The Abilene police have to be getting tired of the media coming around and asking about burglary cases right about now. Consider this, in the last couple of weeks, APD has seen an influx of car burglaries...many of them are because the car doors were left UNLOCKED!!
I MEAN SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE!
How hard is it to turn around, and lock your door. Shoot, most cars come with a key less remote...hit the button. (Side Note: I know not everyone has this feature, I lived with an '89 S-10 Blazer that had two keys, one to lock, the other to start the car. That was fun...)
Anyway, back to the lesson at hand...
Lock your doors, be it car doors, house doors, bathroom doors...whatever! Lock your doors! I mean seriously...do you want to have to tell the police, "No, officer, I don't think I locked my door..." NO! No one wants to have to say that. (Second Side Note: If this has happened to you, I'm sorry, it's no fun having your stuff stolen, I've had it happen. Although, I'm willing to guess, you wish you could do it over, and lock your door.)
That would completely reduce the number of thefts and burglaries, or at the very least make it harder for it to happen. Consider this advice, Sgt. Phipps, of the Abilene police, said the phrase is to "Harden the Target." Which he explains, if you make it hard for the bad guy to do bad things, they are more likely to move on and leave your home, or car, away.
Okay, I've spoken my peace. Just please, Abilene, it's not that hard to lock your doors, and let's be honest, it makes good sense! I mean seriously, people...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wreck Less Wednesday, Becomes Wreckless
We just couldn't do it, could we, Abilene? We were challenged, the gauntlet was laid down, and we failed. I'm talking about the campaign from Abilene police to have a "No Wreck Wednesday."
The idea was simple: don't get in a wreck. Tim translation: Don't be stupid. Now with that said, I must enter into a personal confession, of sorts. Be gentle with me, but I wasn't exactly the poster-child for perfect driving. So I will write the rest of this slightly tongue-in-cheek. Bear with me.
15 minutes into the day...that's how long the concept lasted...15 minutes! A driver got into an accident. There went the goal, before many of us went to bed, and well before most of us woke up to start our day. Although, it didn't stop there! Other drivers got caught up in whatever, their iPhone, their music, or were trying to qualify for the NASCAR circuit.
(I've come to learn NASCAR sponsors don't recruit from the streets, which is weird because there seems to be plenty of people auditioning.)
All the same, some were just "Those" drivers. You know the ones that get on your nerves. Come on, admit it, you've labeled them when you see them running you down on Winters Freeway, or weaving in and out along some street. And by label, I mean yelled at them as if they can hear you through your car and theirs. I've done it, no need to lie to yourself.
Anyway, the day was lost, we hit lucky number 11 at about 4:30 this afternoon. The daily average is 13. Yeah, tough break for Abilene.
However, there was plenty of optimism about the campaign raising more awareness on the streets. Who knows how many people made an intentional effort to avoid bad habits today so they wouldn't be one of the "knuckleheads?" If you were, let me know, I'm curious about it. Think about it, if we all just make a personal commitment to be safe, what a difference it could make.
OK, as I step of my soap box, and try not to fall on my face because of my own personal guilt on this topic, I leave you with this...
The rules are created so 16 year-olds can follow them...Are you smarter than a 16 year old?
**I wrote this mostly in jest, if you were involved in an accident, I'm sorry that happened to you. I've been in one before, it's nerve-rattling, and tough to handle. Although, I'm not joking when I say, I think we can all do better on the road, me included.**
Leave me a line, love the blog, not quite sure about it...Tell me, I want to hear from you!
The idea was simple: don't get in a wreck. Tim translation: Don't be stupid. Now with that said, I must enter into a personal confession, of sorts. Be gentle with me, but I wasn't exactly the poster-child for perfect driving. So I will write the rest of this slightly tongue-in-cheek. Bear with me.
15 minutes into the day...that's how long the concept lasted...15 minutes! A driver got into an accident. There went the goal, before many of us went to bed, and well before most of us woke up to start our day. Although, it didn't stop there! Other drivers got caught up in whatever, their iPhone, their music, or were trying to qualify for the NASCAR circuit.
(I've come to learn NASCAR sponsors don't recruit from the streets, which is weird because there seems to be plenty of people auditioning.)
All the same, some were just "Those" drivers. You know the ones that get on your nerves. Come on, admit it, you've labeled them when you see them running you down on Winters Freeway, or weaving in and out along some street. And by label, I mean yelled at them as if they can hear you through your car and theirs. I've done it, no need to lie to yourself.
Anyway, the day was lost, we hit lucky number 11 at about 4:30 this afternoon. The daily average is 13. Yeah, tough break for Abilene.
However, there was plenty of optimism about the campaign raising more awareness on the streets. Who knows how many people made an intentional effort to avoid bad habits today so they wouldn't be one of the "knuckleheads?" If you were, let me know, I'm curious about it. Think about it, if we all just make a personal commitment to be safe, what a difference it could make.
OK, as I step of my soap box, and try not to fall on my face because of my own personal guilt on this topic, I leave you with this...
The rules are created so 16 year-olds can follow them...Are you smarter than a 16 year old?
