[dbussone]

Agreed

[Abster]

Originally Posted by gomoho

During 2012 when we first arrived (June to be exact) I don't remember hearing of these things. It's like someone has shipped in some thieves to target homes in TV. Has the word gotten out that it's a prosperous retirement community that is easy to hit?
Or maybe the stars in my eyes blinded me to what the situation was then???

Sadly this place is no better than any other small town. It seems a lot of people bought into the idea of this being free of all bad. There are thieves, sex offenders, drug addicts and drunks. The best you can do is be aware of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions to afford yourself a safe environment. I do think the paper does all of us an injustice in not printing what REALLY is going on in the area. We continue to grow. With that growth will come many more problems.

[Bonanza]

I for one, would love to see the" keystone cops" at the gates, go the way of the winds, and that includes the gates themselves.

I suggest that they monies that are used to pay those salaries, the monies used for the maintenance, and any other money used for gate purposes, be channeled into having off duty cops in unmarked cars patrolling at the peak hours when break-ins occur. I am not aware of the cameras ever having served a purpose (my awareness is from heresay).

The days and times would be sporatic so the "bad guys" would never know when or where.

I have some other thoughts but for the time being, those of you who read these posts can digest this one.

[Bay Kid]

Once I get my smart phone I will turn from being a nosey neighbor to a neighborhood watch person!
If I see a strange car or person I WILL take your picture!

[billethkid]

the positive I see in these violations is that they are mostly timed for or to locations where the resident is away.

When they enter a home with known occupants is a whole different type invader!!

[chuckinca]

Originally Posted by dbussone

The point of the poster was the comparison of cities not states. I understand statistics

What is the homicide rate in Chicago compared to TV by whatever method you choose!

I was replying to the gpirate post that said "NO one is going to out do Chicago for killings." Had nada to do with TV.

Statistically, Illinois is Chicago.
.

[redwitch]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

I for one, would love to see the" keystone cops" at the gates, go the way of the winds, and that includes the gates themselves.

I suggest that they monies that are used to pay those salaries, the monies used for the maintenance, and any other money used for gate purposes, be channeled into having off duty cops in unmarked cars patrolling at the peak hours when break-ins occur. I am not aware of the cameras ever having served a purpose (my awareness is from heresay).

The days and times would be sporatic so the "bad guys" would never know when or where.

I have some other thoughts but for the time being, those of you who read these posts can digest this one.

There is definitely one known instance where the cameras caught the thieves. This was a few years ago -- a snowbird's home was emptied of all of its contents in, I believe, Sunset Pointe. A camera caught a truck entering the village with empty back. It left filled to the brims. Apparently, it was very easy for the sheriff to track down the thieves and recover almost all items.

As to the "keystone cops," I will admit that I'm not a fan of Neighborhood Watch. It seems they rarely do what we think of as their job -- patrolling neighborhoods, noticing things out of the ordinary, telling folks their garage door is open after 10:00 pm, but I imagine they are a minor deterrent for criminals.

As to the gates, I would prefer they stay since they do help slow down traffic and at least give golf carts a chance to cross streets. Also, I love the gate keepers. More than once I've stopped and gotten directions from them, especially in new areas. I almost always have a map on me but I seem to forget my glasses more often than not.

I've lived here over eight years and travel from one end of TV to the other weekly. This has been the case since my first six months here. There has never been a year where I didn't hear of a burglary or some other felonious crime (I'm not counting DUIs, etc.). It seems as if more of these types of crimes occur during the winter months.

The cops will either catch these thieves or they'll move on to another venue. Depends how professional they are. The smart ones only hit an area for a certain amount of time and then go on to a new area.

TV is not perfect but it is very, very good.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by redwitch

There is definitely one known instance where the cameras caught the thieves. This was a few years ago -- a snowbird's home was emptied of all of its contents in, I believe, Sunset Pointe. A camera caught a truck entering the village with empty back. It left filled to the brims. Apparently, it was very easy for the sheriff to track down the thieves and recover almost all items.

