[flu189]

Here we go again. Not a week goes by where we here in bucolic Vermont don't have to deal with outside dangerous felons. This time, one of NYC's ten most wanted was here committing a home invasion with a weapon which occurred in Williston. This is getting ridiculous with the frequency and the criminal history background of those involved. Maybe we should have the NYS Troopers and a detachment of NYPD detectives open up a substation here. For crying out loud I left the job and moved here to get away from these thugs and the violence they breed. I hope the increasing frequency of these incidents and of those involved will cause concern amongst Vermonter's because they will destroy the state much faster than global warming or Vermont Yankee.

[mustmove]

Word is out that VT is EZpickings. VT is so far behind reality I think it will be awhile before real sentences and enforcement take place here. THe assumption will be that it is just an anomaly that some NYC thug was here again and again...

[flu189]

I don't know the factual details of the Williston incident, but would be willing to wager what's left in my retirement funds that the perps did not just drive around and pick this house at random. In the majority of these home invasion cases the resident is linked to the perps in one way or another. The other similar cases in Vt also had that link. My concern is that when incidents like this happen the neighbors and general public may get in the way of these thugs and something bad could result. This 22 year old did not just drive up 300 miles to Vermont as a "tourist" and at random enter a home with a weapon and assualt a random person.

[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by flu189

I don't know the factual details of the Williston incident, but would be willing to wager what's left in my retirement funds that the perps did not just drive around and pick this house at random. In the majority of these home invasion cases the resident is linked to the perps in one way or another. The other similar cases in Vt also had that link. My concern is that when incidents like this happen the neighbors and general public may get in the way of these thugs and something bad could result. This 22 year old did not just drive up 300 miles to Vermont as a "tourist" and at random enter a home with a weapon and assualt a random person.

We also left NY (lower) due to crime--or at least it was one of the factors but you bring up a point that used to annoy me, too. Every day there would be some sort of home invasion according to the news, but they would NEVER follow up on WHY these homes were targeted. Later you would hear nothing except the initial 'random' incident, though rumors and so forth would circulate that 'such and such was a drug house' or 'so and so' was related to a gang...

The news needs to follow up on these stories, not just report them to scare the public and sensationalize events.

[flu189]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

We also left NY (lower) due to crime--or at least it was one of the factors but you bring up a point that used to annoy me, too. Every day there would be some sort of home invasion according to the news, but they would NEVER follow up on WHY these homes were targeted. Later you would hear nothing except the initial 'random' incident, though rumors and so forth would circulate that 'such and such was a drug house' or 'so and so' was related to a gang...

The news needs to follow up on these stories, not just report them to scare the public and sensationalize events.

You are exactly right! The vast majority of information concerning these incidents is public information and subject to full disclosure, especially after adjudication. The media here chronically on issues such as this and other unrelated news items omits facts and information. It's not very hard to report stories using who, where, when, what, why, and how elements.

[MRVphotog]

If you guys are saying crime is increasing in Vermont you couldn't be more wrong. Check the stats, here are a couple I pulled out.

1980 - 11 murders, 7,806 burglaries
1990 - 13 murders, 6,119
2000 - 9, 3,501
2007 - 12, 3,106

Whatever floats your boat but the facts are that Vermont has always been and continues to this day to be one of the safest states to live in.

Thugs have been coming to Vermont from the big cities ever since they built the interstates. Nothing new here. What is on the increase is the amount of reporting on these crimes in the media/internet with the accuracy not as great as it used to be.

[looking4home]

With gas prices being what they are, I find it more than odd that a criminal would come all the way to Vermont to commit some random crime. It may have a rep as "easy pickins" but there's that closer to home. I think there must be a growing underground drug operations there, with a lot of smuggling involved. Now that makes sense given your proximity to Canada.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by flu189

You are exactly right! The vast majority of information concerning these incidents is public information and subject to full disclosure, especially after adjudication. The media here chronically on issues such as this and other unrelated news items omits facts and information. It's not very hard to report stories using who, where, when, what, why, and how elements.

I agree with you. Do you think, just maybe, that the decline in newspapers and other conventional news outlets just might be correlated with the scarcity of actual news articles like this? Stuff that people would like to read?

[68vette]

Vermont is a safe place and hopfully it will continue to be that way but you can't just look at murders and burglaries. Vermont Crime Rates 1960 - 2007
Look at the trends in some of the other crimes commited like violent crime over the last 20-30 years.

[mustmove]

Crime reports are also down as anytime someone goes to 'diversion' there is no conviction and hence no reportable crime. Diversion is used extensively in VT on repeat lowlevel offenders.