We Don't Have a Crime Problem in Savannah

I can't say how many times I have heard that. Growing up on Tybee, we never locked our doors until the night some drunk crawled in and fell asleep on our living room couch. But to me, I never felt unsafe or worried about my personal safety. Until last night.

I stopped watching the news for years because I was tired of nothing but shootings being shown. I didn't want to feel like I had to become a recluse; I enjoy life and I enjoy living life not confined to my house. But around 9:50 pm last night, my world of security faded.

I've been to enough redneck parties to know the sound of gunshots, and sitting at my computer last night, paying bills and making pet sitting arrangements, I completely froze with what I heard: rapid fire and tires squealing. I hit the arm mode on my alarm remote and sat back. It wasn't long before the cops showed up, so apparently, I wasn't the only neighbor who heard the noise. I turned off the lights and peered out my window, trying to figure out what happened and where. I walked to the back to peer out to the kennels; all the puppies were quiet, perhaps frozen in fear as I had been. Right around 11 a WTOC van showed up. I walked out to ask what he knew. What I found out was that this wasn't the first time cops had been to this house.

I never thought I'd live somewhere that I didn't want to know my neighbors, but since moving to the ranch last year, that's how I've become. I've heard the yelling, screaming, cursing so many times that I no longer think anything of it. I pretty much mind my own business and hope they mind theres. I have enough to contend with just keeping my puppies alive and safe.

So a few weeks ago, my parents decided to have an alarm system installed on my house. I thought it was a ridiculous thing; I had dogs, and I really didn't think anything could happen to me. Not that I am invincible, but I don't believe I provide a threat to anyone and I certainly have nothing valuable in the house (unless you count Beneful for Puppies which is expensive when buying 100 pounds at a time). But I called my mom and told her thank you for knowing what was best for me even when I thought I knew it all. There was comfort in being able to activate my alarm system from the exact spot I was sitting. I just hate that I now have to have an alarm system to feel safe in my home.