Do you think crime is more or less prevalent in your town/neighborhood than in the past?

[Deleted member 215]

This isn't a question about statistics; this is about perceptions. I'm asking what is your perception of the crime level where you live. For the purposes of this question, “the past” can be whatever it needs to be for your answer.

There is definitely a perception among many here in the Bay Area that crime, especially property crime, is more prevalent than it used to be and that criminals are often quickly released and go on to re-offend (and statistics do seem to bear this out in some cities even if overall crime is down, particularly in comparison with pre-pandemic crime levels). “Soft on crime” prosecutors and lax state laws are often blamed. Even among more liberal people I know, there is a feeling that we've "gone too far" and we need more policing and punishment. I hear more about "smash and grab" robberies in the news than I ever have before.

What is the prevailing attitude about crime levels among residents where you live?

 

[Cmaier]

Here in the South Bay I’m unaware of any perception that crime is increasing. Haven’t heard any chatter about that, and I don’t see any evidence of that.

 

[Citysnaps]

I'm mid San Francisco peninsula and haven't noticed or felt and differences.

OTOH, people are driving much more aggressively. Stop signs are now mere suggestions for many. And for others, an infringement on their freedom and rights to do whatever the phuck they want to do. I'm attributing that to the pandemic and people being frustrated and impatient that it's been going on for two years now.

 

[Deleted member 215]

Here in the South Bay I’m unaware of any perception that crime is increasing. Haven’t heard any chatter about that, and I don’t see any evidence of that.

A lot of the "chatter" seems to be online, as in this recent article:

Palo Alto resident robbed at gunpoint in driveway while child is in the car

Two armed men robbed a man at gunpoint Friday evening in the University South neighborhood while a young child sat in his car, according to a Palo Alto police press release.

www.paloaltoonline.com

I thought this comment was pretty hilarious: "I will take by the comments that I don’t see but would heretofore have expected, that you PA liberals don’t know what to say now that your insanity has come home to roost."

Though in my OP I was referring to some of what I've heard from family and friends, not just what I read in comments sections. I think the perception that crime is more prevalent comes from the news. Whether it actually is, I'm not entirely sure, though certain types of crimes seem to have increased in frequency in certain areas.

 

[Cmaier]

A lot of the "chatter" seems to be online, as in this recent article:

Palo Alto resident robbed at gunpoint in driveway while child is in the car

Two armed men robbed a man at gunpoint Friday evening in the University South neighborhood while a young child sat in his car, according to a Palo Alto police press release.

www.paloaltoonline.com

I thought this comment was pretty hilarious: "I will take by the comments that I don’t see but would heretofore have expected, that you PA liberals don’t know what to say now that your insanity has come home to roost."

Though in my OP I was referring to some of what I've heard from family and friends, not just what I read in comments sections. I think the perception that crime is more prevalent comes from the news. Whether it actually is, I'm not entirely sure, though certain types of crimes seem to have increased in frequency in certain areas.

Sure, stuff happens. But 10 years ago there was crime, too. And republicans always try to cast it as liberal policies gone wild. But I don’t see people who live here complaining “crime is getting worse!”

 

[SuperMatt]

I think as animals we are more attuned to the fear of being attacked by other animals in our immediate vicinity. So seeing a report of a crime in one’s town triggers that response. Massive police budgets and “tough on crime” policies that tend to have terrible effects on minorities are examples of politicians capitalizing on that instinctual fear.

 

[lizkat]

The crimes around here mostly happen behind closed doors: incidents of violence fueled by the volatile mix of alcohol, poverty, official neglect, careless lawmaking and pretty easy access to guns even in a state with tough laws on gun possession. I suppose it's not different to what happens in the city, but it spills out into public view in the boondocks somewhat less often.

On crime in general though: I was astonished in my late middle age to realize that I had had some of the greatest times of my life in NYC in the 1970s-80s, but that those wonderful times had occurred during some of the city's most horrendous crime waves and variously neglectful, selfish or malevolent (take your pick) political administrations. Abuse of welfare recipients, prejudice against AIDS victims in an era when a diagnosis of that illness was a death sentence, all the evils of a city making money under the table off either furthering or ignoring or falling victim to the epidemic of crack cocaine.

My friends and I were political activists but street crime was not our focus so much as working on social justice issues and pressuring for reform of city administration. We were young and somehow still all had that curious shrugging off of personal experience of muggings or robberies as just stuff that happens sometimes.

The big difference then though (70s and 80s in particular) was that there were far fewer guns in hand. We'd all been mugged at least a few times, and sometimes threatened by a knife, but as far as I know, no one was carrying a gun.

