View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2006 > June > 14
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Holy Batman! How do we protect ourselves?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just about everyone involved in the teaching and discussion of police organization and management of crime in both urban and rural areas agree that police need the help of the citizens to be effective in deterring crime and putting bad guys in jail. Eyes and ears, right? Thus the creation of community policing.
I was speaking to a homeowner’s group one evening and upon hitting on the point that the police need help in fighting crime a small child said, “Why don’t you just send up the signal for Batman?” I thought that was cute. I relayed the story to my friend Sully who nodded but didn’t say anything. Later still, in the conversation, I was going over some other crime-suppression options that we were looking at. Sully looked perplexed, so I asked him, Why the confused look?”
He asked, “So the Batman thing is out?” (Sully had a drinking problem but had gone to rehab. He now claimed to have periodic involuntary fatty-tissue releases on the brain.)
But, for the rest of us, it’s pretty easy to see how the police need the resources of the public.
The Neighborhood Watch Program
In early 1972, around the time Keith Richards was first learning to climb palm trees, the National Sheriffs Association developed a model program for today’s Neighborhood Watch programs. At that time chiefs of police and sheriffs from around the country were requesting a program that would squelch the increasing burglary rate across the United States.
Part of the rise in burglary was due to more women leaving the home and joining the working community. This left many homes empty during the day and thus the opportunity to commit burglary.
The organization and implementation of Neighborhood Watch soon showed significant results in, not only residential burglary, but other crimes as well.
To me, “opportunity” is the key to everything in the wonderful world of crime. Almost all criminals are opportunists. There are some very stupid criminals but most of them are already in jail. The ones who remain out, do so in part because they pick and choose. Don’t get me wrong, they screw up all the time because no plan is perfect. For the most part, however, they strive to find a level of comfort in knowing this particular location they’ve chosen to commit the crime offers little risk of being caught.
Again, there are exceptions, such as the guy who led police on a car chase only to stop for coffee or the guy who robbed the convenience store and then stepped across the street to have a beer. Forget them. They’re fun but not plentiful.
Here are some frequently asked questions from folks who learn about Neighborhood Watch for the first time:
—In Neighborhood Watch, I understand that you watch the neighborhood. Is that true?
— Do you issue guns?
— Do we have to be present?
— When things are going down, can we roll out?
— Will we be allowed to say things like “10-4?”
— Do we get a discount on doughnuts?
I take some things for granted. Like maybe the basics. Some neighborhoods organize weekend patrols by either walking or by using cars, bikes, or whatever means, in order to cover the neighborhood. Most don’t actively patrol, but do keep an eye out for suspicious stuff like people driving around at night with no lights on or cars parked in front of home of people gone for the day or out of town. In many, many burglary reports, the officer noted the neighbor saw something that he or she thought was a bit strange and even suspicious but passed it off as no big deal and probably explainable. This is known as “It happens everywhere but here” syndrome.
Bad guys love those people. They count on getting some edge on time or circumstances that allows them to get in and get out without getting shot, bitten by the dog, pepper sprayed, tasered, and/or arrested. This is what criminals call a good day.
Does Neighborhood Watch make a difference?
Yes it does — but like everything else, you have to put some work into it. You need to have goals. The big picture is this: You want to create the PERCEPTION that your neighborhood has eyes and ears everywhere, or create some good paranoia. Think about this: If you are planning to do something illegal, you automatically create pressure on yourself NOT to get caught. You can’t have that on your mind without some degree of paranoia.
Let’s say you’re casing a neighborhood looking for a good target. “Casing” and “Target” are fancy police words for “checking out the area” and “house to break into.” What you see and hear there will affect your decision if, or not, you have a level of comfort working this particular neighborhood and if so, which house you would select. There are sorts of things that could go wrong and believe me, except for those guys whacked out on drugs, all of them have a checklist in mind of what could go wrong. We want to give them the perception that this is not the right place to select.
Obviously, the next question is, “How do we do this?”
COMING THURSDAY: Tips for Neighborhood Watch
