A byproduct of growing up in the City of Detroit is
awareness of security and safety.
It is as ingrained as a part of life in the Motor City as to
make it instinctive to always lock the doors of the house or the car, to look
around for possible assaulters when walking streets, to be constantly aware of
one’s surroundings and be prepared accordingly. Even in the suburbs, such
precautions are taken as a matter of course, and that attitude continued during
a brief stint living and working in the Flint/Saginaw market.
When the move to West Michigan came in 2001, such concerns
eased for a while. Sure, there was crime to report, but it wasn’t as prevalent as
in the “other side of the state,” and one could leave a vehicle unlocked or a
home kept open with a feeling of security that nothing bad would happen.
That’s not the case anymore.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, who handles policing
responsibilities for nearly the entire county, said that over a hundred
larcenies and burglaries were reported in Hudsonville and the surrounding Georgetown
Township vicinity in the past two months. As a result, deputies are going around
the county placing “property check” slips on unlocked vehicles and open house
doors when they encounter them as a reminder to keep those things secured.
It’s a wise move, but it’s a sad move. Our human, depraved
nature is such that men (and women) will always be looking to take what it not
theirs, so we need to be prudent in protecting our valuables, no matter where
we are or where we live.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Thanks!