Everyone in my circle of acquaintances was totally shocked when a Columbia professor was stabbed to death on the street during a robbery in 1972. It was one of those moments when the reality of street crime crashed though to our consciousness, but the young are somehow singularly insulated from dwelling on the idea of personal mortality for very long. When we thought about death, we thought about kin and classmates dying in the jungles of Vietnam. Getting mugged now and then was somehow par for the course, not "a crime wave".

I think it's different now with gun violence having pervaded even schools and churches.. It's no wonder the level of anxiety in kids is higher today. I'll be interested to know whether kids in their 20s still manage to have the time of their lives in the face of much higher odds of witnessing or experiencing violent crime... or if when they reach their 40s and 50s, they see "crime waves" as some kind of continuum in a way that today's older people have not done.

 

[Herdfan]

This is somewhat of a tough question. Is it actually worse, or are we simply hearing about it more.

For example, from some FB posts, it seems the homeless are stealing kids bikes at a rapid clip. Now is this a new occurrence, or are we just now becoming more aware of it via FB? Or is one incident magnified because of SM. That is hard to tell.

I don't think violent crime is up because that makes the news. There does seem to be an increase in OD's but I don't really consider that crime. Are they stealing to fund their habit, possibly, but that is more smash/grab or idiots leaving their car doors unlocked.

Most of the truly violent crime around here is one of two types: drug deals gone bad and guns come out or domestic issues get out of hand and guns come out. On the domestic issue, it is rarely spousal, but more extended family getting into it. Yes, I get that guns are a common factor, but if not guns, it would probably be a knife or something else. Especially on the domestic side.

 

[SuperMatt]

Yes, I get that guns are a common factor, but if not guns, it would probably be a knife or something else.

And the fatality rate would be far lower.

And you cannot get reliable news from Facebook, although it can be a window into the perceptions of the people making the posts.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I'm mid San Francisco peninsula and haven't noticed or felt and differences.

OTOH, people are driving much more aggressively. Stop signs are now mere suggestions for many. And for others, an infringement on their freedom and rights to do whatever the phuck they want to do. I'm attributing that to the pandemic and people being frustrated and impatient that it's been going on for two years now.

I’ve always hated driving (and parking) in SF but the few times I’ve been there in the last couple years I’ve noticed a big influx of pedestrian heavy intersections where it really doesn’t matter what the light says if you need to make a turn. There will always be a light long parade of people crossing the street, blocking your path, and not one giving a shit that a car needs to turn. Almost all pedestrians in SF have self important tunnel vision. If they don’t then odds are they don’t live in SF and are visiting from a place where they realize cars and pedestrians need to coexist and sometimes sacrifice via aware curtesy needs to be made. That can definitely ramp up the road rage and aggression.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Where I live rustling sheep or farm equipment being stolen are probably the biggest crimes by number. As I don’t have any sheep or farm equipment I feel pretty safe.
As others have said a lot of the ‘felt’ increases are to do with social media etc. Mrs AFB is on FB so hears about all the local crimes etc.

 

[AG_PhamD]

I live an affluent suburb of Boston that is part urban, part suburban and Boston surrounds us on 3 sides. I haven’t noticed an increase in crime and suspect the statistics would be consistent with past years. Things tend to be safe here.

As for Boston proper, it has suffered a some of the looting issues during the BLM protests, but this seems to be pretty isolated and not to the extent seen in other cities. Recently there have been high profile smash and grabs ie the other day some guys stole a car, drove it though the front of the Gucci store in the middle of the night, and stole tens of thousands worth of merchandise. I don’t think these crimes have actually impacted the crime rate. (I know there has been an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic, which I imagine is the case in many places)

I'm mid San Francisco peninsula and haven't noticed or felt and differences

I suppose neighborhood/town can be somewhat subjective, as is the time constraint, but hasn’t San Francisco had a huge shoplifting problem? I suppose if stealing <$950 is decriminalized, then it’s not really a crime?

 

[Citysnaps]

I suppose neighborhood/town can be somewhat subjective, as is the time constraint, but hasn’t San Francisco had a huge shoplifting problem? I suppose if stealing <$950 is decriminalized, then it’s not really a crime?

Yes, the city of San Francisco has been suffering from a large upswing in crime for the last few years. Most notably, gangs that overwhelm retail stores and steal merchandise, random street violence on Asian Americans, and loads of car break-ins/thefts. It's a complex problem.

