Lock everything when you move here.. (San Antonio, Keller: fit in, apartments, rent)

[bat1]

Been here a year and had my truck stolen and almost my motorcycle the other day..I've seen cars on bricks with all wheels gone when I head to work in the morning

You got people that just drive around looking for anything to steal
I live on the north side too..West Ave and Blanco ..

I don't trust anyone in this town anymore..

Crime rate here is real bad and getting worse..and cops are never around seems like

just a word to the wise..

Eddie

[Bo]

Property crimes do happen a lot here. Much of it could be avoided if people would use their garages for vehicle storage, rather than filling them with stuff that doesn't fit in the house.

[unintentionallyfunny]

Originally Posted by bat1

Been here a year and had my truck stolen and almost my motorcycle the other day..I've seen cars on bricks with all wheels gone when I head to work in the morning

You got people that just drive around looking for anything to steal
I live on the north side too..West Ave and Blanco ..

I don't trust anyone in this town anymore..

Crime rate here is real bad and getting worse..and cops are never around seems like

just a word to the wise..

Eddie

First off, that's not really the "north side" so don't claim it as such. Second, anecdotal evidence can be matched with other anecdotal evidence. I've never had my vehicle stole, never seen cars on bricks and I lived south of 90 for a great number of years.

Who's evidence is more correct? Neither. They're are own.

Hello, I used to sleep.with a door unlocked and I.was never scared and I lived near highlands high school. Look up where that's located.

[ashbeeigh]

West and Blanco has always been a bit shady. If you look at the price of rent between say Lockhill Selma and Blanco on West you may understand why. It's a good location for commuting, parks, a bit of shopping, parks, etc, but it is an area that I would be careful around. I remember when I was in elementary school, my mother would take Lockhill Selma from De Zavala to get to North Star instead of 410 (highway anxiety I guess) and I would always ask her why we never went anywhere east of West (we would go to the Michaels in the area all the time) and she said that it just wasn't that safe.

I don't know if I would quite move, like I said, it's a good location, you just have to be extra careful. Crap happens everywhere. FWIW, I lived on West and Jackson Keller for almost 2 years and had no issues, my car got broken into on 410 and Starcrest in that time period, not by my house.

[sapphire]

It's pretty hard to park in the garage if you live in an apartment.

OP that area is rough. We used to live a bit further up from there 10 years ago and it was really starting to get bad so we moved....over to the NW side which also has a good share of property crime. You just have to try and mitigate your damages. Don't leave valuables ( or anything because if it looks like something they can pawn they're still going to bust your window out to get it) and try to park in a well lit area, if not a garage. The entitlement mentality is a strong one, they think they have every right to what you've worked hard for. It's not a San Antonio thing, though. It's everywhere.

[TXStrat]

The Bexar county detectives told me that there are groups operating in San Antonio that focus on smash and grab burglary from vehicles. They will generally work the main highway arteries in a loose pattern. They will go up I-35, up 281 and west on I-10. These criminals are all about a fast return. If they find a vehicles that is unlocked, that is an added bonus. Should be common sense that if you park your vehicle in an unsecured location, like your driveway or the street, do not leave anything of value in your vehicle, and lock the doors. If the thieves look in your vehicle and do not see anything of value, they will likely move on to the next one.

There is a very short list of people in this world that I hold in lower regard than thieves.

[southernbell232]

We just moved from that area. Blanco rd near Churchill high school. Our truck got stolen and a drunk driver hit our new truck right in the parking space in front of our apartment. We are retired, on a fixed income, it has devastated us. Stay away from that area. I wish someone would have told us. The people in our apartments also had tires removed from their cars. Not a safe place to be for sure.

[TXStrat]

RAIDS Heat Map of the West Ave. and Blanco intersection for the last month. Looks like an even spread of thefts from businesses, residential burglaries, and car burglaries. One murder on Sep 21, 14.

[southernbell232]

Originally Posted by TXStrat

RAIDS Heat Map of the West Ave. and Blanco intersection for the last month. Looks like an even spread of thefts from businesses, residential burglaries, and car burglaries. One murder on Sep 21, 14.

This is the tool I now use. I wish I had it when we first came here. I use spot crime in my area and type in the address. If this new place doesn't work out we are going to go some place smaller on the outside of town. That apartment ended up costing us most of what we had. These thieves need to be caught, locked up. but I digress.

[rattle axis]

Originally Posted by Bo

Property crimes do happen a lot here. Much of it could be avoided if people would use their garages for vehicle storage, rather than filling them with stuff that doesn't fit in the house.

To expand a little on this point, if I may...
Beyond possible theft of vehicle or contents, the practice of parking in your driveway also lays out the welcome mat for a home burglary. If you park in your driveway, then it's blatantly obvious when you aren't at home.

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

I don't know if I would quite move, like I said, it's a good location, you just have to be extra careful. Crap happens everywhere.

It does. I live near Helotes. While it used to be quiet and safe, in recent years I've had my house door kicked in, landscaping decor stolen, graffiti on my fence several times, and neighbors truck was stolen. Property crimes are everywhere.

Originally Posted by unintentionallyfunny

First off, that's not really the "north side" so don't claim it as such. Second, anecdotal evidence can be matched with other anecdotal evidence. I've never had my vehicle stole, never seen cars on bricks and I lived south of 90 for a great number of years.

In my line of work, I see this about every second or third week. Many times, not even the bother with bricks, just drop them right onto the rotors and cause more damage. I work in the 1604 @ 281N area and see this recurring on a certain niche of vehicle. Perhaps the sort that has a higher concentration in this area of town than might be found south.

Originally Posted by TXStrat

The Bexar county detectives told me that there are groups operating in San Antonio that focus on smash and grab burglary from vehicles. They will generally work the main highway arteries in a loose pattern. They will go up I-35, up 281 and west on I-10. These criminals are all about a fast return. If they find a vehicles that is unlocked, that is an added bonus. Should be common sense that if you park your vehicle in an unsecured location, like your driveway or the street, do not leave anything of value in your vehicle, and lock the doors. If the thieves look in your vehicle and do not see anything of value, they will likely move on to the next one. .

This, I see about twice a week on average. Again, it's generally a certain niche of vehicle, in the certain location where I work, so I can only imagine the volume of this sort of crime city wide.