Our once “no crime ever happens here” neighborhood has had a crime spree just within the last 2 months. 2 houses had break-ins late in the night/early morning hours where the burglars entered through the outside garage door and then into the house- in one case while the people were upstairs asleep! Very spooky, indeed and I don’t want to blame the victims here but what are people doing leaving there doors unlocked in the first place? Then, 4 cars had break-ins parked on the street. The neighbors (around 67 houses in our sub-development) thankfully have gotten pretty serious about this and have formed a militia. Well, not really but a neighborhood watch with people taking turns patrolling the streets at night between 12-midnight and 5am, with flashlights and dogs (I hope rottweilers, pit bulls, and eye-pecking hawks!).
Now send in the clowns. ADT Home Security use to send there salesmen-in-training into our neighborhood trying to sell their over-priced monitoring systems and contracts years ago. They stopped when nobody bought into it and were never heard from again. They’re back! And this time with tall-tales of rapes, gunpoint robberies, and burglars burning homes down with children trapped inside with police/firemen nowhere to be found. BUT they’ll protect you, just buy a system starting at $500, and their “special pricing” home monitoring (because they care!) 5-year (auto-renewing) contract at only $40.99. But because they like us (must be the hair?), they’ll drop it to $29.99/month. Are you kidding?! I swear, I’m not a conspiracy guy, but I think they might be causing the crime here trying to sell systems. That, or they go phishing around the police reports using crime and fear as a selling leverage.
As for me, I’m not buying into it, and talking with a few of the neighbors, it seems like the rest aren’t either – for now. We’re leaving our outside lights on and keeping our dog outside at night. I’m even thinking of putting shaving cream around his mouth and buying him a spiked collar too! That should do the trick.
And tonight the neighborhood has a meeting at City Hall with the Sheriff’s on neighborhood watch training- I wonder if ADT will be standing outside the windows or hanging out in the parking lot like car salesmen, salivating with there eyes glowing red.
That is normal sales tactic for ADT. Your comments on the neighborhood watch are typical though. To really work EVERYONE has to be involved. Most people talk but don't actually do anything.
ReplyDelete90% of burglaries are committed by someone you know, either a neighbor, friend, or your children's freinds.
You can put in your own alarm system and monitor it yourself. A better option is to form a neighborhood orgnaization. With more than 10 members you can afford to have a security guard make actual checks. If you go the route of the security guard make sure they are bonded.