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Author Topic: shootings in the 'hood  (Read 5855 times)

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ella

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shootings in the 'hood
« on: October 21, 2006, 09:57:35 PM »

Not sure where to put this, so it's here:
I live on a cul-de-sac that has about 10 houses.  I'm at the end. About 10 days ago the neighbor across from me found two beebee shots in her side window. She reported it and had the window people come. Last night, 10 days later, she got hit again, before the window was repaired. The fellow between us, a cop, also got a shot in his window. I talked to another woman, her son's suv window had exploded, they thought it was weather related, but the time was that of the first shots. So they are reporting it as gunshot.

I talked to a home security store person today about a camera, and he said no: low to no light, so we probably wouldn't get anything of use. Even if we did, the cops probably wouldn't do anything, esp if they don't know the person on it. Cost really high for the "pettiness" of the crime.
He did suggest that it might have been a drive by, though cul-de-sacs aren't usually targeted for drivebys. Also suggested watching cars and taking license numbers.
This used to be a very quiet neighborhood. Now there are frequently cars driving round all day long.
Ella
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Ingrid

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2006, 01:22:09 PM »

Sounds local to me.  Someone -- or rather someone's kid -- knows who is doing it.  I'm for trying to find out and getting the parents to pay for the damage. One way to keep B-B-guns out of the hands of kids.
Next it will be people's pets.

Ingrid
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Susan August

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2006, 01:40:12 PM »

If it is just some neighborhood kids, a few motion detector lights might just rattle them enough to stop the pranks.  You could also leak a rumor that hidden cameras have been installed.   ::)

We used to have the exploding mailbox prank in our neighborhood.  With long driveways, we never could find the culprits.  And this was 15-20 yrs ago, when technology was not much of an option.

Good luck!

Susan
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Joyce S

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2006, 09:15:41 AM »

We've had some disturbing occurrences in my neighborhood in the last few weeks. One of the stay-at-home moms called a neighborhood meeting so we could all chat. Very good turnout, by the way, for just 1-1/2 days notice. I thought I shared a few of our efforts to keep the neighborhood safe.

We are going to have a resident directory with phone numbers and email addresses so instances can be shared more readily and people can take precautions (like, don't answer the doorbell at 3:00am to help someone with car problems; the anticipated victim threathen to call 911 and the perp jumped into his "broken" car and drove away). We are also going to have ID tags of some type made up for the vehicles that belong to residents. We will start up an official neighborhood watch group in coordination with the local police. And since, our neighborhood is really part of a much larger community, we are working with the president of the community to get the word around. Unfortunately, our neighborhood is the nearest to the entrance and the most accessible.

I'm thinking of having my outside lights keyed to a motion detector as well. Can it be set up not to go off when the rabbits comes to feed at night? What about swaying branches on the trees?

Joyce S
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Susan August

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2006, 10:44:54 AM »

The motion detectors have a 'detector' that can be aimed where you want, so it really depends on where your trees are with respect to the area you want to monitor.  The bunnies should be pretty easy to avoid, since they are close to the ground.  On the other hand, if you live in an area with deer, it will be hard to separate deer movement from humans!

Susan
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linda

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2006, 02:47:00 PM »

Ten days apart and you get hit again?  I agree with Ingrid, it sounds local.   

You've got a kid in the neighborhood with a bb gun.  It wouldn't hurt to let the word get out that if kids are seen shooting bb guns in the area they'll be charged with criminal mischief and their parents will be billed for the broken windows. 

You might talk to some of the neighborhood kids, they probably know who it is.

Linda
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ella

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2006, 09:26:05 AM »

Motion activated lights are a good idea. Both attacks were early evening, just at the start of dark. I'll talk to the neighbors and see what we can come up with. We think whoever is jumping the wall at the corner of my lot from the next subdivision over. My property has a short line right there. It would take a long extension cord, but perhaps we could do it.

There's only one teen in the culdesac, and he's pretty much a loner from what I can see. Into music and schoolwork, also might be a troubled teen from what little I know: Recent divorce, and staying with stepdad probably to remain in the same school. Divorce is never easy. I've thought it might be him, in "cry" for help...

Thanks.
Ella
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Karen1

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2006, 08:46:19 PM »

The motion lights are a great idea, as is a nice barking dog.  The curb and both of my cars were marked with gang graffitti awhile back (first time occurrence in my neighborhood), and the police indicated it might help to have a motion light.  It took a bit of fiddling, but we finally got the light to work as intended.  An added benefit is that it lights up whenever we have to step outside at night.

I ride around at three in the morning doing service checks for the local newspaper, and no one, absolutely no one ever notices anything!  I spotlight houses for addresses, get out and check to make sure the newspaper is on the front porch of our handicapped customers, and so on.  I've seen some strange stuff out there, including some really suspicious characters. The strangest thing I've seen is how careless people are regarding their property and personal safety.  At the very minimum, cut your overgrown bushes back, stop leaving your garage door with direct access to the house open, and please don't use a light sensor to activate the garage door (that's fairly bone-headed).  If your house number isn't on both your house and mailbox, please fix that problem so that newspaper carriers, cops and paramedics can find you!  And about that dog--get one if you can afford it; a dog that barks when disturbed is a great deterrent.  I know they bug the heck out of me, and all I'm trying to do is spot-check for newspapers!  :D

Karen
         

             
« Last Edit: October 24, 2006, 08:48:04 PM by Karen1 »
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Ingrid

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2006, 01:54:36 PM »

Please, no dogs if someone is shooting.

Ingrid
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Alice

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2006, 08:31:21 PM »

We have had good luck on several properties planting spiky plants where we thought people were cutting through to cause problems.  Bouganvilla in Hawaii is a great natural fence as are several catuses in Florida and those nice, spikey-leaved holly bushes further north.

Rambling roses and raspberry bushes were hated by me and my cousins when we were cutting through yards many years ago in the Midwest.

Alice
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Alice

Karen1

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2006, 03:59:14 AM »

About raspberries, brambles and cacti:  that is such a great idea!  I was moving a refrigerator into the basement once, and slipped and fell backside onto a cactus (no, the fridge didn't land on me).  Talk about painful, and a good reason to keep duct tape on hand!  I also remember when I was still-a-single, and our neighborhood had a peeper running around looking in windows.  I was fairly scared, so I placed aluminum cans (and I mean a bunch of them) under my two bedroom windows, and sprinkled leaves over the top.  I don't guess I was on the peep-list, but I did feel better about my silly early warning system.

It does seem too bad that you have to compensate and change your life because of other folks bad behavior.

Karen     

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Jane B.

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2006, 03:34:59 PM »

Might be a kid shooting from an upstairs (bedroom) window. Are the hits all coming from the same direction?

Jane B.
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ella

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Re: shootings in the 'hood
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2006, 04:09:31 PM »

There is a possibility they are coming from near my southwest corner. There is a 6'concrete block wall that runs in a straight N_S line from my northwest corner to the next house on my southwest side. Kind of confusing to describe. At that southwest corner point, MY(our) east-west lot line is about 25' long.
That block wall also separates my subdivision from the one to the west. We think whoever is shooting is approaching the wall from the west and either shooting over the wall, using it to hide behind, or jumping the wall and shooting.
I wonder if a BB pellet could put a hole through the rear window of an SUV from any distance--that of a cul-de-sac plus the 25' of property.
Ella
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