Petty Crime in your area

I live in one of the safest areas in America (at least according to neighborhood scout)

It seems in the last two years petty crime has grown exponentially.
In addition to it growing, it appears that it is being shown on social media on a daily basis.
I've noticed the last six months is especially bad.

Shoplifters are more brazen than ever. It seems they are hitting everything from TJ Maxx, to Walgreen's.
Every single day. This was not an area that used to have that kind of crime. Police are even looking for serial shoplifters.
Camera's are everywhere, but these criminals don't care. It doesn't appear they get punished too harshly either, since they
seem to be repeat offenders.


Is this a sign of the downturn of the economy. I remember something similar in 2008 very clearly. The underbelly of society starts
acting up and then the rest of the dominoes start falling.

When I lived in the local "big city" (obama era) I saw more petty theft in the last few years there than I had ever seen anywhere.
Little punks even stole the wheels/tires from a car I was working on one night.

I can't wait to never spend another night within an hours drive of the city.

originally posted by: Middleoftheroad

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: JAGStorm

Is this a sign of the downturn of the economy. I remember something similar in 2008 very clearly. The underbelly of society starts
acting up and then the rest of the dominoes start falling.

Fake news, the "chosen one" says the economy is the best it's ever been.

www.businessinsider.com...

So we should base the health of our entire economy on one poster's local shoplifting issues? That's pretty funny.

Some economist base economic health on the national debt vs the GNP.

www.usdebtclock.org...

a reply to: Middleoftheroad

So we should base the health of our entire economy on one poster's local shoplifting issues? That's pretty funny.

Of course not, but I think trends are important and can show us a lot more than what's just at the surface.
I also have a hunch it's not just my area.

originally posted by: lordcomac
When I lived in the local "big city" (obama era) I saw more petty theft in the last few years there than I had ever seen anywhere.
Little punks even stole the wheels/tires from a car I was working on one night.

I can't wait to never spend another night within an hours drive of the city.

I think crime is almost expected in a city. When you aren't anywhere near a city and you start seeing it that is when everyone should be worried.

There has been a lot more breaking and enterings around here in the last five years than there was in the preceeding ten years. Also, there have been some standoffs with cops, two in the last two months. One guy was hoping suicide by cop would solve his problems, the other guy was just a little off. The old guy got shot by a cop, haven't heard more about that, the other guy dragged a boat to the river, stole fishing gear out of the neighbors shed, and was going to take off down into the wilderness. The cops knew he was off so did not shoot him even though he shot their way with a shotgun he got from the neighbors, I guess his gun must have ran out of bullets, he left it at the neighbors I think.

There was one last year and one the year before. Something for the cops and community to talk about most times, it is commical what is said on the scanner some times.

a reply to: JAGStorm

TJ Maxx is damaged clothing and Walgreens, I doubt they make much profit off the junk in there. Majority is from drugs which is not easy to steal.

I would say it's likely because stores would rather not mess with it. If someone steals a few items less than $100 is it really worth their time to call the police, run after them. If the person is arrested it will likely end up in court, costing the company thousands of dollars pursing it.

Basically a waste of time and more importantly money; way more than a few defective clothing items and a few packs of razor blades. I'm exaggerating some but I used to work in loss control in college and most of the time it was not worth going after them. One time I had to go to court for a $125 jacket.

He denied it but I had the video. I also had a cast on my arm because the guy was large and tried to roll on top of me to get away. Was it really worth it for the company in the end?

a reply to: JAGStorm

I don't think it has to do with your economy, it's happening here also. Gangs just walking into a store, and mobbing the place, taking everything in sight.. In those numbers, they get away with it.

And even when caught, it's a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again... time after time.

And the police refuse to admit there is a problem with African gangs... smdh.

www.news.com.au... 01763ee5bca135f858ae948f19

originally posted by: JAGStorm
I live in one of the safest areas in America (at least according to neighborhood scout)

It seems in the last two years petty crime has grown exponentially.
In addition to it growing, it appears that it is being shown on social media on a daily basis.
I've noticed the last six months is especially bad.

Shoplifters are more brazen than ever. It seems they are hitting everything from TJ Maxx, to Walgreen's.
Every single day. This was not an area that used to have that kind of crime. Police are even looking for serial shoplifters.
Camera's are everywhere, but these criminals don't care. It doesn't appear they get punished too harshly either, since they
seem to be repeat offenders.


Is this a sign of the downturn of the economy. I remember something similar in 2008 very clearly. The underbelly of society starts
acting up and then the rest of the dominoes start falling.

We see a lot of petty crime in my area because our liberal town leaders basically encourage bums, drug addicts, etc to come to our town to beg instead of running them off. They also are afraid of stereotyping for fear of being called racist.

a reply to: JAGStorm

It is the same in the UK, my own opinion is that social media has a lot to answer for again

young criminals are using it for drug dealing, filming themselves robbing houses, filming themselves beating others, human trafficking and posting it to either twitter, instagram, farcebook and the ilk, so much for these tech giants upholding their own T+Cs

Huge rise in the number of child money mules as criminals use Instagram and Snapchat to target kids

Look At All Of The Illegal Stuff That Happens On Instagram

Brazen teen criminals who stole expensive cars before taunting the owners by posing with the motors in Instagram posts are jailed

How Idiotic Instagram Selfies Earned a 19-Year-Old Criminal 142 Felony Counts

Study details link between social media and sex trafficking

Human trafficking: How social media is putting every U.S. child at risk

The inside story of how brutal Albanian gangs rose from the UK’s premier sex traffickers to kingpin coc aine dealers

Maids for sale: How Silicon Valley enables online slave markets

Kuwait moves on Instagram slave traders after BBC investigation

How social media is changing the way people commit crimes andpolice fight them.

