Post by slowpokebread on Jan 25, 2015 19:39:17 GMT
Slowpoke - I disagree. I think people and LE attempted to be more aware, once it was known that EAR was operating in an area. However, there are many stories of "normalcy bias" kicking in - even at the height of awareness of EAR attacks in these communities. Let's say you know the EAR is active in your area. You see a young male standing in your neighbor's driveway in broad daylight. Do you call LE? Or do you rationalize his presence away by thinking, "Oh, he looks like he is probably a friend of their son...and it is daytime. The EAR would not possibly be stupid enough to walk around in the middle of the day...I don't want to call LE and appear to be a busybody".
Another psychological phenomenon is called "tonic immobility". That is where a person "freezes" in the midst of something frightening. (Dr. Rebecca Campbell has been studying this, particularly with rape victims, but it is generally an anti-predator adaption.) Remember the Sacramento woman who saw EAR crouching in the bushes (I think with no pants on) outside of her house? It took her a couple of days to notify LE.... If she just didn't want to get involved, why call LE at all? I wonder if she "froze", and it took her a couple of days to recover and do the right thing.
I think you are correct about that point; for whatever reason people back then were much less inclined to call police: even some people knew that someone had been in their house and they didn't call!
My experience is that this landscape has changed. If anything the population probably over calls these days. I wonder if people like ear/ Bundy/ Ramirez helped force that change in the collective psyche.
The more I look into the case, the more I think it should have been solved.