I'll start with the props... One of the twitter posters I follow regularly is Justin Fenton, who is a crime beat reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He covers the SE district and he does it quite well. I've had a couple conversations with him via email when I've had specific questions about a story that affects our neighborhood and he has always taken the time to answer personally. As I've started paying attention to what's happening in this neighborhood, his articles and tweets have been a great source of information... If you don't follow him, you can find him on Twitter as justin_fenton.
Here is a link to an article he posted this morning which, imo, everyone in SE Baltimore should read... http://baltimoreguide.com/http:/baltimoreguide.com/southeast-crime-woman-stabbed-while-unlocking-her-car-near-patterson-park/
I'm not going to go through the whole thing, but I would like to summarize and point out a couple of things. First, there were 12 robberies in SE Baltimore last week. Seven of them happened on Friday. Seven! Why Friday? I'd submit that Fridays are paydays for a lot of companies and lots of people are walking around with more cash than they would normally carry. The second thing that jumped out at me is the 5 burglaries... four of which happened between 8am and 6pm, while people are at work. From what I have seen, this appears to be something that is becoming more common in this neighborhood and in my opinion will continue to do so until the economy improves significantly (That's as far as I ever intend to get into politics here!).
The only crime I'll comment specifically on is the break-in on the 100 block of N East Ave. I know for a fact that there was another break in within a block of there in the last six months because I sold an alarm system to one of my neighbors there--unfortunately, it was after the burglary occurred, so it was kinda like closing the barn door after the horse was already out. It bothers me personally a great deal, because I hate walking in after the fact--especially when it's a neighbor (I live 2 blocks away). I always feel like if I had just met with them a week before, it could have minimized their personal loss.
I want to finish this entry with a few basic personal safety tips (chances are we all know these, but we all ignore them from time to time... Goodness knows I have, but they are still important and can keep you out of trouble!):
1. First of all, please be aware of this. There is a very common and very dangerous scam going around the Baltimore area right now that goes like this: A stranger knocks on your door. When you go to the door they make up some story about needing money for a locksmith, bus fare or any myriad of reasons. One outcome is that the person chooses to "help" and gets taken for how ever many dollars they give up to the person. The other outcome is much worse. If no one comes to the door, the one who knocks signals an accomplice who breaks in the back door, or the knocker goes around back and does it himself, under the assumption that no one is home. This could potentially lead to a very dangerous encounter with a desperate individual inside your home. The best way to respond to this is to go to a CLOSED window and tell the person who knocks you cannot help them. In this case, they typically move on to a house where no one is home. After calling you a vulgar name or two, of course...
2. Remember that people from legitimate companies with legitimate business will be wearing uniforms or carrying some type of company ID when they knock on your door. If you ever have even the slightest hint that something isn't right, call the company in question for confirmation before you open the door. A someone there on legitimate business should never mind.
3. Don't assume that just because it's daylight, or early in the evening, you're safe. Look at the times on the robberies. Half of them happened in broad daylight, and the latest time any of them occurred was 10pm. Same with the burglaries, most happened during the day. Take a look at the addresses too. These are areas we would typically think of as relatively safe. Criminals don't think that way. They think of those neighborhoods as relatively rich and relatively close instead!
4. When you are walking around the neighborhood, pay attention to your surroundings. Stay off your cellphone, get the earphones out of your ears and notice what is happening 360 degrees around you. A person engaged in a conversation on a cell phone or listening to earphones is distracted, and a person who is distracted is an easy mark.
5. If you've been out drinking at the bar or a restaurant and you have a distance to walk home, take a cab. If it's just a few blocks and you must walk, don't walk alone. Criminals know that people walking out of bars are often easy marks and they lay in wait for them.
6. If you are walking somewhere and you feel you're being followed, cross the street. If the person you suspect crosses, assume you are correct and find safety immediately. An business is a good place to duck into.(aka, your nearest pub!) also, if you are on your block, beat on the door of a neighbor you trust for help. Trying to get into your own place can be risky, especially if you live alone, because the person could force their way in when you open the door and then you are in a very bad situation in private. (BTW, I had to use this one myself a few years ago. The person I suspected walked back and forth in front of the front window of the bar I ducked into for 10 minutes... Needless to say, this one saved me from getting mugged!)
5. Finally, if you have an alarm system in your home, have it tested regularly to make sure it is functioning properly. Most monitoring companies offer a weekly test for a minimal fee. If you system is over 3 years old, you may want to talk to a professional like me to see how much the technology has changed in just a few years and what upgrades are available--chances are, you can get a whole lot more functionality for the same or just a little more than you're paying now in monitoring. And if you feel like you don't want all of the bells and whistles, chances are I can save you a significant amount of money every month on your monitoring fees if you're out of contract.
Well, I hope this has been a good reminder to folks about personal safety... I would ideally like for this blog to be a resource more than it is an advertisement and I hope I've gotten started on the right foot. If you have input or questions, please comment below, or if you feel it is more private, email me at alarmanswerman@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading,
Spence
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