Why Are Castle Doctrine Laws so Important?

An article from today's Dallas Morning News highlights the increase in home invasions by ever more dangerous goblins.

Burglars growing brazen as they target East Dallas

By Steve Thompson

The first bang at the door came just after midnight. It woke Kiki Simpson and her husband inside their four-bedroom home near the southern tip of White Rock Lake.

Then came the second bang. They jolted upright in bed.

"They're trying to break in," William Simpson said. "Somebody's getting into the house."

The third bang splintered wood and cracked apart the locks.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Mr. Simpson yelled as he sprang from bed. "What are you doing?"

They were kicking in the front door, presumably to steal jewelry and electronics, even while the home's security alarm sounded. It took Mr. Simpson, gun in hand, to scare away the intruders.

During recent months, burglars have brazenly kicked in doors, cut phone lines and even confronted terrified homeowners in several East Dallas and White Rock neighborhoods. The break-ins are keeping crime watch groups on alert.

As the goblins become more confident in their violent ways, they commit crimes more often, and with an escalating level of violence.

How many home invasions/burglaries are occurring?

The neighborhood was hit by 37 home burglaries in 2007, which was more than double that of the year before, Ms. Whalen said.

This is in one, fairly upscale, neighborhood. These burglaries are happening more than three times a month, in just this one neighborhood. Incidents like this are starting to happen in my neighborhood also. The houses two doors down on each side of mine have been burglarized in the past couple of weeks. One when the homeowner was home. This kind of answers the question - "Hey JR, why do you keep a firearm handy even while you are at home?"

The article asked a question about motive:

Some also wonder if recent break-ins are a symptom of hard times.

"Is the economy taking such a downturn that people are starting to feel a little bit more desperate?" asked Laura Freeland, whose back door in the Swiss Avenue Historic District was kicked in recently while her 6-month-old son and nanny were inside.

If you are a decent human being, you will not take another's property, no matter your personal economic circumstances. If you are a goblin at heart, any excuse will do.

Some neighborhoods are taking a "bite out of crime" by using a resource that kind of disturbs me.

Several years ago, Forest Hills and other neighborhoods began deploying another crime-fighting tool. They hire uniformed off-duty Dallas police officers to cruise the streets in patrol cars. Many say these "extended neighborhood patrols" have reduced crime drastically.

Does the city get paid for the use of the patrol cars? When do these officers sleep? Why the hell do citizens have to pay extra to get police coverage in their neighborhoods? Why is it that citizens can not be openly armed when out and about in their own neighborhoods as a crime deterrent? That last question does not pertain to folks living in states that allow open carry, states such as Arizona.

The goblins are getting bolder. If they want your TV, they come and get it. It does not matter to them if you are home or not. When they kick in your door, what will you do?

In other news:

Suspected burglar dies after 911 call mix-up