I was recently robbed in Royal Oak ~ For Real ! - Will you be next? - Letter to the commission

My car was recently broken into in front of my house. This is my letter to the commission. Please feel free to contact them if you share the same concerns.

http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/portal/contact

Dear Commission,

I know I have sent you all many (probably annoying) emails voicing concerns about what would appear to be an increase in petty crime in RO neighborhoods. I understand that the police department is understaffed and working toward improvement, as demonstrated in the recent city police report. To be honest after seeing the report, and having been tracking data on Crimemapping.com some of my concerns were pacified. However, I am writing this letter to regretfully tell you all that I have now officially become a statistic that I was so concerned about becoming.

This weekend, as my wife and I were running errands, somebody entered my vehicle and stole money, a GPS, and sports equipment from my car. This happened not in downtown Royal Oak, but right in front of my house.

I understand that many people have suffered from random bits of petty crime in our city, but I would be lying to you all if I told you that I did not feel violated. I am struggling to rationalize living here anymore as my wife is pregnant, and I have just recently invested so much money into my home. I do not feel safe - I feel vulnerable. If I stay in Royal Oak, what will be next? Will I come home to see somebody rifling through my personal items? Should I get a German Sheppard, should I call ADT, should I get ready to move to Birmingham? These are thoughts I am struggling with now.

I have to say that I have seen some unusual looking folks walking though my neighborhood (North of Lincoln between Main and Campbell) as of recent. I have not called the police every time I see one of these folks, but should I? Would I be profiling if I did? I have been meaning to attend the crime prevention meetings, but I have been struggling with my day job, preparing for the little one, and preparing for grad school.

I asked the officer whom I submitted the report to, what was next. He said, “well there is not much we can do. If we find somebody who has these items we will let you know”. I then asked, “has there been a lot of this going on in my neighborhood?” He responded with, “well there is a lot of this south of 11 mile – keep em’ locked”.

Now by no means do I bring this up to knock on the officer, and I understand that he must deal with issues like this and many other much more serious issues regularly, but is this just something that I should have to accept? Am I just more likely to be robbed if I live South of 11 mile? Should I just succumb to this and give up on my neighborhood and leave? Is Royal Oak doomed to head downhill and be swallowed by vagrant passerby who would steal from Royal Oak residents seemingly at will?

I don’t know. But, like I said before, my main goal is to let you, the commission, know what my demographic (Young Professional Starting a Family) is struggling with here in Royal Oak. May be it’s just not possible to have safe place to live in play in Metro Detroit. May be I should do what my folks told me to do, and head north to Rochester.

Regretfully Yours,

Tim