Teens Arrested for Facebook Live Torture Video

Cyber Criminals Have Turned Social Media Cyber Crime Into a $3 Billion Business

Paedophiles use secret Facebook groups to swap images

Buying ecstasy 'as easy as buying sweets'

Secret Instagram accounts where shameless thugs film themselves stealing cars, posing with guns and taunting cops





Sooooooooooo many more stories out there of every social media platform FAILING the general public, this is just the tip of the largest ever iceberg, T+Cs being blatantly ignored, private group settings prevent transparency, no way of checking what is being shared.

These companies have allowed criminals from across the globe to share ideas and encourage each other to commit crime with no attempt to provide authorities with information into the accounts.

The bile of humanity will soon be an army across the globe

a reply to: JAGStorm

The opioid / drug epidemic has wreaked havoc here in the New England area.

I found this site, "Areavibes" that lets you look at crime year-over-year for various towns/cities in the US.

www.areavibes.com...

a reply to: JAGStorm

Any influx of minorities or poor people flooding in your town

a reply to: FamCore
We are having the same problem here, only it is meth. Not only that, but the main rd from Flint, M21, has now brought Prostitution into my hubbies small town, in a big way. A friend is a cop there and he said he will NOT approach a car in the park after dark, without backup, as he already knows what is going on in it.
Here in our little town, the meth problem is so bad, and the cops are a joke.
You get busted. You rat out anyone. They bust that person, they rat someone out. All you ever get is a few days in jail, and they think it makes it look like they are doing something.
Hell, everyone in town knew one guy manufacturing the stuff. Right in town. He did not even do a month. And no help for those that want/need it, in the form of rehab.

So yeah, that is why crime is up in our little neck of the woods.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Just my personal experience and opinion, of course, but it seems like when there is a rise in petty crime there is almost always a corresponding rise in illegal drug usage. I believe that most small crime is related to funding illegal drug habits (buying drugs or paying for necessities because money for them has been spent on drugs).

When more drugs are coming into an area (urban or rural doesn't seem to make a difference) and they are more readily available they become cheaper so more people buy- or buy more frequently- become addicted and then need to fund their new habit. I watched it happen in my rural home town in Texas (coc aine in the 80s and 90s, meth in the 20teens) and it's been happening where I live now (heroine and meth, getting worse every year). More drugs equals more shoplifting, robbery, etc.

a reply to: JAGStorm

It has nothing to do with the economy.
This is entirely a culture issue.
Social morality is disapearing.

originally posted by: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk
a reply to: JAGStorm

Just my personal experience and opinion, of course, but it seems like when there is a rise in petty crime there is almost always a corresponding rise in illegal drug usage. I believe that most small crime is related to funding illegal drug habits (buying drugs or paying for necessities because money for them has been spent on drugs).

When more drugs are coming into an area (urban or rural doesn't seem to make a difference) and they are more readily available they become cheaper so more people buy- or buy more frequently- become addicted and then need to fund their new habit. I watched it happen in my rural home town in Texas (coc aine in the 80s and 90s, meth in the 20teens) and it's been happening where I live now (heroine and meth, getting worse every year). More drugs equals more shoplifting, robbery, etc.

Yup. That is what frustrates me about my town. I know there is someone dealing near by or these heroin addicts wouldn't be in the town. The other thing is that these folks are "regulars" so the police know who they are. Heck, I am just a regular guy and can spot them a mile away and I am used to seeing the same bums over and over again. Sure, you can't violate their rights, but they know they are up to no good. They should be making it as uncomfortable as possible for these losers to be in our community.

We can't leave a garage door open without some crackhead stealing your lawnmower.

My area is doing alright.

pretty much if you live in the town i do you have a good chance of getting your vehicle broken into and the cops dont even bother going after the suspects because there are so many of them ,im on the outskirts and rural so i dont have that problem but car thefts are rising ,not so much residential burglaries (were a pretty pro gun state) but thefts from construction sites people vehicles are the bigger ones that happen in the Flathead valley. throw in the recent GHB episodes at charlies bar and the valley is having a mini crime spree

nbcmontana.com...

KALISPELL, Mont. — Kalispell resident Cheyenne Miller parked behind her home, in her own driveway, and locked her car doors. Her vehicle was broken into anyway—her purse, wallet, license and $500 were gone. “I instantly just started shaking,” Miller recalled. “My whole life was inside of that purse.” Just miles away, the Armstrong family experienced something similar. “My husband woke up Sunday to go to church,” Ashlee Armstrong said. “He found his door open to his vehicle, and his wallet was gone.” Miller and Armstrong are just two victims in a recent wave of vehicle break-ins in Flathead County. “We have seen an increase in the last few weeks with vehicle break-ins,” Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Commander Nic Salois said. “(It’s) almost on a nightly basis.”

nbcmontana.com...

According to crime reports, these aren’t isolated incidents. The Kalispell Police Department’s crime mapping database shows the department got more than 15 theft reports from April 21-27. Crime mapping data for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office shows 28 reports of theft, robbery, burglary and vehicle break-ins in April. “The sheriff’s office gets a lot of calls from the public about either how to protect themselves or how to protect their property,” Flathead County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Travis Bruyer said.

im lucky im at an end of what is basically a really long cul de sac with neighbors that all look out for each other and to even get to my property you have to cross a bridge so not exactly worried about it but did stop leaving the keys in the plow truck just for peace of mind ,the problem in our area is there are a lot of snow birds so people try to find out whos year round and hit the ones that go off to warmer climates for winter as they are easy targets . vacation homes and the elderly also seem to be targets of the growing number of thieves

edit to add here is the kalispell crime map cityofkalispell.maps.arcgis.com...