Pike County is NOT safe.
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11/18/2007
Residents of Pike County think that their area is safe and quiet. And that's what it was years ago. Unfortunately, things have changed unbelievably in the past few years.
In Pittsfield, there have been 3 murders in the past year...and the population there is only about 5,000! A drunk driver ran over a 7-year-old biker. A 14-year-old boy from Missouri was shot dead by someone with a handgun, who claimed that he was only target practicing. (Even if that's the case, you don't shoot your gun like an idiot in the city.) A man willfully ran over a drunk who was laying in the road, and failed to stop at the scene of the "accident" or even call the police about it.
In Barry, population 1,000, about 20 people have been beat up in the past year. There have been many school fights, many Barry kids being beat up by kids from Pittsfield, and fights at Lafayette Park. There was even a fight in the western part of the park when the Apple Festival was there in early October. To top that all off, there was a crime spree in Barry involving several burglaries and 3 cars being set on fire. Although this has caused the Pike County Sheriff's Department to step up patrol in Barry, they usually do nothing about these crimes (aside from writing up a police report, but usually, nobody gets arrested for it). The cops have even watched these fights happen without doing anything.
On KHQA, there was even a news story about how crime in Pike County is on the rise, particularly people stealing hunting equipment (Pike County is a well-known center for deer hunting, having more deer per capita than any other place in the U.S.).
All in all, Pike County is an unsafe place to live, further aggravated by the fact that crime has risen significantly in the past few years. Avoid it at all costs, and don't say I didn't warn you!
Clint | Liberty, IL