As to the "keystone cops," I will admit that I'm not a fan of Neighborhood Watch. It seems they rarely do what we think of as their job -- patrolling neighborhoods, noticing things out of the ordinary, telling folks their garage door is open after 10:00 pm, but I imagine they are a minor deterrent for criminals.

As to the gates, I would prefer they stay since they do help slow down traffic and at least give golf carts a chance to cross streets. Also, I love the gate keepers. More than once I've stopped and gotten directions from them, especially in new areas. I almost always have a map on me but I seem to forget my glasses more often than not.

I've lived here over eight years and travel from one end of TV to the other weekly. This has been the case since my first six months here. There has never been a year where I didn't hear of a burglary or some other felonious crime (I'm not counting DUIs, etc.). It seems as if more of these types of crimes occur during the winter months.

The cops will either catch these thieves or they'll move on to another venue. Depends how professional they are. The smart ones only hit an area for a certain amount of time and then go on to a new area.

TV is not perfect but it is very, very good.

Redwitch . . . Some of your points are well taken. The truck you mention is an obvious case in point, but the reason it stood out was because it was a truck. With hundreds of cars in and out of gates, particularly in season, I think it would be impossible to identify a specific car as the culpret regarding a break-in.

Yes, the guards are nice. However, since the streets are all public, that means that anyone can come and go as they please -- residents and non-residents alike. I don't know the actual cost per annum, but between salaries and gate related costs it has to be well over a million. I just feel that coverage by off-duty cops would be a better way to spend that money to get better results.

That's just my opinion and I realize that nothing is going to change because of it!

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by redwitch

There is definitely one known instance where the cameras caught the thieves. This was a few years ago -- a snowbird's home was emptied of all of its contents in, I believe, Sunset Pointe. A camera caught a truck entering the village with empty back. It left filled to the brims. Apparently, it was very easy for the sheriff to track down the thieves and recover almost all items.

As to the "keystone cops," I will admit that I'm not a fan of Neighborhood Watch. It seems they rarely do what we think of as their job -- patrolling neighborhoods, noticing things out of the ordinary, telling folks their garage door is open after 10:00 pm, but I imagine they are a minor deterrent for criminals.

As to the gates, I would prefer they stay since they do help slow down traffic and at least give golf carts a chance to cross streets. Also, I love the gate keepers. More than once I've stopped and gotten directions from them, especially in new areas. I almost always have a map on me but I seem to forget my glasses more often than not.

I've lived here over eight years and travel from one end of TV to the other weekly. This has been the case since my first six months here. There has never been a year where I didn't hear of a burglary or some other felonious crime (I'm not counting DUIs, etc.). It seems as if more of these types of crimes occur during the winter months.

The cops will either catch these thieves or they'll move on to another venue. Depends how professional they are. The smart ones only hit an area for a certain amount of time and then go on to a new area.

TV is not perfect but it is very, very good.

Redwitch . . . Some of your points are well taken. The truck you mention is an obvious case in point, but the reason it stood out was because it was a truck. With hundreds of cars in and out of gates, particularly in season, I think it would be impossible to identify a specific car as the culpret regarding a break-in.

Yes, the guards are nice. However, since the streets are all public, that means that anyone can come and go as they please -- residents and non-residents alike. I don't know the actual cost per annum, but between salaries and gate related costs it has to be well over a million. I just feel that coverage by off-duty cops would be a better way to spend that money and get better results.

That's just my opinion andI realize that nothing is going to change because of it!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by redwitch

There is definitely one known instance where the cameras caught the thieves. This was a few years ago -- a snowbird's home was emptied of all of its contents in, I believe, Sunset Pointe. A camera caught a truck entering the village with empty back. It left filled to the brims. Apparently, it was very easy for the sheriff to track down the thieves and recover almost all items.

As to the "keystone cops," I will admit that I'm not a fan of Neighborhood Watch. It seems they rarely do what we think of as their job -- patrolling neighborhoods, noticing things out of the ordinary, telling folks their garage door is open after 10:00 pm, but I imagine they are a minor deterrent for criminals.

