carol ott online: life and work in pigtown

I belong to a neighborhood safety email list.  Probably you do, too…the same one, or something similar.  So you know the drill — you get emails when someone’s home is broken into, car stolen, someone is robbed when arriving home late at night.  I read the emails and I don’t respond often, simply because I don’t have anything to add.  Since moving to Baltimore, I’ve been broken into twice…but never (knock on wood) robbed.

The first time, we lived on Ramsay Street, and in that house, there was a deck right off the kitchen.  I was sitting at my desk working, right next to the kitchen, and someone opened my back door.  It was nighttime…not terribly late, but very dark and creepy.  I saw an arm, part of a leg, but nothing more.  I yelled, grabbed the machete, and ran for the door.  The person ran across the deck, down the stairs, and that was that.  I called the police, and they searched around…didn’t find the guy, who was probably long gone.

The second time, I received a call from my next-door neighbor who said my back gate was open and he thought he could hear my alarm.  Got home to see what was going on, and the back door was open…nothing had been taken.  In fact, I don’t think the person/people ever went into the house — the alarm probably scared them off.

In both cases — and here’s tip number one — my neighbors were my saving grace.  In the first scenario, my neighbors were there for me when the police showed up. They came out not to gawk and stare, but to make sure that my son and I were okay.  In the second scenario, it was my neighbor who called to inform me that something was wrong.  So…tip number one:

1.  Make friends with your neighbors.  Seriously, I can’t say this enough.  Human connections are powerful tools that can…and probably will…save you on more than one occasion.  When you snub your neighbors, it doesn’t give them a lot of incentive to look out for you.  When you know them by name, talk to them about their lives (and share your life with them), and get to know them as people…it puts you in a different light.  Trust me on this one. You will never win when you’re the adversary and not the neighbor.  In fact, it may put you in an even nastier situation than before. 

Another advantage to being a good neighbor is your neighbors will tell you things….alert you to things you might not have known otherwise.  They’ll also pick up your mail and newspaper and make sure your house looks occupied.  Sure you could get a friend from across town to do this, but what if they never show up?  Hm. 

2.  Security bars are sometimes not your friend.  Yes, they can be a deterrent.  Improperly installed, however, they are useless.  They can be ripped out of a window frame…sometimes in seconds.  If you’re going to have bars on your windows, make sure they’re heavy enough and properly installed — in other words, don’t cheap out on the iron work.

3.  Alarm systems only work when turned on.  I am shocked to find out how many people have been robbed because they didn’t turn on their alarm system.  Hellooo….it’s not magic.  You have to turn the thing on to make it go off.  I will give you the same advice I gave a dear friend whose home was recently robbed:  Have more than one keypad, preferably on different floors.  Ditto for the siren - have more than one, and on different floors.  Install not just glass-break detectors on your windows (they don’t always work well) - get the contacts, too, that will detect when the window has been opened.  A burglar doesn’t want to slide through a broken pane of glass…he’d rather break it, reach through, and open it.  Less injury for him.  Get the contacts on all windows and doors.  This of course means you actually have to close your windows and doors when not at home, and use the alarm system when you are home.

4.  Dogs are man’s best friend, not always your best friend.  I know quite a few of you out there have dogs…for your protection.  Guess what?  A two-dollar pack of ham will turn that vicious killer into a sweet loveable pup in no time.  Robber breaks in, throws ham out back, dog runs after ham, robber shuts door and steals all of your stuff.  Happens all the time.  Or the robber will poison your dog…or tip the dog’s food bag over and the dog is in, well, hog heaven.  Hell — on the right day, throw some ham at me, and I’ll be your best friend.  Dogs are not security systems, they are pets…unless you’re part of the police K9 unit.  So don’t rely on poor Mr. Barky Von Schnauzer to keep your home secure. 

5.  Common sense.  Burglars are burglars.  They don’t want to think outside the box.  They want to break in, steal your crap, sell it, and call it a day.  For the most part, they’re not looking to kill you or otherwise injure you — they want your stuff.  If you encounter a burglar in your home, no matter how tempting it may be — let him have your stuff.  Don’t try to play the big hero and chase the guy around the house or down the street.  You’re only asking for a good ass whipping, and possibly worse.  It’s stuff.  Stuff can be replaced, and stuff isn’t worth losing your life over.  If you think someone is in your home, call 911 immediately, and hit the panic button on the second alarm panel you installed in your bedroom or upstairs hallway (you have this because you read #3 above and called the alarm company).  And this brings me to point number 6, which is a little touchy for me.

