Change in Unemployment Rate By Country

By any measure this has been a hard and long recession, and many of us are not convinced it is over.  Particularly worrisome is the millions of men who have dropped off the face of employment statistics.  Men who have just disappeared.  No statistic the Federal Government keeps tracks them.  If they are working its in the cash underground or by barter or combination of or just wearing out the couch.  These men having exhausted their unemployment don’t even show in the state numbers.

Giving voice to this statistic is the Structural Unemployment number traditionally around 2%, representing the people who don’t work and aren’t looking for work, the long term unemployed.  The chart (Reuters) suggests this rate maybe more like 4.5% now twice the rate of any European country.

The share of American men aged 16 to 64 who are employed has fallen from nearly 85 percent in the early 1950s to less than 65 percent now.  This is a really big deal, millions of men have dropped out and are not participating in the American economy.  We have no experience with what the social ramifications will be, a huge rise in crime comes to mind.

Some estimates put every 1 in 5 young men out of work, and this does not include those in school, or who have part time jobs.  This is a critical time for those men, work habits are established and a career basis is formed.  The start of their life wealth is being seriously delayed, if it ever starts at all.

Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission Tom Pauken writes:

One reason that men’s employment rate lags behind is that there has been negative growth in the types of jobs men historically have occupied. In the last 10 years, 5.5 million manufacturing jobs were lost. That’s one-third of our manufacturing base in an industry where men make up 70 percent of the workforce. In construction, where 87 percent of positions are filled by men, more than 1.4 million jobs went away during that time frame. Approximately 4.4 million jobs have been added in the education and health care sectors, but women dominate this growing field as they make up 77 percent of the work force.

Bringing manufacturing jobs home is more critical than ever, it’s a National Security issue.

Economics of the Situation – two main factors are driving these crimes: the price of gold is near an all time high at $1200 per ounce and the price of heroin is very low at $2 a bag (even less when bought in quantities). While Marlborough doesn’t appear to have a problem with drug dealing, we do have a consumption issue. The break-ins allow for quick and easy access to gold jewelry, other jewelry, electronics and valuablehttp://mainstreet-ct.com/marl/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=931&message=6s that are easily converted to cash to buy drugs.

The scariest info given all night – children and teens are in some cases going straight to heroin as their first drug of choice. They’re bypassing a typical pattern of starting with alcohol, pot and then moving onto the “harder” drugs. This is due to the low cost and access they have. Scary world for parents and kids. Most towns have had similar experiences with burglaries, and others have had more serious types of crimes as well.

Statistics
22 Residential Break-Ins in 2009 compared to 12 in 2008
5 Business Break-Ins – Dunkin Donuts, Stone Insurance, Intelligent Motion Systems, Moose Lodge, Sadler’s
10-12 Car Break-Ins through out town
Houses egged late at night by individuals on ATVs

Last Known break-in: High Meadow Rd. on the weekend after Christmas
Other areas hit: Avalon, Brook Crossing, Virginia Rail, Flood, Lewis, Emily, West, N. Main, S. Main and others
Marlborough is 23 square acres – a lot of area for the troopers to cover.

MO’s
Not just one perpetrator – no set pattern. Some work alone while others work in teams. Beware of a knock on the door and someone asking for a fictitious person. They’re checking to see if some one is home. Crime of opportunity, selecting homes and points of entry secluded from the road, behind bushes, etc. Take note of cars going fast – get plate numbers and call it in.

One burglar was so neat that the homeowner didn’t realize they had been robbed until the next morning. The house was much colder than usual and a trip to the basement revealed the broken window.

One female robber was caught. Is a suspect in more than 30 burglaries, had unwrapped Christmas presents in her possession and was dubbed The Grinch.

Pawn Shops – Pawn shops don’t always follow the law. They’re required to keep records of the people selling items to them. Sellers must show ID and pawn shops should be entering the seller’s contact info and transaction info into a computer system. However, many transactions happen at the back door and are never officially recorded. The troopers helped to close down T.C.’s Pawn Shop in East Hartford. However, the same owners have another store in Waterbury. Many Hartford pawn shops transact back door business.

Common Sense Prevention – Be Proactive vs. Reactive

Engage the Alarm / Lock It Up – some residents are not arming their alarms when they’re “only” running out for short errands, expecting dog walkers while away, etc. Some are leaving their car doors unlocked, and even worse – their house doors unlocked. Have a designated person who can respond to your alarm while you’re away.

Make your house/business look lived in when you’re away AND even when you are at home: leave lights on, use a timer for lights, TV and music; leave a car in the driveway instead of in the garage.

Don’t leave valuables in sight in your car or home. Recent car break-ins resulted in stolen laptops, purses, ID, GPS and satellite radios. Only takes a second to smash and grab. Take your electronics in from your car each evening.

If going on vacation, notify your neighbors. You can also call Troop K and they will do vacation house checks.

Keep Your Eyes Open – Report Strange or Out of Place People, Behavior, Events
The troopers encourage people to call when they see suspicious behavior. Don’t wait until it’s too late to say – oh, I thought I saw a flashlight in my window, I thought I saw someone casing the neighborhood, business, etc. They’d much rather respond to a proactive call then perform a canvassing of a neighborhood after a burglary. There have been cases where perpetrators cased the joint a week before committing the burglary (leaving foot prints in the snow).

Be a good witness, be alert and aware of your surroundings.

Just In Case / Proof:

Take photos/videos of your valuables including your home, closets, jewelry, art, electronics, guns etc. You want proof to show the troopers and your insurance company.

Record all serial numbers of your items, keep receipts and warranties. If they don’t have a serial number, etch your CT Driver’s License number onto your valuables.

This will aid police when visiting pawn shops. They can enter the info into a nationwide data base to search for and identify recovered stolen items. Trooper Packer had a trunk full of recovered items that night that he wanted some of the victims to view for identification.

Lock up your bank, credit card and other important bills and documents to prevent identity theft

Bad Checks – some businesses have seen an increase in the number of bad checks received as a result of the economy. There are bad check kits that the troopers can provide. The business owner needs to answer the 20 questions in the kit in order to pursue. Businesses were advised to post their check policy and return fee by the register. They should check the signature against the customer’s ID. Put a limit on the maximum amount a customer can pay using a check. Don’t take third party or out of state checks. If a business owner thinks a customer has a fake ID, call the police and hold onto the ID until they arrive – even if the customer leaves.

If a customer wants to make good on the check, the business owner should only accept cash. If they agree to a payment schedule then the matter becomes civil (verbal agreement) and there’s no recourse to turn it back into a criminal complaint if the agreement is reneged on.

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The troopers talk frequently with their colleagues in surrounding towns to monitor and share info on criminal activity. They also review this activity in their staff meetings. Troop K non-emergency phone number is (860) 537-7700.

They reinforced what we already know – what a wonderful town Marlborough is. Stay safe!

Jane Boston