False Sense Of Security

Living on an Army post it is easy to fall into a false sense of security.
People automatically believe, that because you must show an ID to get onto base that we are protected from the outside world. Anyone who has lived on an Army post for any length of time, knows this is simply not true.

I live on a "closed" post. All that really means is that if you do not have a military ID, you must get a pass. Then you can pretty much come and go as you please.
Well, I'm sorry to say, getting a pass doesn't mean you have an extensive background check, go through a metal detector or even pass a "are you planning on killing anyone" questionairre. All it means is you show your drivers license, registration and insurance, end of story.

Military posts have crimes like any civilian community. Sometimes its from post visitors, sometimes its from post residents, or even civilians who work on the post.
We have vendors who come on post multiple times a day, they don't have background checks. People who live on post (aside from soldiers) don't have background checks, people who come to see any post event again still don't have background checks.

At any time, you can be living next door to a sex offender, standing in line at the PX by the next Jeffery Dahmer, or talking to the stranger at the park looking for their next victim. We don't have the security people seem to believe we do.
Anywhere there are people, there is a possibility of violence.

So it amazes me, when you hear people say things like, "oh its ok we live on post", or send their small children out to play up and down the street unsupervised. Since I have lived on this post for exactly 1 year. In that time, there have been 3 attempted kidnappings that I am aware. Luckily, all of those 3 children were unharmed. However, the stories don't stop there. I've heard rumors of men, sneaking young girls off post for sexual escapades and sneaking them back on. People houses are repeatedly robbed in broad daylight. Barely a week ago, my neighbor and I called the police mid-day because of kids snooping around another neighbors home. This was only 1:30pm on a school day. The MP stated, he had already had 5 Breaking and Entering calls for the day. I could be wrong, but that number seems a little high for lunchtime.

Yes, we live on post and if it were a Utopian society we could let our children run around, leave our doors unlocked and show off our stereo sytems. But we don't.
I may be a little over protective or hyper vigilant. I won't even allow my children to typically go to the Ice Cream Truck. However, I would rather be a pain in the butt to my children and deny them over priced frozen treats, then have to make a plea to kidnappers to return my child. (no I'm not saying I think Ice Cream Truck drivers are bad people! I just think a middle aged man attracting chidren to his van with icecream seems a little odd)

Living on post, doesn't mean we are afforded the luxury of being unsafe.