ADT Peabody, Massachusetts
A Home Alarm System Can Help Protect Your Family From the Gangs and Drugs Surrounding Peabody
Peabody, MA is a small New England city of about 53,000 people near the Atlantic coast and 20 miles northeast of Boston in the area known as the North Shore. Peabody was first settled in 1626 as part of Salem. The city was officially named Peabody in 1916.
Early Immigration
Peabody is sometimes called “Leather City.” Like many other New England towns and cities located near water, mills were built to take advantage of the water power. In Peabody, leather was the primary industry. Tanning leather is a dirty, smelly business. Immigrants moved to the area to fill the available jobs, primarily Irish, Russian and Turkish- and Kurdish-speakers. In the early 1900s, there were signs in Peabody written in both English and Ottoman Turkish.
By the 1950s, the tanneries had all closed, but even today the high school sports teams are called the “Tanners.” There are not many other reminders of these early immigrants except the old mill buildings.
Gang Activity
There are a number of small cities in the Boston suburbs, including on the North Shore. The area is crowded, with cities and towns located close to one another and heavily traveled roads. The FBI set up The North Shore Gang Task Force to address the problems associated with gang activity in the area. At one time, gang activity was primarily relegated to Boston, but that is no longer true. The gangs are mobile, presenting a danger to everyone in the region.
Some of the nation’s worst gangs can be found in the North Shore, including MS-13, Hells Angels, Asian Boyz, Latin Kings, the 18th Street Gang, the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and a number of other gangs. MS-13 is probably the most well-known and greatly feared. In order to move up in the gang hierarchy, MS-13 gang members murder other MS-13 gang members. In order to become a “homeboy” or accepted member, a prospect must kill a member of another gang. Sometimes gang members are sent out to murder a random civilian or commit a specific crime as an initiation test. When the FBI tried to infiltrate the gang with paid informants, the informants turned up dead.
The gangs are heavily into drugs, a crime that impacts everyone in the area. Burglaries and robberies are often committed by junkies looking for quick cash. Violent assaults are common. Peabody is a nice, small city located in a very bad neighborhood.
Crime in Peabody
The Peabody Police Department has an overall clearance rate for closed crimes that is significantly below that of the U.S. as a whole. The only crime category for which the Peabody PD closed more crimes than the national average was for burglaries.
If you live in Peabody, your chances of becoming a crime victim during the year are 1 in 28. The overall crime rate in Peabody is better than the national average in all categories but one. There are far more violent assaults in Peabody than the average for the U.S. Peabody had 1007 assaults compared to the U.S. assault average of 644 – 56% higher than the national average. The number of robberies, burglaries and larcenies is below the national average, but two-thirds or more of those crimes were not solved.
Your Family and Home Need Protection
Peabody is a fairly prosperous city. The median household income in 2010 was over $65,000 and the median family income over $80,000. Except for the gang presence, Peabody is a great place to raise a family. Unfortunately, the gangs have created a drug epidemic throughout New England. No one is safe from the crimes resulting from gangs and drugs.
Strict Gun Control Laws
Massachusetts is a very liberal state politically. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is a strong advocate of gun control. In July 2016, she rewrote the state’s gun control laws, leaving much of the state confused as to what was now legal and what wasn’t. In the home, a gun must be locked up unless being carried by the owner or must have a trigger lock. If an armed intruder broke into the home, the gun would probably be locked up and useless for protection unless the owner happened to be holding the gun at the time of the break-in.
Home Alarm Systems are Essential
Most home break-ins happen during the day. Usually a burglar will case the neighborhood, waiting until it appears as though the occupants have left for the day. What if your teenager, wife or other family member was still at home, perhaps sick in bed? The last thing anyone would want to happen would be for them to be discovered in the home by an intruder. Losing cash, credit cards, jewelry and a TV is would be bad, but having a family member harmed by a panicked intruder would be far worse.
As a general rule of life, it’s always better to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. A criminal who is determined to get in by any means will find a way. Most are not that determined. They want an easy, quick in-and-out, preferably spending no more than 10 minutes in the home. If the home appears too difficult to get into, they will move on to the next home.
The Importance of Professional 24/7 Monitoring
The simple fact of owning an ADT Peabody, Massachusetts alarm system will prevent many intruders from even trying to get in. They know that as soon as their presence is discovered, the police and homeowner will be notified. DIY alarm systems can be as good as or better than professionally installed systems, but the professional systems have one huge defensive advantage – professional 24/7 monitoring. No one can monitor their own system 24/7. The monthly cost of monitored alarm systems is less than the cost of a decent dinner out.
In Peabody, an alarm system will help protect what means the most – your family. The biggest danger is probably a drug addict who may or may not be armed. Stuff can be replaced. People can’t.