Andrew Muzi wrote:
Jay Beattie wrote:
If you live in a city
where crime is the norm, then people stop reporting. Not saying that
is the case with NY, but I suspect a person in small town USA would be
more likely to report a minor property crime -- a car break in, for
example -- than someone in a high crime city.

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
This is circular reasoning. If someone lives in a small town where
crime is the norm, are they going to report it? Nothing is being done
- what's the use.

Jay Beattie wrote:
O.K, small safe town USA.
Really, my point is that where law enforcement is stretched thin or
considered ineffective or even corrosive, then people quit reporting
crimes. Where populations are exposed to constant minor crimes, they
quit reporting minor crimes. Low reported crime does not necessarily
mean low crime. I think you have to look carefully at how a particular
populations views crime and crime reporting.-- Jay Beattie.

When the process for no-bloodshed crimes is a 'telephone self report'
with tedious multi-level menu and then zero follow-up, why bother?
[...]

Well, I do know of one case of a stolen bicycle in the City of Madison
being recovered this way.

But Andrew is right, the police will not actively pursue the crime of a
single stolen bicycle, but merely check serial numbers if they come
across it in the process of other investigations.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll