Posted on 09/30/2005 5:05:29 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
Dionne Lacy and her fiance, Reginald Randle, were surprised to see a large dent in their garage door Monday when they returned from an exhausting, five-day evacuation trip to Bernice, La. What they initially thought was wind damage to their Texas City home turned out to be the work of thieves who ransacked their residence and others in the South Point subdivision, making off with thousands of dollars' worth of property. "It was devastating. I don't feel safe, and now we're talking about purchasing a gun to protect ourselves, and I never wanted a gun in my home," she said.
Such thefts were not isolated to South Point. As people returned home, weary from the exodus but relieved that Hurricane Rita had spared residences, some were shocked to find homes ransacked during sporadic crime waves across the Houston area. Law enforcement officials interviewed this week said there were increased reports of burglaries of residences and businesses between Sept. 23 and Tuesday. They also arrested an above-average number of burglary suspects, many of whom were caught in the act after alarm systems and alert neighbors notified police. Harris County deputies recorded at least 201 burglaries of residences and businesses between Sept. 23 and 25.
"That's not normal. Those numbers are high," said Sgt. Terry Wilson of the sheriff's office burglary and theft division. Fort Bend County had 35 burglary reports, up 8 percent from the weekly average. Texas City received 46 burglary reports, up 229 percent from a weekly average of 14. Pasadena police had 77 reports of burglary of a habitation and four of burglary of a business between Sept. 23 and 27. There were just eight residential and four business burglaries in the same period last year. Houston police said they arrested at least 74 suspects, but they will not know how many residences were burglarized until they can compile statistics next month.
"We're hoping the number is not high," said officer Johanna Abad, a Houston Police Department spokeswoman. "We know the strong police presence was there. And Chief (Harold Hurtt) came out and said looting will not be tolerated, and people were listening." Hurtt attributes higher-than-average arrest rates between Sept. 23 and 26 to an increased police presence. "Our capture rate for calls for burglary was high," he said. "At times, the police almost outnumbered the bad guys." Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Manning, who heads the burglary division for east Harris County, said the area of 162,000 people reported about 50 burglaries. The number is up 257 percent from the weekly average.
Manning suspects that many of the crimes may have been committed by neighbors. He hopes the sporadic burglaries will not keep residents from leaving when future evacuations are ordered. Scott Poland, head of the psychology department at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, said many of the burglaries were committed by "opportunistic people who had probably engaged in lawless acts before." His house in northwest Harris County was burglarized Sept. 21. Many residents of the Lakecrest Village Apartments at 9393 Tidwell in northeast Houston returned home this week to find that burglars had kicked in doors to take children's clothes and food, televisions and videogame consoles.
"We used our rent money to pay for gas and food to evacuate, and we come home to see our (televisions) had been stolen and our food eaten," Tameko Wilson said. She said apartment managers would not tell residents how many units were burglarized. TV news stations reported that as many as 33 units were broken into, but Abad said only six calls were made to the complex. Tameko Wilson doubts police were in her neighborhood because burglars had time to ransack multiple units, cook meals, drink beer and steal big items such as her 67-inch television. Wilson returned to find a police report in her apartments.
Manning and others urged caution when evaluating early crime statistics until each report can be investigated. "Some of the numbers, once we complete investigations, may come back as unfounded," he said.
An armed society is a polite society........
Yeah, this is one of those instances where you only find out after it's too late to do anything about it, ha.
...at least legally.
"It was devastating. I don't feel safe, and now we're talking about purchasing a gun to protect ourselves, and I never wanted a gun in my home," she said.
ADVICE: Buy a good gun and shoot to kill.
"We used our rent money to pay for gas and food to evacuate, and we come home to see our (televisions) had been stolen and our food eaten," Tameko Wilson said. She said apartment managers would not tell residents how many units were burglarized.
The Managers have to tell them which units were burglarized...wellduh!
TV news stations reported that as many as 33 units were broken into, but Abad said only six calls were made to the complex. Tameko Wilson doubts police were in her neighborhood because burglars had time to ransack multiple units, cook meals, drink beer and steal big items such as her 67-inch television. Wilson returned to find a police report in her apartments.
Manning and others urged caution when evaluating early crime statistics until each report can be investigated. "Some of the numbers, once we complete investigations, may come back as unfounded," he said.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......
Oddly enough, it can. If a potential burglar doesn't know if you're home or not, but knows that most of the people in your neighborhood are armed and ready to shoot burglars, then there's a good chance he won't hit your house because he fears you might be at home and might kill him in the act. The more people who are legitimately armed, the safer everybody, including the unarmed, is.
Well I'm no DUmmy but after Texas went on and on about them not being Louisiana and having a plan I just have to roll my eyes at the problems they had with the evacuation. During Rita, there have been zero deaths and minimal looting here in Louisiana. When they do loot they are put in jail with a bottle of water, one MRE and a mattress in a hot cell for at least 3 weeks because there are no bail bondsmen available to bail them out. They also face 15 years of hard labor for their crimes.
Opportunistic thieves, as opposed to pros, usually don't take fragile housewares or huge pieces of furniture, either. They're after cash, jewelry, and electronics. Maybe silverware, if you just happen to have a sterling set sitting out :-).
So you stick your cash in your pocket, your jewelry box (and your sterling flatware set) and a copy of your insurance policy in the trunk, and get out of town.
Yes, that's true in general ... less true, for preventing robbery, when there's an evacuation order on.
Another neo-con in the making. (Neo-con = liberal that has been mugged.)
Insurance fraud? How much did she still owe on the 67" T.V.?
Had to use rent money to evacuate (ie no savings) yet still owns a 67 inch TV. Yup. Priorities in order here.
The main problem with today's thieves is they also like to TRASH the house (class warfare) while they do their dirtywork..........
A) It likely took up most of the livin rm & dinin area....and Rent-A-Center may be out of luck.....
Now I am reasonably successful and I still don't have a wee (up to 42") not-so wee (42"-50") or a friggin-huge 67" TV.... What the?
Who the hell need 67" of TV? I'm happy with my 32" screen. Damn I don't even know where I would Put a monster set like that......
There was looting of homes in Houston as well. I know someone who remained at home in that neighborhood with his relatives and his gun.
Looters are nothing new. The assumption that it is not a big deal or doesn't exist is.
Exactly. Mayor Bob-White of Houston (Clinton crony and hand picked successor of Bob Lanier, the town's term limited king making ex-mayor) looked like a shoe-in to re-election after Katrina (for taking in the people of NOLA).
Now millions who were stuck on the highway have seen his horrible failure (waking up Thursday morning, saying, OH SH!T, trying to scramble to put together a plan to clear the highways, MAKING IT UP AS THEY WENT ALONG).
While he can blame the other counties all he wants, it took 12 hours just for me to leave HOUSTON on 290. That is all under his and Eckels jurisdiction.
It was our own Superdome and Convention Center debacle.
We need fewer criminals, not more insurance.
Having fewer criminals won't replace your things after the hurricane/flood/fire/tornado/earthquake. Adequate insurance will.
I know it has me really thinking hard about whether or not I would evacuate. I know it's just stuff, but its MY stuff.
susie
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