moving to Utah from Scotland (Salt Lake City, Layton: to rent, big house, neighborhoods)

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by coolcats

This could be a slippery slope that I don't want to degenerate, but do you care to expound on this experience? Sounds pretty ominous. Who was the said "religious nut," and how did this family know the attempted kidnapper, and how did his religious affiliation lead to the attempted crime?

With the Amber alert system and the seriousness with which I have seen the authorities react to even vague threats, I find that hard to believe they would have done nothing. Something more has to be going on here.

I had decided to avoid responding to Mister Anderson's original post, but since the esteemed Coolcats from the State of Utah has placed a motion for clarification before this august forum, I second the motion but not before making a speech in the grand fashion of American politics.

As I have stated before. I have been in law enforcement for 34-years. I have done everything there is to do in the profession several times over and have either a ring or T-shirt to prove it. I can testify of a number of certainties related to the profession, but let me focus on crimes against children and women. If one wishes to have first hand knowledge of the wrath that was poured out at the hands of avenging angels of the Old Testament, commit a crime against a child or woman. I assure anyone who reads this post, committing such crimes evokes rage within the ranks.

It is simply impossible for me to believe that any law enforcement agency would refuse or fail to thoroughly investigate any such crime. First, I know cops, and it is not in their nature to do such things. Next, it is political and social suicide for an agency not to run such investigations to a successful conclusion or to the point where every possible lead has led to a dead end. Yes, there are people who make up stories, and we usually know it from the start, but even those cases are investigated in great detail. Think about it. An agency will eventually be forced to confront the so-called victim; therefore, the agency better have its facts and evidence lined up correctly.

Sexual predators are the “scum of the scum.” Among criminals, there is a hierarchy, and sex offenders are at the bottom. Most, if not all, sex offenders must be segregated from the general prison population, because the other prisoners will kill them.

I don’t know the whole story of what happened to your friend, Mister Anderson, but there is definitely more.

[donna1]

Hi,

Thankyou everyone for sharing and showing an interest in my thread. However I am quite shocked at the outcome...I hope people still take an interest in my thread and continue to post their comments. whilst I really want to move and be with my partner and Utah looks like such a lovley place to bring up a family, I would not want to put my daughter in any danger. Does Scott Anderson refer to a certain part of Utah? Is theis a common occurance?

[Agoraphobic]

There are going to be scary stories and some kind of weird statistic about any place you ever think about. There's no place that's 100% innocent and pure in the entire world. That being said, there are places you should stay away from, even in Utah.

I have no problem raising my children here (when I have them), and all the talk about polygamist and religious zealots really only accounts for a very, very small percentage of people in Utah. You'll find that people here are just as friendly and 'normal' as you want them to be (but if you count drinking as normal, then you'll think we're all a bunch of weirdos!) If you come into it with a positive attitude you'll like the people and the surroundings.

Which areas are you looking to move to?

[chazcrew]

Donna, I've lived here for approximately 19 years, and honestly, it's a nice, safe state. Yeah, it's possible that someone's child was assaulted. That happens, sometimes, anywhere you go. I find it unusual and unlikely that nothing was done about it, but I don't know any of the particulars. What I do know is that, if you take normal precautions, you should feel safe here. I'm also not sure what the comment about guns was referring to; maybe occasionally police or gangs or something? I'm in a quiet city south of SLC and I never hear guns going off.

It just seems like some of the posts have you scared, and you have no reason to be. We don't have nightly shootouts while pedophiles run around unhindered, attacking our children. American do like their guns, though, I can't argue with that. I hate them, but that's just me.

[Kiki_304]

We didn't see anyone with guns whilst there but they can get a permit to carry concealed weapons. TBH, i didn't even think about anyone carrying one (i know we were only there visiting for 3 weeks). But the thought can freak you out because we are not from a gun culture (even though we are hearing about more gun crimes in the UK Now).

I could never move to because i would never servive the heat in the summer, but it was a beautiful place to be with at that lovely snow.