As to the gates, I would prefer they stay since they do help slow down traffic and at least give golf carts a chance to cross streets. Also, I love the gate keepers. More than once I've stopped and gotten directions from them, especially in new areas. I almost always have a map on me but I seem to forget my glasses more often than not.

I've lived here over eight years and travel from one end of TV to the other weekly. This has been the case since my first six months here. There has never been a year where I didn't hear of a burglary or some other felonious crime (I'm not counting DUIs, etc.). It seems as if more of these types of crimes occur during the winter months.

The cops will either catch these thieves or they'll move on to another venue. Depends how professional they are. The smart ones only hit an area for a certain amount of time and then go on to a new area.

TV is not perfect but it is very, very good.

I agree Red. Well said.

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by Abster

Sadly this place is no better than any other small town. It seems a lot of people bought into the idea of this being free of all bad. There are thieves, sex offenders, drug addicts and drunks. The best you can do is be aware of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions to afford yourself a safe environment. I do think the paper does all of us an injustice in not printing what REALLY is going on in the area. We continue to grow. With that growth will come many more problems.

I found another central Florida town GAINESVILLE, to see just how terrible our problems are.

Gainesville crime rate
VIOLENT PROPERTY TOTAL
870 5,756 6,626


VIOLENT PROPERTY TOTAL
60 395 455

Humm maybe your incorrect with your assumption.

[Golfingnut]

The Villages is in my research the safest city in the United States that has a population at or even close to our size.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by TNLAKEPANDA

People who break into homes are looking for items they can turn into quick cash. Install an alarm system like SimpleSafe that is not very expensive and it totally wireless and monitored. Protect your self and exercise your second amendment rights... own and learn how to use a gun. It could save your life.

I don't remember reading that any of these events were "home invasions"?

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Abster

Sadly this place is no better than any other small town. It seems a lot of people bought into the idea of this being free of all bad. There are thieves, sex offenders, drug addicts and drunks. The best you can do is be aware of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions to afford yourself a safe environment. I do think the paper does all of us an injustice in not printing what REALLY is going on in the area. We continue to grow. With that growth will come many more problems.

The "paper" is now printing the events that in the past were not printed.

[TexaninVA]

Originally Posted by redwitch

There is definitely one known instance where the cameras caught the thieves. This was a few years ago -- a snowbird's home was emptied of all of its contents in, I believe, Sunset Pointe. A camera caught a truck entering the village with empty back. It left filled to the brims. Apparently, it was very easy for the sheriff to track down the thieves and recover almost all items.

As to the "keystone cops," I will admit that I'm not a fan of Neighborhood Watch. It seems they rarely do what we think of as their job -- patrolling neighborhoods, noticing things out of the ordinary, telling folks their garage door is open after 10:00 pm, but I imagine they are a minor deterrent for criminals.

As to the gates, I would prefer they stay since they do help slow down traffic and at least give golf carts a chance to cross streets. Also, I love the gate keepers. More than once I've stopped and gotten directions from them, especially in new areas. I almost always have a map on me but I seem to forget my glasses more often than not.

I've lived here over eight years and travel from one end of TV to the other weekly. This has been the case since my first six months here. There has never been a year where I didn't hear of a burglary or some other felonious crime (I'm not counting DUIs, etc.). It seems as if more of these types of crimes occur during the winter months.

The cops will either catch these thieves or they'll move on to another venue. Depends how professional they are. The smart ones only hit an area for a certain amount of time and then go on to a new area.

TV is not perfect but it is very, very good.

Excellent post and accurate observations, especially your last sentence. The crime levels here are low compared to national averages. After taking basic precautions (lock your doors, harden the "target" etc) the real deterrent is having neighbors who a) pay attention b) take notes or photos or unusual cars / people in the neighborhood and c) when appropriate, contact the Sheriff to alert.

In other words, once potential thieves get the word that the Village of XYZ has alert residents who pay attention, they will move on to a village whose residents do not.