Tan sedan spotted in Sacramento; panic ensues

A recent article in the Sacramento Bee claims that you are twice as likely to be the victim of a violent crime in Sacramento than you are in LA. The article came out a month after we moved here. If I had seen the article before we moved, we may have made a different choice - but what's done is done, and there are so many things about Sacramento that I have come to really love.

But, when I think about the crime, I start to panic a little. Turns out, I'm in good company... of a sorts. The local response to the crime, frightens me too. I'm not sure which is worse actually.

Since I'm new to Sacramento, I joined a local mom's group so I could meet new people. One of the moms posted this on a message board last week:

"Yesterday I was washing my car and a tan older model sedan "cruised" by me, stopped a couple of houses away, then did a u-turn at the end of the street and came back. I rushed my 3-year old into the garage and grabbed my cell phone and walked to the entrance of the garage behind where my car was in the driveway. I held my phone up so if they were looking at me, they didn't know if I was calling 911 or photographing their car as they "cruised" by me again, with dark tinted windows, I could see 2 African American males, but could not get a photo of the car quickly enough. I remember seeing a posting about a man being robbed while washing his car, so that is why I am posting this, to help keep us all safe and aware of our surroundings!!!"

Followed by several responses from other moms in the area telling her that she should report "the incident" to the police. Two mom's said she should call 911!

911!

Can you imagine that phone call?! It makes me laugh just thinking about it.

So, let me get this strait: you were washing your car and observed a driver making a u-turn? Was he driving recklessly? No? Okay. And it wasn't an illegal u-turn? And they weren't speeding? And there's a house for sale two doors down from you? And it's not a thru street? Did you realize you called 911? Several moms in the area told you you should?! Unbelievable.

We are thinking about moving to Elk Grove - a suburb twenty minutes south of Sacramento between Sacramento and Stockton, with a considerably lower crime rate. Higher than Santa Barbara, but not by a whole lot.

I'm also hoping that I will meet more reasonable people here. There's a lot more diversity in a big city, so there's bound to be some reasonable people living here too, right?

I'll keep you posted.