« A Thinking About Mt. Hope Rant | Main | Graffiti Action!!! »
Specific Displeasure with Police -- Jen
I will voice my specific comments about my displeasure with the police after my most recent break-in. I was out of town when the break-in happened, and was contacted by my alarm service. I called my upstairs neighbor, who had just arrived at the residence, only to find that the police were there investigating an alarm going off in our basement. After the premises was cleared, the police went through the basement with my neighbor to make sure nothing was missing. There was no sign of forced entry.
I spoke with the police, and they were very cordial and helpful, explaining the situation. I have to say, they responded very promptly, and if they were in the mindset that it was actually a crime, rather than a false alarm, they may have actually caught the person(s) responsible. They told me when they arrived that both my motion lights were on. They only stay on, without movement, for about five minutes.
In talking further with my neighbor after the police had left, we discovered that my bike had been stolen. I called Providence Police, trying to explain the situation, and was transfered to so many different people and was treated so rudely I was nearly in tears. Finally, the last person I talked to understood the situation and was willing to help me out. I did not get his name, but I thanked him profusely for his time, respect, and understanding.
So what did I want? I wanted them to come out and issue a report and I wanted them to finger print the basement door. My neighbor told me that there had been an open house at our residence that day. The door that was used to steal my bike was *never* used by either one of us and had been locked. I wanted them to investigate. I wanted them to DO something. It never happened. They came and issued the report. They refused to fingerprint, saying there would be too many other fingerprints to rule out. The police officers'? Perhaps my neighbor's and mine? I was disgusted.
The thing that gets me is that I went to a MNC meeting this summer to hear Dean Esserman speak. He said one thing that really struck a chord with me. Nearly all of the property crimes committed here are committed by your neighbors, by people on your street. And he said (and I feel pretty confident that I can quote him), "I can guarantee you two things, we have caught them before and we will catch them again." So who do you think stole my bike? I don't know, but I'm willing to bet two things: it's one of the known petty thiefs around my neck of the woods and their fingerprints are on file. Somebody knew that bike was there, and that person knew we weren't home. I wanted them caught.
I know, it's only a bike. I know that's how the police see it. It wasn't a violent crime. Hell, it wasn't even a "break-in"; it was a "larceny." You can call it what you want, but someone CAME IN MY HOME and took something from me. Sure, I have insurance. Does it cover a bike? Absolutely not, it's under the deductible. You know what that bike was to me? It was spending time with my daughter. It was saving a little money on gas, helping out the environment, and getting exercise. It was feeling like a kid again. And it's gone. And yes, I'm mad about it.
-Jen
Posted at September 13, 2005 10:46 AM