The News Media Whispers the Truth About Crime

shhh! the Petit door was left unlocked...those who refuse to see.” The elephant in the
On July 23 2007, two paroled burglars entered a homemiddle of the room is now completely invisible.
in upper-middle class Cheshire CT through anKnow this: roughly half of the 8,000-plus home
UNLOCKED door, beat and bound the male resident,intrusions daily in the US (that’s 2.9 million
Dr. Petit, tortured and raped his wife and twoannually, per the US DOJ) are “Walk-Ins”
daughters for six hours, then poured gasoline on thethrough doors and windows blithely left unlocked until
females and set them afire. Neighbors were shockedbedtime or until leaving the home unoccupied. Is the
that any crime could happen there.invisible elephant starting to come into focus now?
Three guests on Larry King’s July 30 TV showOf course nobody wants to blame the victims. Those
droned on about reforming parole regulations toinnocents were lulled into the same false sense of
prevent such home invasions in the future. Fine, reformsecurity that seduces most people living in the
the system. But remember that not all predators areSleepyvilles of the world. They just didn’t realize
paroled felons – they might well be felonsthat predators far outnumber the police – and
already released from parole or up-and-coming youngthat predators have all heard how Sleepyville has poor
monsters with clean records. What about them?security – where people actually brag about not
Inexplicably, the unlocked door the killers had enteredlocking their doors or windows!
was never mentioned on Larry King (and just barelySome particularly innocent victims leave their doors
mentioned four times in hundreds of media reports).unlocked even after they’ve been invaded
The glaring flaw in basic home security that led to thethrough unlocked doors! It’s not always easy to
fiendish destruction of a family was glossed over asfind sympathy for such wanton carelessness, but we
though it was a minor detail. The elephant sitting in themust remember, after all, that they are indeed innocent
middle of the room was nearly invisible.victims – in both senses of the word.
Now, had the door been locked, the invaders likelyYet when some poor souls end up butchered, their
would’ve looked for other ways in, and if thatmurders will be bemoaned in the media – with
failed, likely would’ve moved on to look forbarely a peep about their unlocked doors or windows.
unlocked doors elsewhere (few doors in thatAnd on and on it goes.
naïve “safe” neighborhood wereActually, it’s hard to blame and shame the
locked – as one report mentioned) and anews reporters for sugarcoating the cold reality. In fact,
different family likely would’ve been attackedthe surviving victims themselves usually are in blind
instead.denial of the blatantly obvious and brutal truth –
The media also had their eyes wide shut during thethat their contributory negligence led to such anguish. It
Elizabeth Smart kidnapping in Salt Lake City in 2002.happens more often than not in heinous crimes
The kidnapper had entered through an open window– it’s human nature, a coping mechanism.
(after quietly cutting the screen), yet the danger ofThey probably can’t bear to admit it even to
leaving a window open, as usual, got scant attention inthemselves – the angst would be too great.
the massive media coverage. Since then, the father,The news reporters shudder when they see it up
the ironically named Ed Smart who’d recruitedclose and personal thus they opt for mercy on the
the Charles Manson-like panhandler/kidnapper tosurviving victims. Nevertheless, wouldn’t the
shingle his roof (and also left windows wide openpublic’s ignorance and their blasé safety
through the night) sometimes guests on TV panelattitude diminish (at least a bit) if the media regularly
discussions (as an expert, no less) where hismentioned a brief, tactful security precaution at the end
spectacular security blunders go politely unmentioned.of each crime news report? Is the media too polite
How could his opinions on crime prevention possiblyand too charitable to save future victims – even
matter when he’s never owned up to hisif it’s just one?
blunders?It’s a shame that those who’ve suffered
Of course the media doesn’t want toa crime due to unlocked doors and windows had to
“blame the victims.” It would almost seemlearn such a harsh lesson the hard way. The news
cruel to add insult to injury – to blame thosemedia could have – and should have –
unwitting naïf’s for contributory negligence.done a better job of warning them. Isn’t it ironic
But, as a result, the one possible silver lining in the Petitto see charity causing such inadvertent harm?
tragedy – explicitly warning the public of possibleRather than whispering the truth, the media should
horror from leaving doors and windows unlockedshout it for all to hear.
– was squandered, lost forever. We’llBe honest now. Do you keep all your doors and
never know how many future victims of such crimeswindows locked at all times? If not, re-read the above.
might have been spared. But just the possibility ofGamble in Vegas, not in your life.
sparing even one innocent soul from such a hideousFolklore and fables – from vampire and
fate would be well worth the tiny effort.wolfman legends to tales of The Brothers’
Many months later, the state legislature is still trying toGrimm – tell us of ogres, fiends, and monsters.
forge new laws to “curb” suchToday we call them violent criminals. They’ve
massacres in the future, yet NO mention is made ofalways plagued us and – as long as passions,
the UNLOCKED door! And now all subsequent newsmadness, and evil exist – always will.
media reports refer to the invasion as aLet’s blow away a predator's biggest
“break-in” rather than the harsh truth thatadvantage: the naïveté of the prey.
the primary facilitator of the massacre was aSubscribe to the free Crime-Safety-Security
“walk-in” through an UNLOCKED door!Newsletter.
The old adage is true: “None are so blind as