Sure, the police will get there in time...

[Hawken50]

This is NOT a "cop bashing" thread, as according to the autopsy (sp) she was dead even before the alarm went off. This is a "you need to be prepared to fend for yourself" thread. if it turns into cop bashing, please close.

Emphasis mine.

Confession In Murder of Elderly Buffalo Woman


Posted by: Robyn Young, Reporter
Posted by: Judy Wichrowski, Producer
Created: 11/3/2005 7:59:39 AM
Updated: 11/5/2005 8:06:12 PM


Buffalo Police call it a "tremendously heinous crime."

Investigators said 77-year-old Delores Carr was killed in her Domedion Avenue home Sunday night by 42-year-old Donald Washington, who has confessed to police that he killed her.

Carr's bound and beaten body was found Wednesday by her son, according to police, who went to her East Side home to check on her.

"The person who committed this crime knew the victim," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Rocco Diina. "(He) lived next door and preyed upon her vulnerability."

Police said Washington told them he used a ladder to reach and break into a second floor window in the rear of the house.

Washington is also charged with three other
break-ins this summer at Carr's home.

Investigators raised a lot of questions during a Friday news conference, when they admitted the home had a security system, and that the alarm was tripped about 1:30am. Lt. Ken Bienko said police responded to the alarm about an hour after it was tripped, and found nothing wrong.

"It was busy that night, and they checked the perimeter of the building, didn't find anything amiss, and reported it was checked ok," Lt. Bienko said.

Detective Sgt. James Lonergan said, "From ground level he (the police officer) probably wouldn't see it (the broken window). It's a second floor and there's a first floor roof that protrudes quite a bit."

Lt. Bienko said procedures were followed, and that there would be no internal investigation of how the case was handled.

Carr was reportedly frightened by the frequent break-ins, but would not follow her son's advice to move, according to police. So, she had the Brinks alarm system installed.

Neighbors said Carr was a quiet woman who kept to herself. One neighbor, who knows Washington, said she was surprised to hear about his murder confession, because he had been nice to her kids.

Buffalo Police said Washington is a four-time convicted felon with a record of burglaries and robberies. They are investigating why he was out on the street, though they said they believe he was out on parole.

Authorities said Washington had a St. Louis Street address, where a relative lives, but that he had been staying in the house next to Carr's on Domedion.

Police credited neighbors with helping them track Washington down. They said they found some of Carr's personal belongings and her i.d. in his possession, though they wouldn't say which home the items were found in.

Investigators said when officers approached Washington Thursday evening, he ran into Schiller Park and dove into a pond before officers arrested him.

"I was sick when I heard her name on the radio," says city councilman Rich Fontana who was a friend of Carr's. "She would call, we would go over to see if there was anything we could do to enhance security."

But the security measures and repeated concerns about her safety weren't enough to persuade Carr to move out of her house.

http://www.wgrz.com/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=32883

 

[Werewolf]

Alarm systems.... pheh! Get a high strung dog and keep a shotgun handy. Call 911 to have the garbage removed.

Why people don't get it is beyond me. Probably has something to do with Darwin...

 

[garyk/nm]

So, on their walk-around, the police didn't see the ladder? Or did the dirtbag pull it up after him? Seems odd.

 

[1911 guy]

Darwinism and Naivete

First off, I can't and won't bash the cops for the delay in checking on the alarm. Small town, maybe. Buffalo, N.Y.? they're pretty busy to prioritize a call they had no reason to believe was anything serious as they would expect a 911 call from the resident if there was a problem.

The problem is that we do not live in a perfect world. There was a cretin living next door to her, she did not have the ability or will to protect herself and the police rely on a flawed concept of "dial 911" as much as we do. I'm not going to posture any easy solution because there isn't one, but the lesson learned is to be willing and able to fend for yourself because we live in a truly screwed up world.

 

[Oldtimer]

Robbery/burglary/"panic" alarm systems: Approximately 97% of ALL alarm activations prove to be FALSE alarms, for one reason or another. The police did a "walk-around", but from their vantage point, it might have been impossible to see that anything was amiss.

So, where to place the blame? How about on the BAD GUY? Of course, he may blame someone else for his wrongdoings! After all, the disgruntled ex-employee, Daniel White, was acquitted by using his "Twinkie defense" after having killed two homosexual politicians in San Francisco! His actions had been caused by a high amount of sucrose in his system after "over-dosing" on Twinkies!

