Crime in MoCo. Real answers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

There have been 12 carjackings at the Wheaton Mall in Maryland since Dec 22. I don't feel safe going to that mall anymore, but it does not mean that I now assume every black person I see is a carjacker.

I have been driving out of the way to shop at the Fairfax Costco since the pandemic. Glad to see that decision vindicated with data.

Fairfax? Wowza. I am pretty sure there are closer locations. BTW, pretty sure those 12 carjackings include 6 carjackings attempted by a single guy within the span of like 5 minutes on a recent Saturday morning before he was caught. Still terrible but the count is a bit misleading. The police presence has been really good on the couple of occasions I have been to the wheaton costco after that incident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

There have been 12 carjackings at the Wheaton Mall in Maryland since Dec 22. I don't feel safe going to that mall anymore, but it does not mean that I now assume every black person I see is a carjacker.

I have been driving out of the way to shop at the Fairfax Costco since the pandemic. Glad to see that decision vindicated with data.

Fairfax? Wowza. I am pretty sure there are closer locations. BTW, pretty sure those 12 carjackings include 6 carjackings attempted by a single guy within the span of like 5 minutes on a recent Saturday morning before he was caught. Still terrible but the count is a bit misleading. The police presence has been really good on the couple of occasions I have been to the wheaton costco after that incident.

You don’t know the geography of Montgomery County very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

FYI, crime has increased in MoCo and DC. #Facts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

FYI, crime has increased in MoCo and DC. #Facts

A lot of people around here would prefer to keep their heads in the sand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

Actually the car jacking Tuesday night and the one in the parking garage a year or so ago were committed by groups of @ 3 kids, with two around 15 or 16 years old and 18-year-olds. Judging by the photos of the 18-year-olds, they were either white or Hispanic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We see the same thing playing out over all major metropolitan areas in the U.S. It's the lack of consequences due to increasing efforts to reduce sentencing for lower level crimes. It used to be play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Now the stupid prizes are less stupid...a slap on the wrist, return to custody of parents, instead of juvenile hall or incarceration for the older offenders. If someone knows all they're going to get is chewed out, that's a risk worth taking in their eyes. The whole reason why there's reduced sentencing is because of the collateral damage. Yes you get more public safety with the older, harsher policies, but a lot of people who could have been rehabilitated got lumped in with the lifers.

It's also increasingly harder for police to do their jobs. It used to be criminals were not that brazen, now they actively challenge police in routine situations because with social media they know the whole social justice piece will bail them out if things go south. There shouldn't be use of excessive force in the first place, but suspects are really aggressive now and forcing officers to choose between their own safety vs suspects, which is bad because police officers often panic and go too aggressive as well leading to a really bad outcome. There are also fewer recruits, more turnover, leading to overall loss of headcount and resources, which spreads police thin and makes it difficult to project presence. Why would someone sign up to be a police officer now when there are other jobs that don't have that much risk of going to jail.

And then there's the other piece that has led to the demise or stagnation of many historical civilizations - an increasing divide between the top 1% and bottom 30% with a hollowing out of the middle. If a large portion of the population feels they don't have anything to lose or anything to live for, they're going to take outsized risks and basically DGAF about anything, which begets the whole play stupid games behavior. Welfare, universal income, direct subsidies aren't going to solve anything because they don't teach anyone to fish or consume their time. We need stuff similar to the New Dealish CCC and WPA, but there's no economic need or political will for that.

No easy solutions to a multi-faceted problem.

I agree with you that the income inequality gap is the root cause.

Howver, the police are at the same time out of control. The amount of bad behavior, no consequences, shoot first, outright lying, and general disinterest in their actual job is troubling to say the least.

This is the PP. I agree some portions of certain police forces are out of control now, but I feel like that may be in response to the suspect population feeling more empowered to be brazen (not justifying it, just an observation). However, there are now consequences for the police bad behavior, which is why I think we have disinterest and staffing shortages, which can foster an environment where more crime occurs.

