As the Good Life City awoke, we learned of two violent home invasions that left three people injured. Today, those households are picking up the pieces of their lives as they have become the latest statistics on violent crime in Albany. While I have every confidence that the police are working diligently (a source tells SWGA Politics that the vehicle stolen in the second invasion has been recovered and police are interviewing a “person of interest”), we have to understand that there’s only so much they can do.
Albany’s much maligned police force has stepped up in recent months with an influx of arrests on a great many crimes. However, that’s the extent of their responsibilities in a city like Albany that is under siege by gangs and other thugs roaming around looking to cause trouble. As I’ve noted before, the Supreme Court has ruled that the authorities have no obligation to protect anyone, and that the responsibility for that rests solely on you even if you’re a child. So what can people actually do?
First, it’s important understand a few basic facts. The most important one I learned in my life is that there is zero ways to actually prevent crime. You may be able to deter the bad guys, but you will never actually be able to “crime proof” your home. All you can do is make your home such an unattractive target that they decide to go elsewhere. If all of your neighbors have done the same thing, they’ll find another neighborhood to torment. And in all honesty, that’s usually the best you can hope for.
Next, you and your neighbors need to organize. Anything from informal agreements to watch each other’s homes to a formalized Neighborhood Watch, anything that can possibly increase citizen involvement in keeping an eye out for crimes. The police have limited resources after all, and often they’re running their whole shift. The people of Albany being the eyes and ears can help them get to the right place. One advantage of a formal neighborhood watch group is that a sign is placed in the neighborhood to declare that this is happening…a great way to tell the crook to look elsewhere.
Third, and this is what I think is the most important thing. Take your personal safety and make it a personal priority. Learn all you can about personal defense and learn how to make your home a “hard target” for a would be criminal. This can be as simple as putting in an alarm and getting a big dog, to manicuring your yard to provide no hiding places for the bad guys, to a bunch of other possibilities. I personally recommend getting a firearm and learning how to use it safely and correctly, as well as how to use it legally. Keep it handy and ready to use to defend yourself. It may just prevent you from becoming a statistic in this town.
While the police want to keep you safe, they just can’t. It’s up to the people of Albany to work towards making this a crime free town, and we can only do that by making this a bad place for the criminals to operate in.
