Saturday, January 08, 2005

Prowling Perdido

It was predictable. It was preventable. It happened anyway.

The first reports of burglars on area barrier islands surfaced in the Pensacola News Journal Saturday. Stolen items include "a sofa, a microwave oven, some hand towels and a few kitchen utensils."

Just the sort of thing a lot of people in Pensacola don't have anymore. Just the sort of stuff they want.

Don't mistake it: this is a problem created by your Escambia County Commissioners, as Linda L. wrote here a few days ago.

Sean Smith has a brief account reporting that Perdido Key residents are complaining of burglars.
Three residents from condos at Perdido Towers, Old River Landing and Rolling Surf on Thursday reported thefts of ... unlikely burglary items from hurricane-battered Perdido Key homes.

The three condo communities are on Perdido Key Drive, west of River Road, and remain without electricity. Residents believe they are more vulnerable to thieves because they lack basic utilities and cannot live in their homes.

"You look at these streets, and it is dark. How inviting can that be? Without protection, we are at the mercy of burglars," said Mary Alice Marston, Old River Landing condominium association vice president.
One man has been arrested. He was apprehended in a "pickup pulling a trailer." The county sheriff's response is to begin random "bike patrols" on Perdido Key and Pensacola Beach "as manpower allows."

Bike patrols? Aren't bike patrols used to bring law enforcement closer to the people who live in neighborhoods?

With 80% or more of area beach houses and condos standing dark and empty, that hardly seems like the police vehicle of choice. More appropriate to the circumstances might be something along these lines.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"Just the sort of thing a lot of people in Pensacola don't have anymore. Just the sort of stuff they want."

Excuse me? "People in Pensacola" is a rather broad description. I am in Pensacola. Have been all my life. And no matter what I might have lost during ANY storm, stealing someone else's would be the furthest from my mind. I object and take offense at your generalizing and throwing all of us into the same heap. How about being more specific next time? Intentional or not, your word usage is a tad on the bigoted side. And I don't know where you're from or what kind of people you're used to dealing with (although I could probably take an educated guess), but there are thieves in all walks of life as well as practically every area of civilization. Try being a little more sensitive. And for the record, I sympathize. There is absolutely NO excuse whatsoever for theft of ANY kind. There's plenty of help out there after a terrible storm like that for all who have suffered. All one has to do is make inquiries. Again, please in the future try to be a little more specific when you make accusations or you're liable to step on the wrong toes.