Entry 008 - Death of peace of mind

June 10th 2026

Had a fun wake-up call this morning. Not the metaphorical kind either, a literal
call from my sister. Someone stole her car this morning. It was found about an
hour later, less than a mile near my house. Not really sure what that says about
where I live.

They busted out one of the back windows and climbed in, left foot first like a
damn contortionist. Then in less than 60 seconds, it was gone. They found it
with all the windows down and the ignition just ripped apart. Because of that,
the key didn't work anymore and today we got a record amount of rain for the
year. I'd say it's probably going to be declared totaled. It's not a really new
and expensive car, but it was the nicest thing my sister has ever gotten for
herself.

We know what happened thanks to her doorbell camera and the camera of her
neighbor. The cops even spotted the car near my neighborhood while they were
talking to my sister, less than an hour after it happened, thanks to flock
cameras.

Does that justify all these cameras that so many people are using now? Would
they have found the car as fast or at all without the flock cameras?

I would argue that doorbell cameras actually make things worse for peace of
mind. The reality is that her trust and safety were violated and not only was
her car stolen, but she got to see it happen. I don't know how many times she's
watched the video herself, but I've seen it a dozen now and it just blows my
mind how fast it all happened. It's hard to describe how something like that can
terrorize the victim.

"But the video evidence is worth it." I hear some people already saying. In
reality, it's very unlikely anything can be done. It's hard to make out the
person who did it and they were wearing a hoodie that was pretty good at hiding
their features.

When I lived in Tempe AZ, the nextdoor app was nothing but "anyone recognize
this man?" There was never a crime that happened, they were just either cutting
through their yard, walking up to their porch and then walking away, or just
walking by "looking suspicious."

There are more and more videos being shared online showing people actually doing
something wrong, but that doesn't mean "crime is getting worse!" It's just more
visible. There are more recording devices always on, always watching.

Are we more safe?
Do we need to be?
Is our peace of mind better or worse?