Recent content by stevejay

Better cameras help but, ultimately, moving is the definitive solution. A neighborhood going downhill like this never gets any better in any reasonable time frame, only steadily worse. Let the place go to the dogs without you. Do some research, there are ample internet resources available to...

In L.A. if you observe a crime in progress and the perp appears to be a vagrant, when you call 911 do not mention that fact or use other description like “homeless.“ Political structure in the city has instructed LAPD not to roll out on any crimes committed by homeless unless it‘s a violent...

What I wonder is: suppose a homeless guy is caught snorting cocaine ... through a plastic straw. Which law is he charged with violating in that case? In this state, I'm pretty sure it would be violating the ban on plastic straws (which probably carries a stiffer penalty, anyhow.)

In CA, possession of meth in amounts considered to be "for personal use" has now been reduced to a very minor misdemeanor. It's about on the level of sipping an open can of beer in public. Hard to get the cops to roll out on that. If you call 911 to report it, they will instantly dump you off to...

Here in CA it's strictly illegal to live in RV meth-mobiles parked on residential streets. However, literally thousands are doing so presently. "Illegal" under the law is one thing .... getting police to actually enforce that law is quite another. Got so bad my neighbor and I had an arrangement...

Yeah in my area junky old RVs that never move are frequently meth-mobiles. They used to tow them up on streets in our vicinity late at night when nobody would see them, then push them up to the curb in front of single family homes. No license plates, the engine doesn't run anymore, the tires go...

Classic meth-induced paranoid rush IMHO. For two years we had an "encampment" (I had another word for it) in bushes along nearby freeway embankment. I personally witnessed some of the residents charging through the neighborhood in a state of wild-eyed drug psychosis shortly after shooting up...

I agree about the "look." That guy checked off all the boxes for "suspicious." Under certain circumstances—time of day, neighborhood, etc—I personally think backpacks are a presumptive sign of criminal activity! But that's just me ...

"How do you know he doesn't live in that building, sir? Are you the property manager? Are you personally acquainted with all the residents? So, what you're reporting is that some person you don't recognize put a piece of tape on a camera? And you believe he looks like he might commit a crime...

Just curious, do you have special contact phone numbers or do you go thru regular 911 ops? Where I live it would be hard to get 911 to react to that incident, particularly if no felony was observed (i.e. only a misdemeanor) and definitely if description of the perpetrator sounded like it might...

Getting out of CA is a worthy idea for a number of reasons. However, the right to self defense in your own home needn’t be one of them. It is a surprise to many— incl residents of the state— but CA state penal code does specifically endorse stand your ground for self defense on your own...

Prowlers, door-checkers, petty theft, vandalism, etc, typically no longer get any response whatsoever from urban police depts. That this has become the "new normal" that we are supposed to accept is the real issue. There have always been bottom-dwelling thieves in society. In the past...

That's great you were able to get police roll-out. In many cities I don't think you can get that kind of response from cops re a porch package theft anymore -- even with video of the guy. If the package value is < $750, in my city, all the guy would have to do is declare that he is "homeless" —...

Young male. On foot in a residential neighborhood. 4 a.m. Hoodie. Backpack. His intentions couldn't be more clear. He might as well have a glow-in-the-dark sign on his back (pack): "I'm out here stealing stuff." Private security in a gated community would take that guy down at first glance. City...

Our Constitutional right to "keep and bear" firearms passed down to us was not primarily intended as a burglary deterrent, anyhow. Though it works well for such purposes when used responsibly. Private firearms ownership here has a deeper, almost sublime connection with personal freedom and...