| Best known by most as the city where the Jackson 5 got their start, Gary has one of the highest crime rates in the country. At one time, the city was the murder capital of the United States. Although violent crime isn’t as bad as it once was, Gary is still not a very safe place to live and work. Many crimes are never solved because victims and witnesses are too afraid to tell police what they know. This only leads to more crime because the criminals are never arrested and there is little reason for them to stop. Overall, most victims of violent crimes know their attacker. They are targeted for one reason or another and people who aren’t involved in that kind of trouble don’t have to worry much about being murdered by a criminal on the street. However, there is always a chance that a shooter will miss their target and hit an innocent person or even a child. Vigilance is vital, especially when traveling through high-crime areas. Unfortunately, the same is not true for property crimes. These offenses are generally crimes of opportunity and can happen to anyone who lets their guard down. Leaving a purse on the seat of your car or simply leaving your car doors unlocked can put you at risk of being a victim. Although some brazen criminals will break a car window to get what’s inside, most thefts from cars are achieved by simply opening the door. Be sure to remove your valuables or hide them from plain view each and every time you exit your vehicle. Regardless of the temperature outside, raise your windows and lock your car doors. Your chances of having your property stolen drop significantly by taking these few steps. Now that you’ve learned how to secure your car, it’s also important to know the steps to keeping your home safe. Whether you rent a house or apartment or if you own your home, you can install a security system. For a nominal fee per month, you can get a security company to monitor your system and alert the police if anyone breaks into your house while you are away or at home sleeping. Although it might not make sense to outsiders, poor people often steal from other equally poor people. The fact that you don’t have much in your home will not protect you from a potential burglary. Similarly to your car, you’ll need to close and lock the doors and windows to your home every time you leave. Some people leave one or two lights on in their house if they plan to be out until after dark to give the impression that someone is inside the home. This may deter some burglars but because there won’t be any moving shadows in the rooms with the lights, it’s unclear whether this strategy is very effective. It certainly doesn’t work as well as an alarm system. Be sure to put the yard sign in front of your house and the stickers on your doors and windows to make sure a thief thinks twice before they enter your home without permission. Local police have made some adjustments to the way they deal with the community and it seems to be starting to make an impact. Instead of merely confronting criminals and arresting suspects, Gary police have been trying to engage with the residents in an effort to solve and even prevent crime. The goal of the project is to get residents comfortable enough talking to the police that they aren’t afraid to report crime and come forward as a witness if they see something happen. When police present themselves as real people who are actually concerned about the needs of the residents they serve, they improve community relations and are able to solves burglaries and violent crimes on behalf of the people of Gary. Instead of assuming they will arrest someone when they arrive at a domestic dispute or any other conflict, police now attempt to diffuse the situation with their weapon secured inside their holster whenever possible. This makes residents more comfortable and more likely to cooperate with police officers and gives police an opportunity to find out what’s really going on before they take someone to jail. Some police officers have reported that this makes their job a lot easier because residents are not afraid of them. They are more likely to call when they need help rather than assume that calling the police will make the situation worse. When they respond to reports of burglaries, officers who use this model are more likely to be able to get information from witnesses that will help them solve the crime. Unfortunately, even if the thief is caught, the property they stole usually isn’t recovered. This is why every resident should have an alarm system on their home. Having it in place will deter many burglars and alert the police quickly if someone does get into the home. The faster the police get there, the better a resident’s chance they will catch the criminal in the act before they get away with their things. Local police do everything they can to keep the community safe and this new method of policing may prove to be very effective. Despite everything they do, it remains important for you, as a resident of Gary, to do your part to keep your home safe as well as be a good citizen and help your neighbors if they are ever a victim of a crime. |
