Recently in Safety Category

The ShotSpotter results for the month of May are up on the city's Web site.

The numbers are up quite a bit compared to the past few months. The totals for May were:
Gunshots: 710
Firecrackers: 880
Other noises: 175

Over the weekend, I noticed that the first block of East Market Street isn't exactly a pedestrian's dream.

On the southern side of the block, a sign tells pedestrians the sidewalk is closed. There are gates closing off the walk around the York County Administrative Center. More work to repair the building, I'm guessing?

The sign directs walkers to the other side of the street, where ... you have Market Street garage construction

It looks prohibitive, but you can get through since they constructed a pedestrian walkway out front.

Garage construction is going to continue for a while. I don't know how long the area by the Administrative Center will be blocked off.  It all looks more hazardous than it probably is. All the same, it's probably good to pay attention and make sure you know where you're going for a while.

I spotted the Guardian Angels posted in the middle of the first block of West Market Street Friday night as I made my way home from the First Cap. The Angels were on the opposite side of the street from the Bourbon Street Saloon and Market Street Saloon.

That's the first time I've really seen them out in the downtown area, which could just say something about my lack of nightlife. So I called Mike Smith, the leader of the York chapter, who said they've been spending a little more time downtown lately, in response to recent events. (Two people were shot in that block late one night in mid-March.)

Smith said his group tends to be all over the city. They try to mix it up a little though, because inevitably if they concentrate in one area, they just hear about problems somewhere else.

Smith said he just added three new recruits, which brings the chapter up to 25 members. He's still hoping to get up to 40, but he's happy that everyone has stuck with it so far - he stresses consistency with the group.

On May 17, Angels head Curtis Sliwa will be in York to participate in a meeting regarding the York chapter's partnership with the York County Sheriff's Office. Smith said Sliwa is interested in trying to duplicate the concept with other chapters.

So, has anyone else seen the Angels out and about? Do you think they are doing any good?

(The photo above is from the York Daily Record in October of 2008.)

(Photo is from a google search, and I thought it was funny. We don't have this much snow in York.)

This morning, when I woke up at 6 a.m., I heard cars driving through something that sounded suspiciously like snow.

I doubted it, because the last time we were foretasted snow we only got ice and flurries.

But when I looked out the window, there it was: fluffy white snow, the kind that's a breeze to sweep off the car. It kept coming, and continues to fall as I write this.

When I was walking to the car I noticed a few people out clearing sidewalks, which got me curious about the city's rules about snow removal. If you are curious too, click on the jump and keep reading.

Last month I got some pepper spray as a just-in-case sort of thing.

After reading the instructions, I've often wondered when I should use it. I mean, what if the attacker has a gun? Will the pepper spray only serve to anger the attacker(s), thereby putting me in a more dangerous situation? The instructions say to cover your eyes if it's windy. I'm not sure I'd be able to think that fast.

Today on the city police log I noticed a woman used pepper spray Sunday on the 200 block of Union Street on some people who attempted to rob her. Then the attackers took the pepper spray and used it on her. Sounds awful.

After reading that I've decided I will have to do some more research on when and where to use pepper spray. In the meantime, do you have any advice?

(Photo credit: Max Whittaker for The New York Times)

I read an interesting story Sunday in the New York Times about a program that enlists city garbage collectors to report crime tips to police.

Seems like a great idea in these hard economic times. To read the story click here.

While on the subject, I have to give a kudos to the York trash collectors in the city. There was a day a couple weeks ago when the wind picked up a couple garbage cans overnight. I planned to get out there early to put the stuff back in the cans, but before I could the collectors did a bang-up job cleaning up a mess. Thanks, guys.

(Not the actual graffiti, but the lettering is similar.)

Note: Photo above is from keusta.net.

Someone in desperate need of a dictionary decided to spray paint the building I live near this weekend.

I can't post a picture of it here because the tirade starts with something that appears to be the F word. The second word is spelled b-l-e-c-k-s. Maybe it's someone's name. Maybe it was a failed attempt at racist graffiti. Whatever the case I hope it's gone asap.

I first noticed the red spray paint Sunday after returning from a trip to DC to visit friends and the Newseum. Looking on the bright side, it's on a wood fence so it can be painted over easily -- or at least more easily than trying to remove paint from stone.

(This is the damage. The missing windshield is covered with plastic because, of course, it had to rain.)

The car is fixed.

All told, it cost $747 to repair the damage done by whoever decided to smash my back windshield late Saturday or Sunday. Happy holidays to you, too, Mr./Ms. Random Car Smasher(s)!

I can't help but wonder who these people are who keep smashing out windows in parked cars in the city. In my case they didn't steal anything. I can't imagine this was an attempt to steal stuff because you can't reach in to unlock my car door from the back windshield. Unless they have Mr. Gadget go-go arms, which is doubtful.

Not that there was anything worth stealing in there anyway. Just some old newspapers and empty styrofoam coffee cups.

It's worth mentioning that this isn't the first incident like this in my household.

My fiance's car was broken into a couple months ago. In that case they broke the driver's side window and then proceeded to pry open the trunk with a crowbar. (Why they couldn't just pop the trunk open is beyond me.) He moved here from North Side of Pittsburgh (Mexican War Streets), and we never had to worry so much about our cars there.

According to the York City online police log, there have been at least five broken windshield incidents this month. Why are these vandals so angry? Can't they appreciate how much these things cost to fix? 

So, I became a statistic Sunday.

Someone decided to bash in my back windshield. The cheapest estimate so far is about $350, which does not include fixing the broken plastic behind the back seats.

I filed a police report Sunday late afternoon.

Share your outrage about these crimes. Little things add up. If there aren't enough resources to fight these quality-of-life crimes I'd like to know, so speak up. I like living in this city and want to stay.

With the cold weather kicking in, I think my days of walking to church are numbered. But not because of the weather.

I sometimes walk to church downtown for Saturday evening mass. But this Saturday, I drove.  I wasn't quite sure what time it's been getting dark lately. (Last week, I left work so late that it was already dark every day.) Turned out that the sun was setting when I left church, so I could have easily walked home.