What's with the crime in Georgia??? (Atlanta, Savannah: fingerprints, high crime, credit card)

[gentlearts]

What are we to think?

We have had 2 incidents of crime in our immediate family in the past few months..one in Atlanta and one in Savannah.

We are from NE Ohio, and in almost 60 years, have NEVER been violated by crime until this year, and both of these happened in GA.

Both times, a window was broken out of a car and the contents were stolen. Both times in broad daylight in public places.

[Padgett2]

It's not just Georgia. It could have happened anywhere. Bad thing happen to good people.

My family has lived in this area of Georgia since about 1750. BIG family. To my knowledge, none have been the victim of any crime. (Well, unless you want to count the time that a cousin shot his nephew because he was tired of the way he was mouthing off. It could have been because he was drunk as a skunk too.) Nor do I personally know of any of my friends that have had a problem. I know it happens, but so much depends on where you live and where you park your car.

Were the articles that were taken left in plain sight so that they could be tempting to anyone just passing by. That's what usually happens.

[ellie]

Maybe it was the Ohio license plates that set them off? LOL

I'm sort of kidding. Maybe you've just had bad luck. Most people don't have this problem, though it happens every day.

Last month I parked my vehicle in downtown Atlanta over night and felt certain that I'd come out the next morning and find that it had been broken into. There's all kinds of miscellaneous junk in it. It was parked in an area where we saw prostitutes and virtually no one else. But the next morning it was fine. Maybe I was lucky?

On many occasions I've left my vehicle parked downtown with the windows down or a door unlocked, though I usually don't do that out of pure common sense, and have only twice had anything of value taken, a spare tire and a handful of change. When it's been locked, I've never lost anything.

[gentlearts]

In neither case were items in open view. The first incident was in a church parking lot, across the street from the Capitol building in Atlanta, under surveillance cameras, a few months ago, and the second was at a running track where the Savannah police train, yesterday.
If you say that you're a native and you have never had this happen, I'll chalk it up to just bad luck.
I'm just a wee bit apprehensive now at the prospect of moving there.
It seems like you guys are justifying this just a little?
I understand that this could happen anywhere, but in my experience it has not. I have many times left my purse in the locked car in plain view, and have never had a problem.
I don't care if a person's purse is in plain view. It does not justify smashing in a car window and stealing it.
In the case of my DIL yesterday (who is taking the Savannah police physical fitness test tomorrow), the police got fingerprints and several surveillance tapes while the perp was using her credit cards, so maybe they'll catch the guy.

[ellie]

Hmm. I don't know where the police train.

I imagine that those of us who have been here for a long time have built in automatic defenses we're not even aware of. We're amply paranoid, to tell you the truth.

Still, I can't imagine that it's just Georgia. It may be that we have larger pockets of poverty than you have in Ohio? I've never been to the midwest, so I have no way to compare it.

I'm sorry you've had so much trouble.

[gamecock43]

It could be the economy. Your reasoning Gentlearts would lead me to ask whats going on with crime in Minnesota? I just had all my wheels stolen off my SUV last week in Minneapolis. My wheels have never been stolen off my SUV before. Are Minnesotians attracted to wheels? I doubt it, there are alot of factors. Especially when you are not a native and park in the wrong places because you just dont know better. My SUV has never been in a capital city before either. And I assume there is more crime in big cities so thats another reason for my recent plight, not necessarily that Mineapolis is filled with tire-hungry thieves.
And my SUV has been in Savannah, and there was no problems with my SUV there.
It happens everywhere.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by ellie

Last month I parked my vehicle in downtown Atlanta over night and felt certain that I'd come out the next morning and find that it had been broken into. There's all kinds of miscellaneous junk in it. It was parked in an area where we saw prostitutes and virtually no one else. But the next morning it was fine. Maybe I was lucky?

I'd say you were lucky.

Regarding Atlanta, first per the original's post...

Car break-ins are a larger-than-normal deal in the entire metro area, though. It happens in every city small and large of course, but Atlanta's one of the hot spots for it, and not just in the city.

Last week in Hiram (roughly 28 miles West of Atlanta) during lunch time, on a Saturday, my boss and his wife went out to eat at a very busy restaurant. When they came out, someone had busted into their car and literally ripped the radio system from the dash. Again, in broad daylight, in the parking lot of a very busy place - yet, no one saw anything.

In the last couple of weeks here in West Cobb, literally dozens and dozens of cars have had things stolen from them. Teens are going around looking for unlocked cars (of which there are apparenlty a LOT of them around here), and swiping laptops, iPods, GPS systems, etc. Last week alone one neighborhood had over 25 cars stolen from in one single night - and again, this is 20-something miles away from the city!

Regarding the OP's comments, I wouldn't say that there is something about Georgia, but many discussions and articles have shown that Atlanta is among the "high crime cities" in America - and our crime doesn't confine itself to specific neighborhoods... the criminals here drive nice SUVs and travel throughout the metro to do their deeds.

Likewise, some have labeled Savannah as the "Little New Orleans" regarding a disproportionate amount of crime per capita there, too. I haven't lived in Savannah, only visited, so can't comment on specifics. I have however, known three people over time who have gone down there for long weekend trips who have had their cars broken into - literally, not of the "open door snatch and grab" type stuff.

[georgialaw]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

In neither case were items in open view. The first incident was in a church parking lot, across the street from the Capitol building in Atlanta, under surveillance cameras, a few months ago, and the second was at a running track where the Savannah police train, yesterday.
If you say that you're a native and you have never had this happen, I'll chalk it up to just bad luck.
I'm just a wee bit apprehensive now at the prospect of moving there.
It seems like you guys are justifying this just a little?
I understand that this could happen anywhere, but in my experience it has not. I have many times left my purse in the locked car in plain view, and have never had a problem.
I don't care if a person's purse is in plain view. It does not justify smashing in a car window and stealing it.
In the case of my DIL yesterday (who is taking the Savannah police physical fitness test tomorrow), the police got fingerprints and several surveillance tapes while the perp was using her credit cards, so maybe they'll catch the guy.

Consider it normal for folks to blame the victim as in these cases.
Downtown Atlanta is dangerous at any time of day or night period and most thefts are not even reported.

[gentlearts]

I guess this country bumpkin needs to wake up and smell the coffee, huh? Since I won't let fear rule my life, I guess I just need to decide to live life more defensively, and on the premise that the bad people are gaining on us.
Also, as someone sort of said, when you live somewhere you gain a kind of internal safety meter about the place that a visitor doesn't really have.

[Padgett2]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I guess this country bumpkin needs to wake up and smell the coffee, huh? Since I won't let fear rule my life, I guess I just need to decide to live life more defensively, and on the premise that the bad people are gaining on us.
Also, as someone sort of said, when you live somewhere you gain a kind of internal safety meter about the place that a visitor doesn't really have.

That's about it! The baddies are gaining. In a town of 25,000, you'll have a few bad guys. Make that 50,000 and you have a few bad guys multiplied by two. Make the area 300,000 or 3 million and the few are multiplied in the same way. THEN, they get together and do more damage than in a much smaller place. There are also more cars to pick from, larger parking lots, etc. As the population grows and so does the criminal element.

Moving to Atlanta or Savannah would be a shock for anyone coming from your area of the country in more ways than one.