[Calibelle]

I am American, I currently live in the UK, and I spent 5 years of my adult life in Utah. I can assure you, the horror story you heard about the child being assaulted, is NOT a common occurance, and you should not worry. Utah is VERY safe.

I actually feel safer in America then I do in the UK, despite the fact the guns are illegal here in the UK, and I will tell you why. I am not impressed with the law inforcement here in the UK. If you call them for help, because there is a disturbance in your neighborhood, it takes them ages to respond. You call the police in America because you need help, they will be there within minutes. Also... I feel that if someone were to break into my home, or try to assault me here in the UK, I have no way to defend myself. Here, pepper spray is ILLEGAL. Knives of a certain length are ILLEGAL. Guns are ILLEGAL. How the crap am I supposed to protect myself here, if I don't have the right to LEGALLY obtain obects to do so??

There was a news report on a farmer here in the UK, who had a gun. Yes, it is illegal to own a gun here under any circumstance, BUT.... Someone broke into the guy's house, and was trying to rape his wife. The farmer shot the man, and the FARMER, yes the FARMER, was put in prison for using a firearm. RIDICULOUS. Out lawing guns here, only encourages people to have them illegally, and I believe that more often than not, bad people who should not have guns, have them here.

Yes, people walk around both legally, and illegally with guns, in the U.S. Yes, crimes are committed in the U.S with guns. But it does not bother me one bit, when people who have LEGALLY obtained the right to have a gun, carry them around. Atleast I know if they decide to use it to committ a crime, that the gun is registered, and the person who used it would easily be tracked down. Most gun crimes are committed with guns who are not registered to anyone. Guns are everywhere, and where they are outlawed, a greater number of bad people are going to carry illegal weapons.

In my opinion, you are more likely to get stabbed by some Yob here in the UK, then to get a gun pulled on you in America. Atleast the police in America will actually respond quickly, if you do need them. I see t.v. programs constantly here in the UK, about how bad the police force is here. One pregnant girl here, who had a restraining order against her abusive boyfriend, called the police, and told them he was breaking into her house, and she was afraid for her life. Instead of responding to her, the police that were originally told to go to her house, chose to go free a dog who was locked in a car, and the girl lost her life at the hands of her boyfriend.

You will feel safer in America than you ever will be here in the UK, and that is something that I know from personal experience. Move to Utah, you will love it. It is the best thing you will ever do. Don't worry about being Catholic, and moving to Utah. I have tons of friends who were born and raised in Utah, who are Catholic, and they love it there. Especially if you end up in Salt Lake, you will have no issues fitting in. Good luck.

[coolcats]

On a lighter note, your discussion of the British police reminds me of a joke I heard last night in my class:

Heaven is ...

Where the police are British,
The cooks are Italian,
The mechanics are German,
The lovers are French and
It's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is ...

Where the police are German,
The cooks are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The lovers are Swiss and
It's all organized by the Italians.

[Kiki_304]

Originally Posted by Calibelle

There was a news report on a farmer here in the UK, who had a gun. Yes, it is illegal to own a gun here under any circumstance, BUT.... Someone broke into the guy's house, and was trying to rape his wife. The farmer shot the man, and the FARMER, yes the FARMER, was put in prison for using a firearm. RIDICULOUS. Out lawing guns here, only encourages people to have them illegally, and I believe that more often than not, bad people who should not have guns, have them here.

Can't say have heard this one. Only one i know about is that guy that was sitting in a rundown farmhouse waiting for someone to enter because his house was a magnet for young boys. He actually shot both boys as they were running away and took ones life and caught the other in the leg. Thats the only one i know of along the lines of gun proctection and someones home.
I'm going to have to do a google now, when abouts and where abouts did it happen?

[chazcrew]

Oh my gosh coolcats, ROFLOL! That's classic!

[SergeantL]

Great analogy Cool--

Law enforcement in the United States is often referred to as "Irish Welfare," and people often wonder why the Irish make such good cops. Well, it’s simple. We Irish were policed by the British for so long we couldn’t help but learn something.