My best ex and I used to talk about that very thing extensively. She grew up in the deep suburbs (a 10 acre farmette) and as a pre teen would eat breakfast, get on her bike with her Springer Spaniel beside her and come home for dinner. We both know when that innocence died in our area (the rape, murder and dismemberment of a girl selling girl scout cookies) but it was a change that neither one of us liked.
That was 1964.
It is a shame the effect one person, one incident, can have on society as a whole. Once bitten by fear it is a very hard thing for individuals and societies to over come.
The murder was never solved. Half of Washington State was in the air. Parents in good conscience let their children go like they had. It was ugly for a whole big area.
My ex was in a position to talk to police bigwigs. They were convinced that the guy was in prison in Boston, but they couldn't build a case.