Contrasting Views on Crime

We're so fortunate to live in one of the lowest crime areas of South Florida. In '06, Pinecrest incorporated, largely to get their own police department, after residents realized Miami Dade wasn't too attentive to them. Wifey and I saw that first hand, when we lived in Kendall. Two cars were stolen from my driveway, and when I called Miami Dade, the dispatcher didn't even want to send out an officer. I demanded they do so. It made no difference, but after the second time, I felt I was entitled. Miami Gardens also has its own department, but the, um, demographics are a bit different. It seems there's a shooting there every few days, and they barely get press, except when a small child is the unintended victim. The cops complain that witnesses hide -- afraid of the gangs who do the shooting retaliating against them. Well things are different here! We've had our first "crime wave" in a long time. A neighbor left the keys in her Range Rover, and it was stolen -- though recovered completely undamaged in Wynwood -- even the change was still in the console. I'm guessing some kids newly out of school opened the car looking for stuff, and when they saw the keys -- well -- nice RIDE to Wynwood. Then, some new neighbors reported that someone rang their doorbell after midnight. They have a security camera, and it recorded some teens at the door. They ran off -- nothing was taken, but this has generated a STORM of emails -- especially since Wifey is Crime Watch Chair. Our off duty FHP trooper told the ring and run victims to forget it. Of course, I was thinking that my LI friends and I used to do the same stupid stuff when we were young teens -- though usually earlier in the evening. Still, the neighbors called Pinecrest Police, who DID come out, and Wifey is having our local community resource cop vist, too. This all over a ring and run. The contrast between how different socioeconomic 'hoods deal with things. Murder in the poor place gets no involvement -- while a ring and run in the rich place unleashes a major series of action. Meanwhile, the rumblings are starting again about our off duty force. Each of our 83 houses pays $2500 per year (no choice in the matter) for the service, and all the troopers do is come at odd hours, park, and do their other reports or play video games. Wifey figured out that they earn nearly $100 per hour -- well, they don't earn it, but that's what we pay. Years ago I spoke to one of my consultants about security. He told me that a neighborhood like ours would do best with 24 hour unarmed guys, who drive around with yellow lights, to provide a constant deterrence to the small property crimes. No way, said the old ladies of the 'hood. Many of them had adopted the FHP guys like their own sons, and loved the fact that the troopers would meet them at area stores or restaurants and escort them home. Another long time neighbor, a retired doc, told me that when they had the private company, it "was a bunch of Julios who stole stuff themselves." He was obviously from a pre politically correct time... So I'm guessing we're keeping the troopers, though Wifey is determined to have them become more "pro active." She thinks, at the least, they ought to follow cars that enter the 'hood after midnight, to make sure they belong. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is several of my friends, who, well, maybe have a drink more than they should at the country club before driving home, and probably wouldn't want the friendly escort by someone who has a breathylizer tester sitting right in the patrol car. DUI arrest or losing some loose change to teen aged car burglars? Either way, we're lucky to have these "rich white people problems," as the saying goes. It gives Wifey and some of her other Pinecrest Moms something to work on. They could probably use folks like them up in Miami Gardens...