The other day the management company left a flyer on our door about a “Resident Meeting” regarding apartment safety. I was concerned enough that I attended the evening meeting after work. A couple of policemen and the building management were in attendance. The reason for the meeting was to discuss recent criminal activity in the area, and to warn residents about personal safety.
My neighborhood is in the middle of the city of Houston. If you are unfamiliar with the city and come to visit, you will notice very quickly that the city does not have strict zoning laws. As a result, the city itself is a mix of residential, commercial and industrial. One block could be a nice residential area, and across the street would be high rises or industrial parks, unless you live in a planned community in the suburbs. So you can live in a block with nice residences, but go two blocks and you can quickly find yourself in an unsavory looking area. Being careful and aware of your surroundings is very important. Not being critical or negative, that is just the way it is. While we carefully picked the apartment we live in, checked crime statistics and all that, crime in any area is inevitable.
Back to the meeting. Apparently, the management company decided to have a meeting due to a recent shooting that occurred in the complex. They wanted to reassure the residents that it was not a random event but a shooting between acquaintances, a “drug deal gone bad.” There were no fatalities, the shooter was arrested and the victim was shot in the leg. Not very reassuring to hear that a resident was doing a drug deal. The resident has since been evicted, at least he is not around anymore. The cops also informed us there have been car break-ins and some theft.
Some thoughts and ideas on being safe:
–This meeting has just reinforced my feeling that there is no such thing as a “safe area.” We need to be on guard at all times, and always aware of our surroundings. Always find out about what’s going on around you. Surprisingly, for a complex this large, not a lot of tenants attended the meeting, considering it was about something important.
–If you start to have a bad feeling about your surroundings, stop and pay attention to these feelings, it is your intuition telling you not to proceed.
–As the economy gets worse, crime keeps spreading. People are more desperate these days, and thieves try to target people that they perceive as more vulnerable: the elderly, women alone or women and children.
–To avoid being targeted by thieves, think about what attracts these criminals: flashy jewelry, a large purse that looks stuffed with cash or credit cards even if it isn’t. I am guilty of this myself, my purse was filled with junk that I felt I needed to carry around-wallet, makeup, coupons, notes to myself etc. It does not matter if you really have lots of cash; you may just have coupons in there, but if the thief PERCEIVES that you have goodies, then that is enough to get their attention. When examining each item such as checkbooks, notes, etc. ask yourself, “Why am I carrying this around, can I leave it behind?” I have since cleaned out my purse to the minimum items needed.
–When shopping, always lock your vehicle and do not leave your items in the car, lock them up in the trunk. The cop revealed that they patrol certain malls because thieves are known to “harvest” items that people leave in the cars while shopping.
–Consider a protection device such as mace, pepper spray or a concealed gun if you know how to use them.
–When walking to your car, have your keys ready in your hand, no fishing around the parking lot for missing keys. Brief inattention to your surroundings can cost you your life. If leaving at night, try to walk with someone or have security escort you.
–Train the kids to only open the door to family or friends who know the “password” and never open the door to strangers.
–Keep your curtains or blinds closed. The more passersby see your appliances and items, the more likely a thief will get interested in you.
–Consider an alarm system or a dog if your building allows it.
–Make sure you always lock your doors and windows.
–Look around the area before you open your door or garage, as thieves have been know to follow people in as they get home.
–Be careful about announcing your activities and plans on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook, this will give potential thieves a “heads up” that your house is available.
Sorry if this article sounds a bit paranoid, but these are the times we live in. A big part of survival mentality or preparedness is paying attention to your own personal and family security.
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