All too often, the GUNS are blamed for killings, instead of the BAD GUYS who USED them to carry out their dastardly deeds! INSANE! I don't recall ever having seen GUNS being marched into the gas chamber or strapped into the electrocution chair!
Instead, they get the "blame"....and it has then been directed toward "banning" of them. Guns are "innocent"....bad guys SHOULD be looked upon as the CULPRITS!

 

[One of Many]

A better alarm system for this lady would have been one of the "Help, I've fallen and can't get up" pendant devices that hang around your neck. You push a button, and the system dials an emergency phone number, then the pendant acts like a portable speakerphone. As long as the phone is operational (and the house systems that wire windows and doors use the phone also) and the batteries are charged, the alarm is operational. The service calls the police or ambulance as needed, based on the callers response to questions by the operator.

 

[ScottsGT]

False alarms or not, our Sheriffs dept comes to my neighbors house when hers goes off, walks around the house to check perimeter, knocks on the door to see if owner is home, calls her number on the phone, if he sees me outside he asks me if I saw anything going on and kindly explains the situation to me.
Usually it is her dog that somehow knows how to open the door on the back of her house and sets it off.
But I always kindly offer to go get my AR-15 and sit watch until she gets home. For some reason they quit coming over to ask me any questions

 

[torpid]

Daniel White, was acquitted by using his "Twinkie defense" after having killed two homosexual politicians in San Francisco! His actions had been caused by a high amount of sucrose in his system after "over-dosing" on Twinkies!

The "Twinkie defense" actually wasn't about blood sugar at all, although it is usually misconstrued that way. Though still ridiculous, the defense was about his consumption of large amounts Cokes and Twinkies being an indicator of his depressed mind, and his depression was used as an excuse to reduce his responsibility for the murders.

(some readin'...)
http://www.snopes.com/legal/twinkie.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/23/INGRE343501.DTL

.

 

[f4t9r]

Really sad

 

[jcoiii]

I don't understand how this comes as a surprise to anyone. The police are primarily a response team. There are a few things that LEAs can do proactively, but most of their activity is reactive. It's that whole "innocent til proven guilty" thing. The police can't stop someone until they've committed a crime. At least one person has to be affected (hurt, robbed, etc) before the police can apprehend someone and "protect the citizens."

I am an LEO at a college, and we were talking about this the other day. In the event of a <insert crime> (say an active shooter), we cannot prevent the first shot unless we happen to be extremely lucky. We can take steps to try and keep firearms out of the school, but if one gets in (fairly easy to do) I will be responding after the first shot is fired, even if I happened to be standing right outside the classroom in which it started, I can't stop the first shot. This concept applies to any and all crimes. In a small number of cases, an LEO might be in the right place at the right time to prevent a crime, but in most cases the officer is responding after the fact.

And this is why taking away an individual's ability to protect themselves is so assinine. Because the promise that "we will take care of you" is impossible to keep.

 

[Standing Wolf]

The police are primarily a response team. There are a few things that LEAs can do proactively, but most of their activity is reactive.

Bingo! Cops don't prevent crime. They write crime reports. Sometimes, they catch criminals. If you want to prevent crime, you're on your own.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Ladies of 77 years are not generally 'gun people' not are they often 'dog people.' I happen to have one in that age range as a mother. These folks grew up in a different generation and it is difficult if not impossible for them to comprehend the sort of criminal behavior that is all to common nowadays. I wish that were not the case. But it IS the case a lot of the time. Sweet little old ladies are all too often prey for the sort of human trash that seeks out the weakest and most vulnerable to attack.

I only hope that my mom would have what it takes to come up shooting with her S&W 317 (with an action job, she has arthritis bad) or her cut-down Stevens 311 20 ga. double if anyone like that messes with her. Been trying for years to get her to get a dog, but that's a lost cause.

lpl/nc

 

[R.H. Lee]

And if she'd shot him the moment he broke in, the local DA would be contemplating 'charges' against her. Just don't leg shackle him when he gets to court, it might reduce his 'dignity' and predispose a jury as to his guilt.

 

[Kodiaz]

In Florida she wouldn't got to court specially if she gave him some OO buck.

Thank you JEB! Bush