Muggings. Robberies. Break-ins. Take a look at the police blotter and you will discover the crime that is in our towns. While crime will never be nonexistent, the recent robberies have sparked fear in teens, parents and other members of the community. Our parents chose to settle down the suburbs for a variety of reasons- an important factor was the safety of their children. The suburbs have crime, while at a lower rate compared to the city that has decreased our sense of safety in our community.

The two armed robberies that took place in late January struck a chord with me. I live in a town where I should feel safe enough to walk around at night and not fear my safety. My mother continues to worry when I tell her that I will be walking home from a friend’s house or the famed downtown La Grange area. Half of her fear can be associated with the possibility of  me getting hit by a car at night because of the dark clothes I wear. But her remaining fear can be attributed to the circumstances that I cannot control.

The idea of a town to have no crime is inconceivable and an idealistic view. The thought is a utopian society that you will only find in books like “The Giver.” The truth is that crime will always exist, but the suburbs should be a type of safe-haven compared to the cities. According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, as crime rates dropped in the city in 2011, Riverside’s crime was on the rise. Residents believed that the migration of city dwellers to south suburban communities jumped during that past decade because “public housing projects in Chicago were demolished, and more recently during the foreclosure crisis.” The sudden jolt in communities could be directly related to the market crash forcing residents out of the city.

Especially being less than 20 miles from Chicago, crime is closer than you expect. The BNSF Metra rail that passes through La Grange and Western Springs is a convenience to travel into the city for weekend excursions and also for commuters who work in the city. But it also runs the other way and can bring suspicious people into our towns. Our towns become full of unfamiliar faces that boost the liveliness in our town, but can also provoke unwanted dangers. We forget that anything can happen in our neighborhood and even sometimes push the idea that crime is amid us, out of our thoughts.

La Grange is a well-traveled town that many people come to walk around and enjoy our vast array of restaurants and stores, especially in the nice weather. We have all seen the possibility of crime being present in our town. Look around and be aware, it’s a precaution you do not want to overlook. Although crime might seem scarce in this community, it’s a reality that many of us need to grasp.