Crime

What can I say? My wife is Puerto Rican. Here dad is a retired cop who won't leave the house without his weapon. Even though the crack-heads up the road know he's a retired cop, that didn't stop them from trying to break into his house three times (poisoning the family dog beforehand).

God forbid you leave a door unlocked in PR because everyone you're with will be sure to double check that the place is locked-up tighter than Alcatraz.

I had some guy waive a gun in my face on my way to work between Isla Verde and OSJ. I've seen several hit and runs by ostensibly respectable citizens who flee without a second thought.

Tragically, my wife's aunt and cousin were both murdered in a church of all places. You probably would have read about that if you read Spanish.

Three guys were gunned down not that long ago at the Denny's I used to frequent in Isla Verde. Then there are the other anecdotes: The half-Dutch kid shot dead for his mom's SUV, the guy kidnapped, made to empty his ATM and then murdered (and repeat ad nauseam). The Navy vet stabbed to death while he and his date were being robbed in Condado. The bar massacres that happen almost every weekend. The murders on the highways. The murders of innocent bystanders struck by fire.

The simple fact is that few murderers are apprehended in PR. So those people go on killing with as much thought as they would put into squashing a bug.

I've lived in other parts of Latin America and have been in dangerous situations. Unfortunately, life is cheap in PR. Dirt cheap.

NomadLawyer, condolences to your wife and you. I remember reading about the murder in the church - wasn't that in Rio Grande, last summer?

The killing of Stefano, the Puerto Rican-Dutch kid, had a great impact on the Dutch community here on the island. Most of us know Eric, Stefano's father..

Yes, there's a lot of violent crime, no way around it and many killers are not arrested (although as far as I remember the murderer of the pastora and her son in Rio Grande was caught and Stefano's killers as well.)

Where I am, out in a barrio in el campo the world is still (sort of) O.K. We all know another here and strangers are noticed. A dead end road helps a lot, of course.
I personally don't feel unsafe. We do go to Caguas, Humacao for shopping, We go out f.i. in Old San Juan and Condado and feel OK there, too.

Of course we are careful. I always keep enough distance from the car in front of me at traffic lights to be able to get away, we avoid bad areas, especially at night. Generally we are low profile: 6 y/o car that nobody wants, no fancy clothes or jewelry etc.

I still like the island and have no intention to leave. Nothing beats getting up in the morning, putting on a pair of shorts (and a t-shirt when it's "cold") and having a cup of coffee on the porch looking out over the valley before I start the 8 second commute to my home office.

Thank you for your condolences, Gary. Yes, they were killed in Rio Grande. Shot down like dogs, really. Guy turned himself in, which I suppose it something for the piece of mind of my wife's family. I'm also sorry to hear that you knew Stefano's father. It's unbearable to think of.

To clarify: I don't want to be one of those people who tells others that such-and-such a place is too dangerous (and by implication should not be explored). I've never lived my life like that. But I do think the randomness and wanton brutality of the crime in PR is important for potential residents to consider, especially for those with families.

NomadLawyer wrote:

To clarify: I don't want to be one of those people who tells others that such-and-such a place is too dangerous (and by implication should not be explored). I've never lived my life like that. But I do think the randomness and wanton brutality of the crime in PR is important for potential residents to consider, especially for those with families.

Oh, absolutely, I couldn't agree more.

Anybody planning to move here -or to any other country- should really take the time to both research and spend some time in the area where they're planning to move to before taking the final decision.

Hi TRN,

For English Language News, try this:

laht.com/content.asp?CategoryId=14092

Bob, the expat who runs robertospuertorico.com/ gave me that link a couple of years ago. It isn't solely dedicated to PR, but it does include news from the island.

Also, have you tried customizing a Google news page to include Puerto Rico? (https://news.google.com/) I think the same can be done with a Yahoo! news page, although I'm not positive about that.

Hope this helps!

The link is under review but I will check it out once it shows.

The suggestion of leaving space between the car in front in an excellent idea, especially in less busy areas. Driving is so crappy you tend to learn not to leave space so other cars simply don't move in. Other easy suggestions are welcome. Certainly my wife has learned to walk out with her keys ready, not open her purse to look. Don't have your phone out when walking.  Be extra wary at night. Our house is in a gated community and has a great alarm system with a separated bedroom area.

Most of the crime is drug related. Avoid suspect neighborhoods and staying out past midnight.
Suggest you subscribe to caribbeanbusinesspr.com.  It is in english and very helpful for business news.