XDn00b101 said:
I'm new to the whole scene. I thought the more people, the more cops, the faster the responders. :banghead:
Not quite, friend.
Police work by its very nature is only about 25% pro-active, and 75% reactive. The emphasis today for officers on patrol is aggressive, proactive community oriented patrol, with different tactics designed to put on a show of force--being there, being part of the community, getting to be known by business owners, more community contacts, etc.
Unfortunately, that does NOT help to a great extent.
Crime does decrease in areas where police presence is maintained--but that is mostly due to the deterrence value of the uniformed officer. When that officer leaves the area--as he or she must on occasion--criminals are free to work at will.
And, there is also the chance of the major incident that occurs that will draw law enforcement resources from the area--and don't believe for a second that the savvy criminal will not take advantage.
This leads to your statement. Police work is by its nature, reactive. This means simply that I don't get the call until YOU diall 911. And, when are you going to dial 911?
Most of the time, it's AFTER the incident has occurred. There are a few times that 911 is called prior to an incident occurring--that's when you get those hair-on-the-back-of-the-neck-standingup-ohmygosh-whatwasthatshadowoutside-there'sathumpatthebackdoor-moments. Believe me, we LOVE those calls. It gives us the chance to actually do the "Protect" part of Serve and Protect.
We get a call of a crime in progress, or a prowler call, of something to that effect, we drop everything and try our level best to find out just how fast a CVPI can run. And, sometimes, those stories have decent endings.
Tacoma Police responded to a call of a woman screaming near a wooded area. They responded post haste and deployed K9--who found a rape in progress. The puppy got to play! The puppy took a good chunk from the rapist's butt, too.
I saw the perp while I was booking someone into Pierce County Jail on an unrelated charge. He looked somewhat dimished because there was a big pressure dressing on his butt and about six big beefy cops staring at him like he was a piece of meat. If he had twitched wrong, he would have been pounded into meatloaf. (Did I mention that cops hate rapists?
)
In another one that just happened, Kent PD got a call. They heard a woman say, "Please don't hurt me"; she then told dispatch that she was not free to talk. Police responded--and again interrupted a rape in progress.
Unfortunately, we can't be there all the time. I wish I could--I would gladly give up any off time I have, any sleep I might get--heck, I'd even skip eating if I could constantly respond BEFORE someone gets victimized.
But I can't. No one can.
Which is why the best approach to take is to protect yourself and your family.
Forget pepper spray. It works sometime, but other times it doesn't.
Don't carry knives as a primary weapon unless you are willing to spend some serious time training. Serious as in at least 6 days a week, a couple of hours or more a day.
So, what do you do? Get some good instruction, some training, and know the laws in your area.
Then, procure some iron. The brand is irrelevant, as long as it is serviceable, reliable, reasonably accurate and as long as it fits you well.
Perhaps
ein gut Deutsche pistolen: Heckler und Koch, Walther, Korth, SIG/Sauer, perhaps even Luger, or Mauser;
Favor something from Austria? A gentleman named Glock might have something that fits well;
If you favor the Mediterranean, perhaps the oldest gunmaker in the world, Pietro Beretta, might have something that interests you.
If your tastes are similar to those of our Canadian brothers, there's Para-Ordnance.
Or, you might be a traditionalist. Stuff some good American iron in that holster: Colt, Smith and Wesson, Ruger, Taurus, whatever you feel good with.
A very wise person once said, "No one ever raped a .38." I tend to agree with them.
Read my signature line. It's a somewhat paraphrased copy of a line that is attributed to be the Colt motto.
Above all, be safe. Call us when you need to--but be prepared in any case to defend yourself and your loved ones.