Your post relies on the assumption that police want to act with impunity, and that shortages are the result of police being held accountable.

THAT is part of the problem with police shortages right now. It’s the assumption, from some people and from some local politicians, that the police are inherently bad. The truth is MCPD has always been a well-run department that held itself to higher standards than most departments nationwide. The low morale experienced by MCPD right now has nothing to do with supposed bad behaviors being curbed and everything to do with false perceptions. Would you want to go to work when you have good intentions, yet your own council member refers to you as “thugs” and “goons”?

Who on the Council called police “thugs” and “goons?”

[Anonymous]

I’m the pp who just posted, reviving this thread from April. It’s a great thread and I’ve learned a lot, especially from Mr./Ms. Criminologist. Would love it if that person or other knowledgeable locals could weigh in again, now that we are seeing that crime has only increased over the past eight months since the thread was started.

[Anonymous]

When you are known in rural poverty stricken Central American towns as a destination (and you actively reject wage earners who make more than 100 grand through policy choices - high property taxes, suboptimal public schools it is a recipe for utter disaster with crime as only the first evidence of real decline. Other shoes will drop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

FYI, crime has increased in MoCo and DC. #Facts

Only because racists are reporting crimes.

[Anonymous]

DCs gentrification and $4K rents are leaving the poorest people priced out of the city. Relatively affordable MoCo housing is a double edged sword especially the way they are concentrating it east of the county. I am literally here because I can’t afford DC even though I am from DC.

Then there’s the music. Blacks never had these issues until this music glorifying violence. If I repeat the multiplication tables over and over in my head I become great at it, can recite them on demand and can use them to solve problems. Same with music, it’s an ideology, parenting and instruction manual in the absence of healthy family and education structures. Kids are reciting that crap from an early age. Got to get rid of that crap or black Americans are doomed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you are known in rural poverty stricken Central American towns as a destination (and you actively reject wage earners who make more than 100 grand through policy choices - high property taxes, suboptimal public schools it is a recipe for utter disaster with crime as only the first evidence of real decline. Other shoes will drop.

Yup. I took my mid-six figure income and all the state and county taxes over to Virginia this summer. Tired of the huge rise in crime, afraid to go into DTSS for movies or dinners, no longer felt safe going to the Costco in Wheaton. All while being treated to more and more taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you are known in rural poverty stricken Central American towns as a destination (and you actively reject wage earners who make more than 100 grand through policy choices - high property taxes, suboptimal public schools it is a recipe for utter disaster with crime as only the first evidence of real decline. Other shoes will drop.

Yup. I took my mid-six figure income and all the state and county taxes over to Virginia this summer. Tired of the huge rise in crime, afraid to go into DTSS for movies or dinners, no longer felt safe going to the Costco in Wheaton. All while being treated to more and more taxes.

But don't you miss all the equity and drag queen story hours?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

FYI, crime has increased in MoCo and DC. #Facts

Only because racists are reporting crimes.

Congratulations! Absolutely the stupid post of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

FYI, crime has increased in MoCo and DC. #Facts

Only because racists are reporting crimes.

Congratulations! Absolutely the stupid post of the day.

I'm 99.9999% sure that was sarcasm. Although, insane leftists sure have made it difficult to know sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Systemic racism is why there is a perception (not a reality) of an increase in crime in MoCo. Basically white people hear about a carjacking in DC and assume every Black person they see in Bethesda or Potomac is a carjacker.

FYI, crime has increased in MoCo and DC. #Facts

Only because racists are reporting crimes.

I’m AA. Long time MoCo resident and life long city dweller. I had to report three crimes in the past two weeks. It doesn’t make a racist to report them or to think crime is rising. FWIW, one crime I reported last week was my racist white neighbor verbally harassing my family. I don’t know the race of the people who committed the other two crimes.