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And it's often in the safest neighbourhoods. My family lives out in the safest burbs imaginable, with not a funny looking person for miles. 0 homeless. 0 crime

And it's often in the safest neighbourhoods. My family lives out in the safest burbs imaginable, with not a funny looking person for miles. 0 homeless. 0 crime. They all have these heavy security systems and door cameras. And the absence of crime is not due to these cameras. Just a kind of fearful mindset, and a lot of extra money.

inglor_cz 5y ago
"And the absence of crime is not due to these cameras." Really? Otherwise safe neighbourhoods used to be a preferred target for burglars once, because there is a lot of valuable items to steal there. This kind of burglary is becoming less viable due to modern security systems, especially the sort that connect to a remote security service that sends a car to every alarm. Claiming that low level of crime means that security systems are a result of fearful mindset is not unlike claiming that being in good health shows that the immune system is superfluous and not worth the metabolic investment.
- jollybean 5y ago
  The crime rate in those burbs was nil for the last 50 years and has not changed 'because spy cameras'. In my urban neighbourhood, the crime is visible, I see people trying to steal bikes. Crack deals out in the open. I left my door unlocked for 15 minutes and had Mac stolen. And I don't think cameras would make a blink of a difference. Semi-smart criminals with resources, driving across town to random middle class suburb to rob people of their Mircowave ovens is not really a thing. Surely it does happen, but it's a very rare event. If you live in the Hollywood Hills, you'll want cameras everywhere, or adjacent to a serious 'problem area' likewise, but otherwise, no.
  - inglor_cz 5y ago
    This really depends on the willingness of the local police force to review and use the footage. Sometimes, the insurance companies conduct their own investigation too, if they suspect insurance fraud or if the stolen items were extra expensive. Anyway, after I wrote my first comment, I started recalling all the burglary incidents in my surroundings and among my friends. There were like 20 of them in this century, so approximately one a year, not supercommon, but not too rare either. And their common denominator was poor home security. No one with a good door and closed windows got successfully broken into (there were failed attempts). People with subpar door/locks or leaving ground floor windows open at night OTOH definitely attracted successful criminal attention, even in better neighbourhoods. The country I live in is fairly safe otherwise, but theft of all kinds is depressingly common. Funnily, a friend of mine described me his own "security setup" in his old car. Two visible red LEDs on the dashboard, blinking, one of them starts to blink a little faster from time to time. Nothing else. Total cost like 2 USD. No one ever tried to steal his car. Good psychology.
lotsofpulp 5y ago
I did not install cameras to keep my family safe. I did it for insurance purposes and to have an objective account of what happened in case the police try to lie about something since their word is better than mine in court. Same with dash cams in cars.
heavyset_go 5y ago
There's a level of paranoia and distrust that's endemic to many suburbs. I've met a lot of suburban residents who genuinely fantasize about society collapsing so they can shoot their hungry neighbors if they come knocking.

inglor_cz 5y ago

"And the absence of crime is not due to these cameras." Really? Otherwise safe neighbourhoods used to be a preferred target for burglars once, because there is a lot of valuable items to steal there. This kind of burglary is becoming less viable due to modern security systems, especially the sort that connect to a remote security service that sends a car to every alarm. Claiming that low level of crime means that security systems are a result of fearful mindset is not unlike claiming that being in good health shows that the immune system is superfluous and not worth the metabolic investment.

jollybean 5y ago
The crime rate in those burbs was nil for the last 50 years and has not changed 'because spy cameras'. In my urban neighbourhood, the crime is visible, I see people trying to steal bikes. Crack deals out in the open. I left my door unlocked for 15 minutes and had Mac stolen. And I don't think cameras would make a blink of a difference. Semi-smart criminals with resources, driving across town to random middle class suburb to rob people of their Mircowave ovens is not really a thing. Surely it does happen, but it's a very rare event. If you live in the Hollywood Hills, you'll want cameras everywhere, or adjacent to a serious 'problem area' likewise, but otherwise, no.
- inglor_cz 5y ago
  This really depends on the willingness of the local police force to review and use the footage. Sometimes, the insurance companies conduct their own investigation too, if they suspect insurance fraud or if the stolen items were extra expensive. Anyway, after I wrote my first comment, I started recalling all the burglary incidents in my surroundings and among my friends. There were like 20 of them in this century, so approximately one a year, not supercommon, but not too rare either. And their common denominator was poor home security. No one with a good door and closed windows got successfully broken into (there were failed attempts). People with subpar door/locks or leaving ground floor windows open at night OTOH definitely attracted successful criminal attention, even in better neighbourhoods. The country I live in is fairly safe otherwise, but theft of all kinds is depressingly common. Funnily, a friend of mine described me his own "security setup" in his old car. Two visible red LEDs on the dashboard, blinking, one of them starts to blink a little faster from time to time. Nothing else. Total cost like 2 USD. No one ever tried to steal his car. Good psychology.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

I did not install cameras to keep my family safe. I did it for insurance purposes and to have an objective account of what happened in case the police try to lie about something since their word is better than mine in court. Same with dash cams in cars.

heavyset_go 5y ago

There's a level of paranoia and distrust that's endemic to many suburbs. I've met a lot of suburban residents who genuinely fantasize about society collapsing so they can shoot their hungry neighbors if they come knocking.