A reporter once asked Willy Sutton why he robbed banks and Willy replied, "That's where they keep the money." Makes perfect sense. So why not go to the retirement community where I live, for the exact same reason? Hundreds of apartments filled with people who are the dream of Big Pharma's executives, to loot medications that sell for big bucks on the street along with whatever cash and other possessions might be available. Willy may be long gone but his replacements are alive and active.
One of my friends plays high-stakes poker once a week and consequently keeps large amounts of cash on hand. Two weeks ago somebody made a $600 withdrawal from his apartment.
Another friend was once a warden at a high-security prison and had a set of expensive keys in his apartment, a prized possession from his life's work, Gone.
Another friend's wife lives with severe pain that requires expensive medications. They recently received a three-month supply of a pain killer that went missing after only three pills had been used.
Those are just three cases I know about because they are my friends, but what about all those other hundreds of medicine cabinets and under-mattress bank vaults in all those other apartments that have had valuables looted that we never hear about? Report it to the police? Good luck with that. Report it to the management? They deeply regret that it happens.
The problem is that too many people have keys that open exterior and interior doors. Dozens of staff members come and go daily as well as all the service people who arrive to maintain the equipment that keeps this place operating.
It's hard to control but modern technology has given us security cameras that are surprisingly inexpensive, easy to install, and internet-enabled. You need just one device, inside the apartment and pointed at your front door to capture whoever comes in. The full-color digital recording is saved in the cloud.
My solution is to avoid owning anything worth stealing. None of my drugs are high potent street-worthy booty. Nobody steals books and magazines. George Carlin had a great bit about "your stuff" (from memory) "Your house is just a place to keep your stuff...if you have to go someplace, somebody might come and take your stuff. So you take your stuff with you..."
The sad reality here at Russellville Park is that some people do come and take our stuff. And, apparently, will continue to do so while we all wring our hands.
