It amazed me just how fast the recent hoax e-mail suggesting gang violence would occur at a local merchant made its way across Florida and Georgia on Wednesday. Talk about speed and efficiency! We were still getting calls about the hoax yesterday.
This whole episode got me wondering...
What would happen if I sent out an e-mail to all my friends (not that I have that many friends to begin with, but I digress) announcing with a high degree of certainty someone's unlocked car would get burglarized today at a local shopping mall, so be sure to lock your vehicle and put your valuables out of sight.
Would panic set in and suddenly people would send the e-mail all over Florida? Would folks start locking their cars and putting purses or cell phones or computers or GPS units in a secure container (say a locked trunk) - and thereby reduce our motor vehicle burglary rate by 50% or so?
Nah - probably not because there is nothing sensational to a car burglary, unless it's your stuff getting stolen and your car getting damaged! But just imagine for a moment how a single e-mail could send a simple message of crime prevention and reduce victimization in our community.
Ah, the speed of rumors...
But if you just happen to remember one thing the next time you park your car -- please lock it or risk losing something valuable from it because I am quite sure a car burglary is going to happen somewhere today. You can count on that e-mail message being factual.
- Asst Chief Bill LePere
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