View From a Cop: As the Economy Worsens, So Will Crime

E-mail of the week: Steve, I hear that using wasp spray is an effective weapon in case you are attacked. Is that true?

Well, to an extent, yes, if you’re attacked by wasps.

Okay, if you’re assaulted in the house and the wasp spray is in reach, then grab it and use it. Spray and then hit him on the head with it. Of course WD-40 will work too I guess.

I wouldn’t want to be sprayed in the face with it. The can of wasp spray—or whatever, is bulky and I doubt you’re going to pack in your purse and carry it around all day. Pepper spray is about $15 bucks for a good size bottle and it’s made for the job. Stick with that. You can find it on the Internet and if you have questions, write me. I’m good at giving advice. 

You know, at some point, with all this economic meltdown we’re hearing about day to day, there will be a defined correlation between the lack of jobs and a marked increase in crime. That’s not a stretch, most police chiefs and analyst will tell you that. It’s obvious that crime will align itself with the economy. But unemployment numbers are rising, and for me this is the beginning of a time when we’ll see a lot of basically honest people doing dishonest things.

Being out of work is one thing. Being out of food is another. A person is going to find food or money for food whether honestly or not.

This isn’t a doomsday message (the news sources have a lock on that) but rather a reminder that common sense is a great asset to crime prevention. It’s the lack of common sense, or just plain laziness that gets us into trouble.

Crooks do what we all do—take the path of least resistance. White collar criminals or aspiring criminals are forging, faking, and doing weird things to get their hands on money. Internet and e-mail scams are floating around cyberspace, looking for a sucker. Car-hoppers are checking door handles in retail parking lots, corporate and apartment lots as well as a recent move into the suburbs. If you went to bed last night, leaving your briefcase, GPS, gun, purse, or whatever you would really miss, in the car, then shame on you. That’s lazy.

Lock the doors? Some don’t. Cat burglars will check the windows and sometimes enter and walk around your home without you ever knowing it—until the next day. That’s a scary thought.

Although I don’t see much of it, there are cases where someone goes into a hotel room at night while the guest is asleep. They steal a watch or other items from the bedside table. That’s crazy but there are people who will do that.

Don’t assume.

Don’t think that it won’t happen. Just plan for the worst and hope for the best right? Make sure that you lock the windows up tight at night. Even the dogs will sometimes sleep through it.

Dogs are great alarms but don’t rely on that and only that. Set the alarm at night and leave your purse in the bedroom and not on the kitchen counter at night. Simple planning will save you some heartache.

Popular items are yard tools; lawnmowers, blowers, and other items used for landscaping. Storage-shed burglaries are more popular. Tools are easily sold. Lock them up.

On the back side, if you do have a theft or burglary, you need to have serial numbers and even digital photos available. It makes the investigator’s job easier to find them and much easier to work with the insurance company. Record them somewhere just in case. Go room to room and make an inventory of your good stuff.

Crime-prevention officers are there for a reason. Call your department and request a home or business survey. They will look it over and give you good ideas how to improve security with locks, lights, and environmental design.  

Just use your common sense.