they could contact her.
Needless to say, that last issue really soured me on the police response in Houston.

Epularis · 01-04-2010, 08:17 AM

My bike was stolen from downtown in broad daylight (the lock was cut) under a security camera. I reported it that day with the serial number to the police.

It was pawned and sold from the pawn shop.

The police said the database of stolen items that the pawn shops use is only updated every six months so when the theif goes to the shop a few days later the item shows up as clean 100% of the time.

Some other guy bought the bike fair and square, so there was no recovery.

Seems like a good racket to me.

Mayor_McCheese · 01-04-2010, 08:22 AM

We had our apartment door kicked in about 3 or 4 years ago. We lived in Katy off S Mason Rd. Someone kicked in the door and put our dog in the bedroom and closed the door. She must have been barking too much for him because he only stole our camera and thats it. Must have been some dumb kids. We still live in Katy just not in an apartment anymore. The guys accross the hall from us was hit the same day and it was the second time in two weeks for him. He was so pissed. We moved shortly after that.