Branson Crime - What's going on? (Table Rock: home, neighborhood, tornado)

[20yrsinBranson]

Today I had a conversation with a Branson "old timer" (i.e. someone who knows everybody), and he was telling me that there has been an awful rash of crimes on the East Side of the Lake (Taneycomo).

Apparently, in his "upscale" neighborhood, there have been no less than four burglaries in as many weeks. He even mentioned that he had "heard" that someone had been robbed at gun point in his own house!

When asked about the police, he said to me that "there are no police" on the East Side. It's covered by the Taney County Sherrif's department, and if you call 911 at 11 pm they tell you they will "send someone out" as soon as possible which usually translates into about 10am the next morning.

Apparently, they are very seriously on their own!

Has anyone else heard about this happening? It's kind of sad to think that Branson has gotten this way. I sure hope not.

20yrsinBranson

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

Today I had a conversation with a Branson "old timer" (i.e. someone who knows everybody), and he was telling me that there has been an awful rash of crimes on the East Side of the Lake (Taneycomo).

Apparently, in his "upscale" neighborhood, there have been no less than four burglaries in as many weeks. He even mentioned that he had "heard" that someone had been robbed at gun point in his own house!

When asked about the police, he said to me that "there are no police" on the East Side. It's covered by the Taney County Sherrif's department, and if you call 911 at 11 pm they tell you they will "send someone out" as soon as possible which usually translates into about 10am the next morning.

Apparently, they are very seriously on their own!

Has anyone else heard about this happening? It's kind of sad to think that Branson has gotten this way. I sure hope not.

20yrsinBranson

Given the current economy, while it's unfortunate, it's also not surprising. You use the term "upscale" for the neighborhood. That reminds me of the 20s to early 50s bank robber, Willie Sutton. When asked why he robbed banks (about 100 of them) he famously replied, "Because that's where the money is!"

We live in a relatively upscale community on the bank of Table Rock Lake and last month there was the first attempted burglary in the history of the community. The homeowner heard the intruders, armed himself (I think almost all of us here are gun owners) and called out to them, "I'm going to shoot you!" They immediately fled empty-handed.

[misplaced1]

The Castle law is a good one.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by misplaced1

The Castle law is a good one.

Love a little castle doctrine. That's as it should be!

[Zoltani]

911 - When waiting for a response isn't quick enough ...




" ... When asked about the police, he said to me that "there are no police" on the East Side. It's covered by the Taney County Sherrif's department, and if you call 911 at 11 pm they tell you they will "send someone out" as soon as possible which usually translates into about 10am the next morning. ..."

[Lake Junkie]

I'm not sure who the "source" of this story is, but I called the newsroom at our local radio station and talked to them about this rumor. They have not heard that this is happening. It would be highly unusual if anything this dramatic is going on without the newsies getting ahold of it, you usually hear on the radio any time any body has a fender bender!

Of course there IS crime, and you can usually get all the gorey details at Hometown Daily News (http://hometowndailynews.com/content.aspx?IsHome=1&MemberID=1191&module=Page&ID =994 - broken link)

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

I'm not sure who the "source" of this story is, but I called the newsroom at our local radio station and talked to them about this rumor. They have not heard that this is happening. It would be highly unusual if anything this dramatic is going on without the newsies getting ahold of it, you usually hear on the radio any time any body has a fender bender!

Of course there IS crime, and you can usually get all the gorey details at Hometown Daily News (http://hometowndailynews.com/content.aspx?IsHome=1&MemberID=1191&module=Page&ID =994 - broken link)

Hmmmmmmm

My experience with our "local radio station" (make that YOUR local radio station ) is that unless something happens between 9 am and 5 pm you will never hear about it.

I once was driving home from working late on a rather unpleasant rainly night, there was a horrific accident involving a bus on the approach to Shepherd of the Hills. As I was sitting at the light at SOH and 76, no less than FOUR emergency vehicles, sirens screaming and emergency lights on, blasted through the intersection. Fearing the worst, I took a powder at the closest convenience store thinking I might want to take an alternate route if the road was going to be closed for a time.

Not wanting to bother our local dispatcher, I thought I might call the radio station to see if they had any report of road closures due to the wreck. Alas, not only did they have no idea about the wreck, but the person "on duty" sounded about 14 years old, and was only there to "run the computer" because their show was on syndication that night.

What really was the icing on the cake though, was one night when we had major tornado action and I turned on to that station only to find yet ANOTHER SYNDICATED show on the air and no mention of the bad weather approaching.

It was at that moment that KTTS became "my" hometown radio station. They were providing miniute-by-minute weather reports.

Lake Junkie, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the RADIO STATION were buglarized and they had no idea of it happening. While the radio station you mention is perhaps "adequate" for playing music, it certainly is NOT reliable as a news source, at least not in my opinion.

20yrsinBranson

[GeekOfTheOzarks]

A few years ago I worked for a radio station that played mostly syndicated broadcast material and it was as 20yrsinBranson said. We had a 20 minute live broadcast in the morning, the news & sports was read directly from the local newspaper! The announcer was a farming fanatic (this was in Iowa) so he went out in the field (no pun intended) to cover farming-related events, and reported on that live a few times during the week, but that was the only real reporting he did. Everything else was pre-recorded and controlled completely by the computer.

[Lake Junkie]

I realize that our little local radio station doesn't have the budget nor the manpower to have the numbers of live news/weather reporters that KTTS does, but there is an active news team that is available all day every day (I see them at meetings and parades and ceremonies and etc...) to find and sift the local news. I also understand that they mostly all go home at 5pm.

And if you think that the "big" radio stations AREN'T canned and syndicated in many many ways, think again... I worked in radio for 7 years and since the deregulation in 1996 and the mega-corporate take over, more and more local live talent has had to find other jobs. Even KTTS has a lot of automation these days.

As I mentioned in another thread, we're a series of very small towns with a large rural (partly part time) population. We don't have things you'll find in big cities like 24 hour news teams.

[GeekOfTheOzarks]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

As I mentioned in another thread, we're a series of very small towns with a large rural (partly part time) population. We don't have things you'll find in big cities like 24 hour news teams.

Yes - and that's one of the things I like about the area!