And that’s the bottom line….
In the news again, a northern California city is shocked by an unbelievable crime, or so the newspaper said…
Two men were arrested for doing the unthinkable. Breaking into cars at a funeral home while family members were attending the service for their deceased loved ones…
Unthinkable? Unbelievable? I think not.
Two cars were found to have smashed windows.
One car had been unlocked and a purse taken from the front seat.
To me this is what’s unthinkable…..,
Leaving your car unlocked with your purse on the front seat.
Or your cellular phone, or your laptop computer, or your briefcase.
Ya, the motive was a little on the unusual side. Targeting grieving victims who are attending funeral services. But that’s really no different than the criminal element cruising your neighborhood on a nightly basis looking for opportunity, looking for an easy take, looking for your unlocked car parked at your dimly lit curb while you’re sound asleep.
It’s really no different than the crook cruising into your open garage while you sleep because the garage door was OPEN…….. In case you missed it the key word was OPEN.
It’s really no different than the crook who cruises your neighborhood looking to see which house has a mailbox full of mail and 20 newspapers in the driveway which usually means you are on vacation……
Unthinkable? Unbelievable? I’m tired of preaching, lets just get to the bottom line.
Did these victim cars (or any of the thousands of cars that will be broken into tonight as you read this) have an alarm system?
Did any of these victims lock their valuables out of sight in the truck?
Did any of these victims think about locking the car doors?
Do you savvy the thought of some nut case crook cruising into your garage, vehicle, or in a worse case scenario your home in the middle of the night while you sleep. That oughtta make single women out there everywhere sleep extra good!
Want to keep your stuff?
Want extra piece of mind?
Want to put the odds back in your favor?
Get an alarm system. For home and car.
Lock your doors.
Put up motion lights.
Get a dog.
Join neighborhood watch.
Lock your doors and windows at night.
Don’t have an unauthorized garage sale while you sleep,,,,LOCK YOUR GARAGE! Geez, most the time all you have to do is press the little button!
Lock your car at all times when unattended.
Put valuables out of sight in a secure area……like the trunk maybe? HELLO………
Record your properties serial numbers and model numbers in the event it’s ever stolen but only if you’d maybe like to see it again someday.
There’s a few hundred simple tips in our book “Coptalk†that can help make sure you increase your personal safety awareness and help keep your property YOURS. That’s another key word in case you missed it,,,,,YOURS!
I’m working marine patrol now, patrolling the river waters of my county. Today I saw a father and his very young son fishing in a small boat. What a nice picture, dad and his son fishing, the way life ought to be…..only one thing was missing. 5-year old junior wasn’t wearing a life jacket.
Lemme see here, fishing in a 10 foot small boat on a windy day, on a waterway frequently traveled by really big boats, that make really big wakes behind them, the kind of wakes that can easily toss a 5-year old boy over the side or swamp the little boat. Ah now, what are those nasty marine cops doing harassing that poor father and son who are just out to spend a little quality time together……
Sir, you really need to have your child in a life jacket. the bottom line is this, we can bring back the body but we can’t bring back the life.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the law or not. If you love your child and want to see him grow up to be able to reach his own kids to fish, do something that can save his life…..
What am I going to say here, buy a bigger boat? Put a life jacket on your pride and joy so that you don’t have to use my cell phone to call your wife and tell her something terrible has happened. Oh that’s right, you won’t be able to call because you’ll be too upset, don’t worry, we’ll swallow our hearts and make that call for you,,,,like we’ve had to do all too often because why? Oh, that’s right, you didn’t put a life jacket on your kid.
18 feet of black water, strong current, zero visibility. If your kid was to slip under the surface you really think you’d be able to find him or her? Lets see, what is needed here.
How bout a little common sense?
Doesn’t matter if it’s thefts from a car or the inexcusable drowning death of your child.
It’s a little thing called COMMON SENSE. That’s a key word here and in case you missed it, it was called COMMON SENSE.
Man tries to light fire in fireplace with gasoline. Sets house and himself on fire. That was interesting reading on the front page a few days ago….and what would have prevented that? Couldn’t use newspapers like everybody else, couldn’t use fire starter logs like everybody else, just had to use one of the most flammable and explosive liquids around.
I’ll teach that piece of Oak wood who the boss is. Take that Mr. Oak….. Good shot of gasoline oughtta get you going really good.
But wait, now I’m disfigured with 3rd degree burns and I burned our house down.
43-year old man was arrested for molesting a 12 year old girl he met in an online chat room…Apparently he gained the kids confidence and arranged a meeting.
And this guy was able to converse with this girl for hours online before meeting her because why? Because Mommy and Daddy didn’t know little Betty was in an adult chatroom? Hey! Why didn’t Mom and Dad know? Who are the damn parents?
In case you missed the Keyword here I think it was PARENTS! Or maybe it was
WHOSE THE PARENTS.
Ok, Jim, Calm down. Relax. People don’t mean to make these mistakes that can totally screw up their lives, they just don’t know any better…….
The bottom line is,
Know better, get educated, get smart, and try using common sense. Keyword in case you missed it, was COMMON SENSE!
Hey, if ya learned anything here at all, at least go outside and lock your car and garage before you go to sleep tonight. I preach and I preach and I preach that every action has a reaction. If you find yourself having bad reactions in life, take a look at what the actions are that are causing them.
Hey, on the otherhand, if you’re worried about someone taking your purse from the front seat of your un-alarmed un-locked vehicle while you’re attending a funeral…….maybe try not going to the funeral. That oughtta fix the problem right then and there. Oh yeah that won’t work, you’ll just leave it unlocked in front of your house.
Am I making you mad by being blunt, sarcastic, and overly petty?
Oh wait, I left out a key word. I’m being HONEST and that’s the bottom line.
Jim
Oops, almost forgot, have to get a shout out here to my little brother Mark.
Just as I got a new assignment with the Marine Patrol, Mark got a change in assignments too.
Instead of driving a patrol car around Mark will now be a Motorcycle Officer
working targeted traffic enforcement, accident investigations, DUI enforcement, and educating the public in regards to child safety seats and overall safe driving practices.
Mark, you always make me proud, but now you make me jealous! Enjoy your new assignment little brother and as always, Stay Safe
