Seattle Police so slow to respond - No wonder crime is rampant in this city! (fingerprinting, low crime)

[tommy64]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Tommy, I think it's a little more complex than that. Let's start with the idea that not all homeless people are bad. Some come here because although they may have some damn cold nights, the cold here probably isn't going to kill them the way it would in Montana or Chicago. I've talked with homeless people who tell me they came here because the social services offered are better than some parts of the country. They also told me that it is (relatively) safe for a homeless person compared to some parts of the country.

You're right - not all of them are bad. The ones who are temporarily down will eventually get up and out, but those are by no means all or even most.

Wouldn't you agree that there is a connection between the number of homeless and the amount of crime? Whether they come from Chicago or Montana is irrelevant. The fact that you admit they're not locals supports my assertion that they 'flock' here. That alone is crossing a line somewhere - they're not even local!!

The idea that our once beautiful city is a former prom-queen turned gutter-junkie from an invasion of homeless people should make you more furious than compassionate.

Just how bad would things have to get before you took an attitude that this is a problem that cannot be enabled any longer? We may have hit the point of no-return already. You stated that you won't go to the ID anymore after 11pm. How does that make you feel?

"they came because the social services offered are better" - I couldn't have said it better with my own words.

[homesinseattle]

Tommy, I didn't say it wasn't bad, it clearly is. Just watch your generalizations. There are a lot of kind, decent people pushed into homelessness for various reasons.

[Hemlock140]

Most of the time the policemen are assigned to a beat, specific geographic area. Broken car window and theft is not a priority, when there are so many other more dangerous crimes going on in an area like that, where people, especially tourists should never leave a car parked with anything in it even in the daytime.

[tommy64]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Tommy, I didn't say it wasn't bad, it clearly is. Just watch your generalizations. There are a lot of kind, decent people pushed into homelessness for various reasons.

Generally, homelessness and the crime that comes with it is bad.

[Neerwhal]

They focus on crimes that threaten life and limb vs. property and yes, that IS why we have lower violence and more theft. I hate it when people steal but unless you guys want to ante up for an income tax or some other tax or want cops so poor they can't even afford to live here (and therefore, become venal), I think we'll have to live with it.

"they came because the social services offered are better" - I couldn't have said it better with my own words.

They only look better if you can't do a COL calculation. They aren't better, the numbers are just higher. But they won't take you far at all. As you can see from the tent cities. It's true people come for that, but they aren't getting it, and the real services, like housing, education, etc. aren't available to many homeless at all due to lack of residency and inability to prove residency.

But yes, since the 90s we have had people thinking that wages in Seattle are "so high". Move to Germany if you want high wages, and just try to get an apartment in Berlin...

[Boxkicker]

How about not leaving your bag in your car where they can see it.

Maybe that will help you not be traumatized?

In this case...it is probably okay to "blame the victim"

[homesinseattle]

Good point, Boxkicker. The two times I've had my window smashed in Seattle, I had left unopened boxes in my car, really had only myself to blame. I don't do that anymore .

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Boxkicker

How about not leaving your bag in your car where they can see it.

Maybe that will help you not be traumatized?

In this case...it is probably okay to "blame the victim"

My thought as well. If you can't hide it, take it with you. Don't expect the police to "fix" a stupid decision.

Calls to 911 are prioritized, from most urgent to least. To get moved to the very top of the list, your call might need to represent an ongoing or impending threat of violence to your or the public's safety or property. A vehicle break-in and a stolen bag, that has already happened, will be a low priority for a police response. Now, if reporting that somebody is trying to break into your car...

Each precinct has a set number of officers/cars available to respond to 911 calls. They are assigned on a priority basis. If your's is a lower priority call, you should expect a lower priority response. The police are your, the public's, servant only in the general sense. You shouldn't expect them to be at your every beck and call.

Some precincts have higher crime rates, violent or property, than others. In a less busy precinct, a lower priority call might float up to the top in fairly short order, while in a busier precinct a low priority call might never get to the top. Also, due to politics and an insufficient number of police to cover the city, some areas might have more police than are justified on a per capita basis, while others might have less. The rich and privileged might expect to get better service from the police, while the poor and underprivileged might have much lower expectations.

[SunAndRain808]

Originally Posted by Boxkicker

How about not leaving your bag in your car where they can see it.

Maybe that will help you not be traumatized?

In this case...it is probably okay to "blame the victim"

Wow, did you even read my original post?

I said that I left my bag in the trunk of my SUV. In case you didn't know, SUV's (as well as minivans) have trunk areas with open windows where anybody can get close to the vehicle and peep into the trunk to see the contents in the trunk, versus a regular sedan car where the trunk does not encompass any open windows, so no one can see what's in your sedan trunk. Since that was the first time in my entire life that somebody has broken into my vehicle, and in the past, that I have left my bags and belongings in my SUV trunk....I had no idea that this break-in / vandalism was about to happen that night.

From that incident onward, I cover my bags with newspapers.

[SunAndRain808]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Good point, Boxkicker. The two times I've had my window smashed in Seattle, I had left unopened boxes in my car, really had only myself to blame. I don't do that anymore .

Good point? Boxer thought that I left my bag in plain view on the passenger seat or on the driver seat, or somewhere in the leg space in front of the passenger seat, which I did not do.

I left my bag IN the TRUNK of my SUV. SUV's and minivans have trunks that have windows on the sides and of course, in the back. So anybody getting close enough to my SUV can peep through the window and see contents in my trunk.



I guess from now on, I will cover up my bag or any valuable content with sheets of newspaper. I'm dead serious.