I know this is a silly question because crime is everywhere, but here goes: I am really intrigued by the SC concept, but my wife is completely apposed to even thinking about Sun City, but I think it is mostly a Arizona thing. A "friend" of hers that lived in Tucson for a while said that home invasions were common and that they lived in fear most of the time and always carried a gun to protect themselves. I have cousins in Phoenix and Tucson and they don't live in fear and love AZ, but my wife is convinced that Arizona is a ground zero for crime which obviously is not reality. I would just like to get some thoughts on crime from folks that are living the SC dream, something I hope to do someday.
Members of the Sheriffs’ Posse of Sun City navigate the streets of Sun City in their marked patrol vehicles from early morning until late at night, serving as a force multiplier for the deputies of the Maricopa County Sheriff, who is the law enforcement provider in our community. The Sheriffs’ Office supplies the Posse with data concerning crimes in Sun City. We study this information, looking for patterns. If we notice an unusual amount of crime in a particular area, we add patrols to increase our visibility in that area. Often the presence of marked patrol cars can convince potential thieves to move to a less well protected area. Statistics have shown us that the vast majority of the crimes committed in Sun City are thefts. About 70% of these thefts can be classified as crimes of opportunity, non-violent acts in which a thief helps himself to items that have been left unattended and vulnerable. How can we eliminate some of these opportunities for theft ? • Keep your garage door closed. An open garage door, day or night, even if it only open a few inches for “ventilation”, is an invitation to a thief to help himself to your golf clubs or power tools. Even worse, inside your garage is the door to the interior of your house, which is probably unlocked. • Keep all the exterior doors to your house locked at all times, even if you are at home. If you are doing yard work in the back yard, it is easy for someone to walk into your house through an unlocked front door. • Ladies – keep your purse secure. Don’t leave it unattended in your shopping cart, even for a few seconds, as you shop or load your purchases into your car. • Lock your car and take your keys with you when you get out to pump gas or pay at the gas station. It is a simple matter for a crook to drive off with your car, or help himself to whatever is inside it, if you have left it unattended with the keys in the ignition • Any items of value, such as GPS units, laptops, purses, or cameras which are visible in a parked vehicle are very tempting to a potential thief, even if the vehicle is locked. • Outgoing U.S. Mail is a target. Sun City residents often clip outgoing mail to the flap of the mail slot, or raise the flag on their curbside mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up. This outgoing mail is visible and accessible for anyone to steal. If this mail contains a check or a credit card payment, the thief now has your personal banking and credit information. To be safe, always drop outgoing mail in the corner mailbox, or hand it personally to your letter carrier. If you would like to learn more about how to protect yourself from scams or crimes of opportunity, call or visit the Sheriffs’ Posse of Sun City office at 10861 Sunland Drive (623-972-2555). You can arrange for a trained Posse volunteer to come and speak to you or your group or association. The Posse receives no funding from any government source. Our only financial support comes from the gratitude and generosity of the residents of Sun City. Captain Art Jenkins, Commander, Sheriffs’ Posse of Sun City
Oh, My, Bruce W. My parents lived in Sun City in the early 1970's. It was their Paradise ! As far as I know - - in their 20 years of living here - - they never mentioned any bad - horrible crimes. I have lived in SC over 5 yrs. no problems. AND before I lived here I lived in Peoria - just a few miles from here..I love it here in the area...We have the Police, MCSO, neighborhood watches, etc. I do not live in fear and I feel very save here and in surrounding communities. Of course, as with any city, community, big or small - crime happens.... -- it is everywhere ! It happens here...but WOW - - AZ is not some horrible "every criminal lives here" state. It is as safe as anywhere else - - in the USA or in any other country. SCPossecmdr had some wonderful tips for not just us but for anyone. Common Sense is also a must !
Thanks for the comments. Like I said in my opening statement, I knew this was a silly question. My cousins have lived in AZ (Phoenix & Tuscon) their whole lives and would not think of living any where else. I like the Posse concept, I think the Sheriff has the right idea with the Posse, seems like a nice deterrent method.
Our Sun City Posse is Wonderful ! I see their marked vehicles all around our area, checking this & that. They make themselves visible - - and that in itself is a nice safety feature. AND Remember...Sun City is a retirement community -- most people are around - - early mornings you will see lots of activity as the residents are walking around, biking, doing their little yard work, etc. Snowbirds come and go -- in my neighborhood - I am fortunate -- all my neighbors live here all year long. It is a safe place to live.
The reality is that no community is free from crime. We had vandals in Vistancia that loved to break into homes and cars and it is still going on today. When we were remodeling this little house here in SC we foolishly left all our tools in the house and garage and lost $3,000. Thieves here will look for dumpsters in driveways which tells them that construction is going on. It just happens. We still feel safe and will leave windows open during the fall to get that great fresh air. We do have a loud dog on hand.
When we started spending winters in Sun City it was a bit of a culture shock for us. Living in the mountains of CO we never lock our doors unless we are going away for more than a few days......there are no window coverings on our windows, who would see in ? and Elk? a fox? the occasional bear? Sun City is like any suburban neighborhood.....we do lock our doors at night, we do lock our car if it's parked in the driveway, and we do have blinds or drapes for privacy. But, I have rarely felt unsafe in our neighborhood.....people recognize their neighbors and watch for strangers that don't belong.....it's a rare occasion that you actually see a stranger walking down the street. I sit outside at night, often will take a walk around 10 or 11pm and feel safe doing that as long as I stay on our own street. I have never understood those who put iron bars on their windows and iron security doors instead of your average screen door. I believe Sun City is probably safer than most communities from crime, my rationale living in phase I has always been that if someone was looking for valuable "stuff" there are certainly higher priced neighborhoods that would be more attractive, and any "young thug" would stand out like a sore thumb wandering our streets at night.
The condo I purchased has a security door on front door and door to garage. I also have a dog and a security alarm system. Some houses/condos facing main roads do seem to have the iron bars you refer to
I guess I could understand it if your house faced a major through street, but mine is a sleepy little street and we have more than our share of fortresses. Perhaps the owners came from more crime prone areas.
SC actually sounds like a pretty safe neighborhood by comparison to some suburbs. Yes crime happens most anywhere and the burbs are where some would be thieves look for easy pickings. Here in Thornton, CO we lock our doors and put cars in the garage at night. I used to leave my car out and still do sometimes and never have a problem. I have a storm door on the front that has a handy lock that would slow someone down while we let the cool evening breeze in. At night we lock up tight, I would leave the second story windows open, but my wife is too paranoid to do that, so I open them until bedtime with the whole house fan on. I guess it all depends on what thieves think you have of value. We have plain Chevy cars and a nice plain looking house so there is the appearance of not much of any value here. We all look out for each other in the neighborhood and I think that really helps. We watch the news sometimes and hear of the crime in Denver, but 13 miles outside of Denver life is pretty quiet... most of the time. ;-)
Safety of your home for certain is a Common Sense Issue. Sun City is a safe area... however, have common sense. :apthy: lock your doors & windows, keep car locked if outside - - especially in parking lots. Don't leave your garage door opened for any long-length of time. ...etc.
