Small town Iowa

**dmclone** · 07-20-2012, 03:00 PM

All this news about abductions and shootings got me thinking whether things have changed a lot since I was a kid or maybe they are just more publicized?

It's probably that I'm getting old but 20-25 years ago when I lived in small town Iowa my parents never locked the doors of our house or cars.

Is it still this way?

**Trainer** · 07-20-2012, 03:03 PM

I don't lock my doors in Waterloo. Come at me bro!

**Rabbuk** · 07-20-2012, 03:04 PM

We rarely lock our door in crapids

**3TrueFans** · 07-20-2012, 03:05 PM

Chances are when you were a kid you weren't too concerned with things like that. Bad things happening in small towns is not new.

**WhatchaGonnaDo** · 07-20-2012, 03:07 PM

My mom is a huge worrier so she has always locked our doors. Town of < 5000

**alarson** · 07-20-2012, 03:10 PM

Rarely lock the door here in WDM. Someone did get murdered practically across the street though.

As far as kids safety, kids have to be more monitored than at any time prior. In the past kids might go biking off and wouldnt be heard of unless they called home from a friend's house. Now? Kids have cell phones all the time and can even be location-tracked with those. Accident happens? Can have parents on the phone in 30 seconds.

**dmclone** · 07-20-2012, 03:13 PM

I grew up the country about 2 miles form a town of under 1,000 people. As soon as I moved to the Des Moines area I always locked up everything. Small town boy was scared of the big city.

**CloneIce** · 07-20-2012, 03:17 PM

Violent crime rates have actually been going down overall. Lots of highly visible cases and media coverage doesn't give that impression though. My parents still don't lock anything up, I wouldn't do that though - too many methheads and thieves.

**cyhawkdmb** · 07-20-2012, 03:19 PM

i usually dont lock up things in CB... I figure it will bit me in the *** eventually.. My wife is paranoid.. We cant leave windows on the main floor open at night... blah blah blah... We both grew up in towns of around 1000, but she did spend a few years in Chicago...(and Iowa City).. now that i think about it that probably explains it...

**CP44** · 07-20-2012, 03:39 PM

Grew up in Creston. Kind of a rough town but still never locked anything

**cloneswereall** · 07-20-2012, 03:51 PM

I lock up my apartment in Waterloo, and have everywhere else I've lived aside from Ames, which we never locked a damn thing unless we were all going to be gone for more than a few hours. Only reason I lock it up here is because I had a guy from across the street try to fight me, then showed me the butt of the gun he had in his waistband.

**cydline2cydline** · 07-20-2012, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by dmclone

I grew up the country about 2 miles form a town of under 1,000 people. As soon as I moved to the Des Moines area I always locked up everything. Small town boy was scared of the big city.

This...same way (except town of 400)...when I go back to the hometown, leave the windows down and keys in it...in DSM (or surrounding posh subarbs) locked up like Fort Knox...haha...

**Bamacyclone** · 07-20-2012, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by dmclone

All this news about abductions and shootings got me thinking whether things have changed a lot since I was a kid or maybe they are just more publicized?

It's probably that I'm getting old but 20-25 years ago when I lived in small town Iowa my parents never locked the doors of our house or cars.

Is it still this way?

I probably have a few yrs on you. I've lived in big and little towns during my professional career across the country. My personal opinion is that there's a certain miniscule % of the population that would harm another person's property, and it has stayed fairly consistent over my years.

What is different now though is the volume and speed of coverage of incidents. With cell phones, dash cams, and security cameras on every corner, hardly nothing is missed. Anything captured is broadcasted immediately onto the web.

I remain of the mindset that 99.5% of us would never hurt another person or his property.

**bugs4cy** · 07-20-2012, 05:49 PM

Lived on a farm between a town of 200 and a town of 1,000. Never locked anything until T-Bone Taylor killed two police officers and then went on the lamb for the better part of a week in early July, 1981. I was 11. My Mom went on high alert and I couldn't be out of her line of sight. After that the house was locked when we weren't home but all the keys still hung in the farm equipment.

We live in a town of 300 now and my husband is always locking the door and I'm always leaving it open. He gives me the stink eye and I try to do better. He has many a firearm in the house and we youngster hoodlums around town...

**wxman1** · 07-20-2012, 06:48 PM

live in Marion and my parents have always locked everything. my in laws also live here and never lock anything, they are from small towns though. somehow they have gotten eggs thrown in one of their Caesar at night and still leave everything unlocked.