View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2009 > February > 23 > Entry
A cop’s take on crime: Better to be smart AND safe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Around 10 p.m. a man, on his way home, walks into a convenience store to pick up a gallon of milk. He walks in right about the time another man, who has walked in some 30 seconds earlier, is trying to force the store clerk to clean out the cash drawer a bit faster so he can make his getaway.
The two men meet in the middle and seconds later the robber is out the door and running down the street. The poor slob who just happened to walk in at the wrong time, well, he’s standing there on his cell phone calling the cops while the store clerk just sits there with a wide eyed look on his now pale face. No one got hurt. They were lucky. The robber held all the cards and it was his decision whether or not this scenario turned tragic.
A couple of days later a man, on his way to his brand new Ford Expedition, walks from the parking deck elevator to his car parked in that section where few cars park. With the new car, he parks on the other side of the planet until he gets the first scratch and then, like all semi-new car owners, he falls back on the habit of parking as close to the office as possible. Anyway, he walks directly to the car and only slightly notices the two young men in an old Pontiac who, for some reason, parked way out there near the Expedition.
The man thinks it’s odd but then focuses on the car because it’s 5 p.m. and he want to get out of here and go home.
He glances at the two men, who turn out to be 17 years old, and hits the remote to unlock the car. As he opens the door, the two men are on him, one with a gun to the right side of his neck. They put him on the ground, hit him on the head with the gun butt, get in the car, and drive away.
He pulls his cell phone and calls 911. The two men don’t get a mile down the road before being spotted by a police cruiser who has just received the information from the 911 center.
The pursuit covers just over four miles. The two men, unfamiliar with the neighborhood and unable to shake the cops, drive fast but make a series of right turns until some seven minutes later, very close to the spot where they carjacked the victim, the pursuit ends when the Expedition slams into a police car who, like several others, were waiting at the end of the big circle.
The victim meanwhile is sitting in a police cruiser, holding a bandage to his head, still unable to grasp what had happened to him less than 10 minutes ago.
He was lucky. Although the cut on his head was throbbing, it was a hell of a lot better than lying there with a bullet in his head.
“It’s better to be lucky thank smart.”
I’ll take all the luck I can get! And, like most of you, I can remember a couple of times when it was luck alone that kept my butt out of some bad stuff.
Luck is a good thing.
Some luck, you can make for yourself. Here are some basics that aren’t labor intensive and will put a little more luck on your side.
First, realize this: We live in a large city with a large urban sprawl. Crime follows growth. Not necessarily high crime, but other than Mayberry, N.C., all cities and suburbs have some measure of crime so…
Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Here’s my safety primer:
Convenient stores
Convenient stores are often targets because they’re open late and sometimes located in isolated areas. It’s better if you don’t need to stop in during the late hours. If you need to, make sure you can see the clerk. If the clerk looks busy or what appears to be normal, good.
If the clerk has a wide-eyed look like he’s just finished his or her 25 cup of coffee, don’t go in. It might be there is nothing to it but it won’t hurt to wait and see—at a distance. Back out and if you have that funny feeling that something is wrong, call 911.
Sometimes this means nothing. Sometimes the store clerk is in the back stocking the freezer but it won’t hurt to take a couple of minutes to be sure of what you’re seeing.
ATM
At night—stay away unless it’s an emergency and running out of money at the strip club is not a good example of an emergency run to the ATM. Even during the day, choose an ATM location that is not in an isolated area.
The more customers around the better. Get your card out and get your business done quickly. Don’t pull over and start fiddling around with your wallet or cash or whatever.
Drive away from the ATM. Some of our ATM robberies occurred as a result of the bad guys hiding near the machine and approaching the victim during the transaction or just after.
They walked up from behind so while you’re at the machine, check the mirrors. No one should be violating that personal space around your car. If they do, drive off. Action is quicker than reaction right?
In the Car
No one can carjack you when the car is moving. When you’re parking the car or getting into the car is when you’re most vulnerable.
In the example above, the victim saw the two people and it was odd to him that they stood out in that they didn’t fit the corporate parking lot area, just sitting in the car in an isolated part of the parking deck.
He dismissed it and paid no attention to them. Look ahead and take some action if this kind of scenario pops up. It may never happen to you but take the hint if it presents itself to you.
The best source of information on everything I’m talking about here is your good ol’ beat cop. Ask him or her. They’re a great source for local crime and crime prevention information and most aren’t a bit shy about laying it out there without all that political correctness the command staff observes.
Find out about where you live, you work, and where you frequent. It’s good information and will put a little more luck on your side.
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Comments
By Joe Zingher
February 23, 2009 1:27 PM | Link to this
This reminds me of the Kimberly Boyd murder and how the banking industry fought all efforts to improve ATM safety and even blocked efforts to track the crime pattern. The AJC ignored it of course and simply accepted everything the banking lobby had to say about the problems. Then naturally, Meredith Emerson was murdered and it turned out that her killer, Gary Michael Hilton, was living in national parks and killing people for years just so he could clean out their bank accounts, and here it is over a year later and still nothing is being done about it.
By vasily
February 23, 2009 10:24 PM | Link to this
Good point on being observant, Lt. Rose! It’s always best to avoid a nasty situation then having to react to it. Back to the act vs. react thing.