6.  The arsenal and you.  A few people I know have purchased guns…or are thinking about it…and I know a couple of people who are actually heavily armed and well-trained.  Those three people I’m not worried about.  It’s the rest of you I worry about — waving around a gun you don’t know how to use, stored in the wrong place, and weren’t prepared for the consequences of actually having to use it.  Like the ironwork mentioned in #2 above, you shouldn’t cheap out on gun safety.  The NRA and other organizations offer gun safety classes — if you own a gun and haven’t taken one of these classes, please do.  Not only will the class teach you how to properly use your weapon, you’ll also learn how to clean and store one.  A gun that’s dirty and hasn’t been properly cared for can be useless…or worse, especially when you’re using it under unfortunate circumstances.  Take the class.  I highly recommend the FIRST STEPS class and the Personal Protection In The Home class.  If you insist on owning a gun, make sure you’re prepared to use it.  And make sure you’re prepared mentally for the consequences of using it — once you pull the trigger, there’s no going back.  You will possibly kill or maim someone, and no matter what anyone says…it’s something you will think about for the rest of your life.  I’m not going to tell you what to do - however, I will say that owning a gun is not for everyone…background check or no background check.  Think very carefully and don’t make this decision under duress, please.

7.  Drinking and walking.  WTF?  So you’ve gone out for the evening, had a great time, drank too much, and here you are — staggering up Lombard Street at 2 in the morning.  Hm.  What’s wrong with this picture?  I was reading a post on the Baltimore Crime blog (one of my all-time fave blogs, BTW - scroll to the 7th paragraph) where a few people were upset with Mary Pat Clarke’s statements regarding people drinking/walking home/getting robbed.  It would seem that some felt that she was engaging in a round of Blame The Victim.  Well…yes and no.  Walking around on a good day…in broad daylight can sometimes be a little iffy.  At 2 in the morning, your odds aren’t looking so good.  At 2 in the morning after you’ve had a few too many…you’re not alert.  Your reflexes are off.  You can’t keep your wits about you.  And yes, you look like a much better target to a robber.  (I don’t, however, agree with the part about closing bars at midnight.)  Just do yourself a favor and don’t drink up your cab money!  Jeez.

8.  Walking tall.  It’s not just a TV show.  I walk all around this neighborhood and have only had one creepy experience that didn’t result in anything going wrong…I will just avoid that street from now on.   When you walk down the street, walk like you own it.  Don’t walk with your head down, mincing along like you’re a scared little rabbit.  Hold your head up, look at people as they pass by (and hey, saying “good morning”…or whatever…is a nice touch), and act as though you have a purpose to your walk.  Robbers prey on people who are distracted…seem timid…or look like they have their hands full — yes, I’m talking about you with the shopping bags, purse, cell phone, etc. in your hands. 

9.  Your door is your first point of defense.  In walking around the neighborhood, I’ve noticed that some of you have some really cheap-ass front doors and hardware.  Use a solid-core door (or a metal one, if you insist) for the front and back doors.  Hollow-core doors are really easy to kick in.  So are most vinyl doors, and they’re tacky as hell anyway.  So get yourself a sold-core heavy door.  Your hardware shouldn’t be the cheap builder-grade crap that came on the door when you moved in.  (Isn’t it nice that your builder thought so little of you he used $30 hardware?)  Go to the Home Depot or Lowe’s and invest in a heavy-duty lockset and deadlatch.  I highly recommend Baldwin — they make damn good hardware.  Pricey, but worth it.  It’s securing your house.  Write this part down:  You want a heavy-duty FOUR SCREW strikeplate.  NOT a three screw….FOUR.  You want to use THREE-INCH wood screws to secure the strikeplate into the doorjamb stud.  Your door’s hinges should be secured with the same three-inch wood screws. You should also make sure your door’s hinges are made for exterior doors.  Your mail slot should not be a point of access for your doorknob and deadlatch.  If you (or a skinny-armed friend) can reach through your mail slot and open your door, GET A NEW DOOR NOW.

10.  Since most of the burglaries in our neighborhood happen during the day (which, statistically is not that surprising) — I won’t go on about motion lights and outdoor lighting, except to say — make sure your outdoor space is well-lit and there are no places for someone to hide near your front or back door.  Hiding places are a burglar’s best friend.

Hopefully some of these tips will help — I really have no magic easy solution, especially when…if you take an honest look around…we live in a neighborhood that needs a lot of help.  I have said this a million times, and will continue to say it until I turn a funny shade of purple — we can make a difference here, and we can do it for all members of this community.  I will never stop believing that Pigtown can become a healthy community.