Do you have worries about criminals in or near your child's school, your neighborhood or in your workplace?
Having a criminal to deal with is no small issue. Someone breaking the law can easily destroy your family, your job and the neighborhood you've loved for years. This situation is like a literal war. People will choose up sides, and some may not side with you.
For example, the drug dealer next door can engage your teenager in using or selling drugs. When you try to enlist help from other neighbors, they might refuse to get involved.
Even a criminal living way down the block can cause tension among many individuals and families, depending on who is upset and who is not. Some may refuse to take a stand against the crimes being committed.
Taking steps to report such culprits takes careful planning and a lot of nerve. However, if good people do nothing, evil people will grow in numbers.
"My best friend had to move in with me," says a woman we'll call Caroline. "Her condo complex has drug dealing going on."
Criminals are present in all neighborhoods and in all socio-economic groups. Ferreting out these troublemakers is doable, but it takes awareness and good planning to remove them.
For the past five years, the three of us have witnessed at least four major crimes unfolding in the lives of those we love. We can attest to certain facts.
For example, defeating a criminal is not as simple as calling the police. Nor is it as simple as calling government agencies, the District Attorney in your county, or people who seemingly care about you.
Here are truths we've uncovered:
_ It pays to document everything by time, date and who you call to complain to. This gives you credibility when and if you hire an attorney to help.
_ Keep a list of authority figures you talk with. Write down the fact they refused to help, for example. Showing a judge, if it comes to that, all of the ways you tried to engage help is critical.
_ Out of one hundred people, ninety-nine will likely refuse to support you. Unless someone is really brave or in a position of power, they will not get involved. Don't let this discourage you. Keep trying to engage help.
_ At some point, you must either run or fight. To fight you must get a lawyer. There is nothing like a lawyer and the courts to make criminals knuckle under. Everything else is small talk and goes nowhere.
The lady mentioned above, who was forced out of her condo by drug dealers told us recently, "I have hired a lawyer to face off with the condo board. We are working on what will help."
She told us she will demand security cameras, enactment of a Neighborhood Watch program, and better lighting throughout the property. Her real demand is a strict pet policy the board must pass. She contends the drug dealers in the condo complex all have large, formidable dogs that are part of the drug trafficking.
"I am putting the pressure back on the condo board," she told us. "My research shows that my state's laws require condominium boards to guarantee the safety of the residents.
"I can either lose my home or fight. Allowing crime makes you part of it. My fight may be dangerous for me, but what can be worse than losing your home to criminals?"
