a little bit country

[bellapoison]

Sit back and tally up the number of people you know who have been the victim of a crime. Almost everyone I know has had their home or car burglarized, or had a car stolen, or been personally assaulted in the last year or two. Both David and I have experienced "serial burglars"--the ones that come back later for stuff they missed the first time.

Comments

[systemerror]

I grew up in the sticks, and I'll point out that the sticks aren't immune to crime, either. The problem isn't the city in general, it Dallas, which has the highest crime rate per capita in the country (even Detroit!), and a police department that is understaffed to handle the everyday, non-violent crimes properly... they won't even bother coming out if you get your car broken into. If there's a reason burglary and car-burglary is so high, it's because the police department doesn't come out to investigate, or if they do, they throw up their hands and say... "sorry... not much we can do." With a police force sending out that message, it means the petty buglar will only get caught in the act. And the chances of a cop coming by just at the right time are pretty slim. Of all the problems Dallas has, the lack of economic development is one of the factors that effect (affect?) crime. Dallas needs help, and getting crime down is one of the first things that needs to be addressed. I don't blame you for wanting to move. Not for crime, but the city Dallas in general is a sinking ship.

[bellapoison]

Yeah, I realize that somebody can burglarize or shoot me in my mobile home in the country just like they can in the city. But statistically, it seems less of a probability. And I don't think country life is going to be idyllic--in fact, I think it will suck to drive 45 minutes to work, to not have immediate access to a movie theater or all the shops and restaurants that I've come to rely on, to have to haul our garbage to the dump. On the other hand, there's something very attractive to me about living in a more isolated area, and the chance to have a garden and a few animals.

From a story Jim Schutze wrote two years ago:

"The overall crime rate, violent and nonviolent, is higher in Dallas than in any other city with a population of more than 1 million. There are three times as many crimes reported in Dallas per 100,000 people as in New York City. We rank in the top four for murders per capita, with Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Dallas is No. 2 in per capita nonviolent theft and fraud, after San Antonio. We're second for rape, after Philadelphia, with more than twice as many rapes per 100,000 people as New York City."