To Lock or to Unlock
By Lindsey Miller in Miscellaneous on Jan 14, 2010 9:20PM
The New York Times published an article today about people who don't lock their doors. Yes, there are still people in New York City and around the country who don't bother to carry keys or lock their doors. Many of them live in high-rise buildings with doormen or in small towns, but many are also just unconcerned. One San Diego resident quoted in the article says, "I don't feel locking the door would make a difference. They could get in through the windows." He makes a good point.
Do people in Chicago feel any differently? In an informal poll taken of Chicagoist staff, all of us who responded regularly lock or double-lock our doors. Some of us even arm ourselves with aluminum baseball bats -- or more serious weapons. Growing up, our parents weren't quite as guarded. About half of us said our doors weren't locked during the day when the family was at home, but locked at night or when we were out. Two of us, who grew up in Ohio and Wisconsin, didn't ever lock our doors.
Maybe it has something to do with crime. Based on FBI crime statistics, Chicago reported 11,606 burglaries from January to June 2009, while New York City reported only 8,142 during the same period. And, they have about 5.5 million more residents than Chicago.
Whether you lock or unlock, you could always try a booby trap.