Port Saint Lucie has a magazine called “Pulse.”
In its August 24 edition this year, data published by the police department was released, requiring close attention. The publication compared statistics on various types of crimes. Among them, I focused on thefts of valuables from vehicles (and/or vehicle theft) and home burglaries.
While working on this article, I recalled having addressed this topic before. Over two years ago, I shared my belief that the population growth the city was experiencing would lead to an increase in the criminal incidents affecting us. I regret being right.
The data presented compares incidents occurring between July 2022 – June 2023 vs. July 2023 – June 2024.
Let’s start with the data on thefts of valuables from vehicles. According to the table, these thefts have decreased; however, 39 cases were reported in May and 25 in June.
Preventing this type of crime largely depends on us. Make it a habit to lock your car and avoid leaving laptops, wallets, cell phones, or anything eye-catching inside the vehicle, no matter how “brief” the stop.
Other measures could include tinting windows, installing alarms, and using steering wheel locks to prevent vehicle theft.
If you own a home, now is a good time to start cleaning out the garage and making it a habit to park your vehicle inside.
GRAPH: VEHICLE THEFTS
GRAPH: HOME BURGLARIES
Just as with cars, there are several small steps we can take in this regard. Start with something as simple as locking access doors. If possible, install cameras in your home to gain some visibility.
Be cautious with household members who enjoy making videos to post on social media.
Every video posted on social media provides information about the valuables inside your home.
Similarly, young people often post photos of their new TV, sneakers, video games, etc. This new reality is the perfect reason to raise awareness among all family members about the need to reduce (or eliminate) this type of post.
Last but not least: get to know your neighbors better. Ideally, people living in the same neighborhood should know each other and have enough trust to communicate if they see any suspicious activity on the street.
I’m almost 100% sure this same situation must be happening in other cities along the Treasure Coast. All we can do is accept that things are changing and that we need to make some adjustments. It’s also time to demand more police presence everywhere.
Blessings.
By: manuel.rosario.gomez@gmail.com
Image: ADN