One way that good law abiding citizens can prevent the bad guys from holding all the cards is by being armed. Now this option isn’t for everyone, nor does it actually make you safer. Being armed does, however, give you an option that you don’t have otherwise
Since HB89 went into effect last July, law abiding licensed Georgians who choose to be responsible for their own safety can now carry their handguns into places like applebee’s and Chili’s, on Marta, and to state parks.
If you life in Georgia, and don’t have a mental disability or a criminal record, you should consider obtaining a Georgia Firearms License. Get training from a local firearmes instructor and get to know your handgun.
When seconds count, the closest officers are minutes away. And a loaded gun always trumps the dispatcher on the phone!
By BravesFan79
February 24, 2009 6:40 AM | Link to this
When in your car parked by yourself at night…. dont use your overhead light… pple can see you… but u cant see them!\
Get used to using your cell phone or lighter as a light….. saved my a$$ one day while working in south atlanta and noticed some black dudes getting ready to set me up.
Politically correct people can KISS MY A$$….. leftest have already almost ruined Europe….the US is next….
By TruATLien
February 24, 2009 8:21 AM | Link to this
BravesFan clearly you couldn’t resist the jab about black dudes getting ready to set you up, you human paraquat. The point of the blog is to be aware - everywhere, at all times. Thinking it’s always black dudes who have ill intent, and relaxing your guard otherwise, is a good recipe for getting bonked on the head by white, yellow, brown, red or striped dudes. Politically correct-ly speaking…
By Jimbo
February 24, 2009 11:13 AM | Link to this
Three weeks after this post we found out BravesFan79 was jacked by an asian and a white dude wearing business casual. When they asked him for a light he obliged and later woke up in his trunk.
Not to be paranoid, but everyone is a potential threat, labeling people conveniently makes you blind to other potential problems. I like that they don’t mention race because it serves as a reminder to me that all people commit crimes and all people can be a victim regardless of statistics and sometimes regardless of precautions.
By Chris Broe
February 24, 2009 4:07 PM | Link to this
Good advice!
By Max
February 24, 2009 4:30 PM | Link to this
Sure, cops know about crime types and locations and probabilities, which may be why they are elsewhere. God bless cops, we need ‘em.
By Aperson
February 25, 2009 7:04 PM | Link to this
In other states I’ve seen where the ATM’s are enclosed like little buildings. The glass should be the type that is unbreakable. You can only get in if you have a card with that bank or a legitimate bank. Maybe GA should invest in that. Of course that doesn’t stop theives who are trying to use someone elses card they just stole from getting in, but that’s when awareness comes in. Only go to the ATM when no one else is in there. If you are in there and someone else comes in, do your business fast & get out as fast as you can.
By SeniorCitizen
February 25, 2009 11:16 PM | Link to this
A few pointers for your safety: Having lived in Florida and having to deal with druggies who attempted to break into my house, and others who were eyeing my old Van, at 4am, with intent to take it as well as other incidents you may want to consider the following: Whether you are male, or female, go to your sporting goods store, and purchase a good sized can of Pepper Spray Gel. Carry it with you, at all times, even in your driveway.
2. Visit your local WalMart shoe department, and outfit yourself with a pair of STEEL TOED sneakers.They look just like regular sneakers, but they contain a steel toe, that just might save your life, if you are attacked.
3. Always keep your cellphone charged, and carry an additional battery if you have one. 4. If your car has a “keyless entry remote” press the button only one time, to unlock your driver’s door, but do not unlock the other doors.Once you are inside your vehicle, use the remote again, immediately, to lock yourself in the car, and give yourself time to start the vehicle. Seconds count!
5. If you shop late at night, even if it’s only for a toothbrush, make sure you have a shopping cart (buggy, in Atlanta) on your way out of the store, and your keys in your hand. A shopping cart gives you a weapon to put between yourself, and an attacker, and no one has ever been charged with assault, who used a shopping cart to slam an attacker in the knees.Ladies, this is especially important for your safety, since it gives you “weapons of mass destruction” to wear on your feet, pepper spray gives you escape time, and locking yourself inside the car immediately, gives you protection and allows you to blow your horn, to attract attention, if anyone tries to break your car window.
Your safety is your own responsibility, and a Deputy Sheriff once told us “The only people who are out, after 11pm, are either victims, or criminals” Try to do your shopping before dark, and be home as early as possible. Stay safe out there, and Thank your local Police, for their tireless efforts to protect you. May God Bless each of them as they complete their shift, and return them home to their families, safe, and alive.
By Brad S.
February 25, 2009 11:17 PM | Link to this
I am a night manager at one of the local convenient stores and I would like to thank you for giving people a few tips on how to make it a safe place, not only for you (the customer) but also the employees
By redhead
March 3, 2009 12:44 AM | Link to this
don’t get on him about the black dudes comment… when 70% of the population is black, 70% of the crime should be committed by blacks. it’s only natural..
By Winder
March 20, 2009 1:30 AM | Link to this
Yes crime comes in all colors “The only people who are out, after 11pm, are either victims, or criminals” I think this is true after the age of 23.