Further down the San Francisco peninsula, in other cities, that's not an issue, other than a few retail theft incidents around Christmas

 

[AG_PhamD]

Yes, the city of San Francisco has been suffering from a large upswing in crime for the last few years. Most notably, gangs that overwhelm retail stores and steal merchandise, random street violence on Asian Americans, and loads of car break-ins/thefts. It's a complex problem.

Further down the San Francisco peninsula, in other cities, that's not an issue, other than a few retail theft incidents around Christmas

Right. That was what I was thinking. My knowledge of San Francisco is pretty much non-existant.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Where I live rustling sheep or farm equipment being stolen are probably the biggest crimes by number. As I don’t have any sheep or farm equipment I feel pretty safe.
As others have said a lot of the ‘felt’ increases are to do with social media etc. Mrs AFB is on FB so hears about all the local crimes etc.

It’s not exactly a crime hotbed where we are either. I live in a small valley town where it’s not exactly wealthy, so crime here is mostly shoplifting in Lidl, thefts from gardens, cars being stolen etc. We get groups of kids hanging around the town centre drinking and shouting at passersby but I wouldn’t say it’s any worse than any other British town. The last incidents I have experienced personally was a plant in its pot was stolen from my front garden and just before Christmas we had a teenager rip our doorbell off and run up the street with it. Unfortunately for him he ran to my wife’s cousins house up the road and we had it all on CCTV lol. He was mates with her son and he was marched down to apologise. Installed a Ring doorbell now.

When I lived and grew up in Banbury, I was nearly mugged on my way to my part time job in Morrisons. I did something very stupid in that instance. I was then actually mugged when I moved to Cardiff for university but handed over my wallet and Nokia. A £100 phone, £10 in cash and a debit card for an account with no money in it was all he got lol.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Yes, I get that guns are a common factor, but if not guns, it would probably be a knife or something else. Especially on the domestic side.

I’m so glad guns aren’t a factor where I live to be honest. I don’t trust people I share the roads with and I don’t think much is society has the intelligence to handle weapons safely lol. You’re probably right about the knife thing I think. America has one of the highest, if not the highest knife crime rate in the developed world even with guns in the mix.

 

[Herdfan]

And you cannot get reliable news from Facebook, although it can be a window into the perceptions of the people making the posts.

Agree about the news. But when people are posting all day long about this crime or that crime, it starts to infuse society.

 

[SuperMatt]

Agree about the news. But when people are posting all day long about this crime or that crime, it starts to infuse society.

Yep. Which is why millions think Trump is still president, ivermectin cures COVID, Hillary sells child slaves from a pizza parlor, vaccines cause autism, etc, etc.

Facebook is a scourge on humanity.

 

[Apple fanboy]

It’s not exactly a crime hotbed where we are either. I live in a small valley town where it’s not exactly wealthy, so crime here is mostly shoplifting in Lidl, thefts from gardens, cars being stolen etc. We get groups of kids hanging around the town centre drinking and shouting at passersby but I wouldn’t say it’s any worse than any other British town. The last incidents I have experienced personally was a plant in its pot was stolen from my front garden and just before Christmas we had a teenager rip our doorbell off and run up the street with it. Unfortunately for him he ran to my wife’s cousins house up the road and we had it all on CCTV lol. He was mates with her son and he was marched down to apologise. Installed a Ring doorbell now.

When I lived and grew up in Banbury, I was nearly mugged on my way to my part time job in Morrisons. I did something very stupid in that instance. I was then actually mugged when I moved to Cardiff for university but handed over my wallet and Nokia. A £100 phone, £10 in cash and a debit card for an account with no money in it was all he got lol.

When I lived in Gateshead I had a break-in most weeks. But that was decades ago when @kenoh was a teenager and he's grown out of it now!
I was so skint though that after the first one I couldn't afford to replace the stuff, so it was just the mess to clear up.
I used to keep a baseball bat under the bed, but the break-ins always happened when I was out.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

When I lived in Gateshead I had a break-in most weeks. But that was decades ago when @kenoh was a teenager and he's grown out of it now!
I was so skint though that after the first one I couldn't afford to replace the stuff, so it was just the mess to clear up.
I used to keep a baseball bat under the bed, but the break-ins always happened when I was out.

I remember seeing an article years ago that said most burglaries happen on a Wednesday at 11am. It’s a reference to burglars not wanting to be disturbed in the act and most people are at work at that time. Come to think of it, it’s rare that people actually get burgled while they are in. It’s extra stress a burglar doesn’t need I suppose and let’s face it, they don’t carry guns here so the confidence is much lower.