I spent the last week on a tropical island soaking up the surrounding natural beauty–made even more idyllic by contrast to the crime scene that greeted me when I returned to Austin. Four cars were broken into in my complex’s gated parking structure last night (with a fifth having been broken into about a week earlier). At the time that I pulled into the structure this evening, there were piles of green, tempered glass slumped next to cars conspicuously missing windows. Each car had a business card from the Austin Police Department, listing a case number, tucked neatly under its windshield wiper.
In response, the Leasing Office issued an “Awareness Letter to the Residents” reminding that “your security is the responsibility of the local law enforcement agency and yourself” and “if you have occasion to walk around the community at night, we urge you to refrain from doing so alone.” Geez. I get that they are trying to disclaim liability, but the fact that they don’t even consider taking action to better secure the parking structure after five break-ins in one week is pretty poor.
Since I moved closer to the action downtown, I have been more conscientious about my personal safety, but I never expected a rash of break-ins in our own parking structure. Bummer. Really missing my individual, attached garage at my old place right about now.
Happily, my car was stored elsewhere while I was on vacation . . . .
Read the full article: Returning to the Scene of the Crime(s)