**I wrote this mostly in jest, if you were involved in an accident, I'm sorry that happened to you. I've been in one before, it's nerve-rattling, and tough to handle. Although, I'm not joking when I say, I think we can all do better on the road, me included.**
Leave me a line, love the blog, not quite sure about it...Tell me, I want to hear from you!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Silly Law Makers, Tricks are For Kids
Alright, so we all know there are a few laws that just don't seem to fit... You know like actually stopping for a red light... It's really more of a caution to speed up, am I right? (Disclaimer: Please stop at red lights. I've seen you...sometimes you don't!)
But there is a new law that took effect on the first that has many, including myself, wondering just how it's going to work out. No, I'm not talking about the no cell phones in school zones, that one makes sense (although, I'm bound to break it because driving is when I'm getting most of my business done). Instead, I'm talking about the law that was initially authored by Rep. Abel Herrero, that says any offender of family violence may be ordered, by a judge, to wear a GPS tracking monitor and restricted from certain areas where the victim may be. This new law also says that the victim may request a monitor to find out where the offender is, at all times.
Now I'm not bashing this idea, I love it actually. It provides an accountability that ideally should help out many victims, and even offenders. No, I'm bashing the law makers for creating this idea, with no instruction for how, or even, who is supposed to carry it out.
Here, in Abilene, I asked around about this law. The Justice of the Peace office, said it was a matter for the District Attorney. The District Attorney, said it was a matter for the JP's Office. Meanwhile, the Probation office said it wasn't theirs to watch, and the few bondsmen I asked (who interact the most with an offender) had no idea what I was even talking about.
Please, don't get me wrong, this is not me mixing it up with the local law authorities. They were extremely helpful in my search for the answers. The issue with all of this goes way up the hierarchy to the folks who didn't instruct these people on how to carry it out!
So here's my understanding after my wild hunt: All of these bodies, except the bondsmen, knew of the law. So they were informed, and up to date. That's a plus. And, all of them were aware that there was a problem with the way this set up. With all that said, here is the Tim Johnston Abridged Version of the Operation Protocol.
The JP will order the GPS, which can be written into the bond. The offender will have to pay, somehow, for the GPS unit and for the monitor for the victim, if the victim wants it. As of now, very few are equipped to meet these demands, but the Corrections Office (aka Probations) is geared up with GPS tracking anklets, but the monitors for the victims are not available, yet. The bondsmen will be given instruction at the next meeting, and then everyone should be versed in how this will go.
Confused? You should be! So is everyone else, at this point. Desperate for answers? Just hold on, because all eyes will be on the first city/county that attempts to carry this out.
And that is why this new law presents such an issue...not because of what it wants to do, but because it didn't explain how to do it!
As it stands, I probably just wrote about something that goes way beyond my pay-grade...And I will do my best to blog about a more witty topic next time.
But there is a new law that took effect on the first that has many, including myself, wondering just how it's going to work out. No, I'm not talking about the no cell phones in school zones, that one makes sense (although, I'm bound to break it because driving is when I'm getting most of my business done). Instead, I'm talking about the law that was initially authored by Rep. Abel Herrero, that says any offender of family violence may be ordered, by a judge, to wear a GPS tracking monitor and restricted from certain areas where the victim may be. This new law also says that the victim may request a monitor to find out where the offender is, at all times.
Now I'm not bashing this idea, I love it actually. It provides an accountability that ideally should help out many victims, and even offenders. No, I'm bashing the law makers for creating this idea, with no instruction for how, or even, who is supposed to carry it out.
Here, in Abilene, I asked around about this law. The Justice of the Peace office, said it was a matter for the District Attorney. The District Attorney, said it was a matter for the JP's Office. Meanwhile, the Probation office said it wasn't theirs to watch, and the few bondsmen I asked (who interact the most with an offender) had no idea what I was even talking about.
Please, don't get me wrong, this is not me mixing it up with the local law authorities. They were extremely helpful in my search for the answers. The issue with all of this goes way up the hierarchy to the folks who didn't instruct these people on how to carry it out!
So here's my understanding after my wild hunt: All of these bodies, except the bondsmen, knew of the law. So they were informed, and up to date. That's a plus. And, all of them were aware that there was a problem with the way this set up. With all that said, here is the Tim Johnston Abridged Version of the Operation Protocol.
The JP will order the GPS, which can be written into the bond. The offender will have to pay, somehow, for the GPS unit and for the monitor for the victim, if the victim wants it. As of now, very few are equipped to meet these demands, but the Corrections Office (aka Probations) is geared up with GPS tracking anklets, but the monitors for the victims are not available, yet. The bondsmen will be given instruction at the next meeting, and then everyone should be versed in how this will go.
Confused? You should be! So is everyone else, at this point. Desperate for answers? Just hold on, because all eyes will be on the first city/county that attempts to carry this out.
And that is why this new law presents such an issue...not because of what it wants to do, but because it didn't explain how to do it!
As it stands, I probably just wrote about something that goes way beyond my pay-grade...And I will do my best to blog about a more witty topic next time.
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