City Community Policing - You Can"t Be Everywhere, That"s Okay Everyone Else Already Is
Budget cuts are real at the city level, and that's especially true for the police departments.
One of the biggest costs of course is police and fire, and there are legacy costs associated with that such as pensions, benefits, and other things.
All too often cities begin to cut their police force too much, and in doing so there are a few more broken windows, a few more burglaries, and a little more graffiti.
Indeed, the more crime there is the more the criminals figure they can get away with it.
And that's when the trouble sets in.
You see the police department can't be everywhere, and although they do a good job with zone defense, the response time is of the utmost importance.
However with fewer cops on the beat, the chances of them getting anywhere very quickly are slim to none.
At some point they cut down to bare bones, and if you have a stolen car, you just call in for a report number, they never investigate anything, even if you think you know who stole their car, and if you doubt this, check out the Los Angeles police department, the Chicago Police Department, or the fine officers who are still left in Detroit.
So what do I recommend? The community needs to get involved, they need to be the eyes and ears for the police department, they need to be proactive, and keep their eyes open.
They must take responsibility against crime, and get involved.
That's easier said than done.
As things get more out of control people are fearful of getting involved, and perhaps that's why the drug cartels have run rampant in Mexico.
The same thing happens with regards to violent crimes in the United States including burglaries, strong-armed robbery, assaults, and other crimes.
This is why I recommend that the business community get together and form a business watch, and work with all of the neighborhood watch groups.
If they do this in conjunction with the police department in the local city it's amazing how coordinated and strong the community policing force can be.
No, it's absolutely not a substitute for regular uniformed police officers, but it sure makes their job a lot easier in these tough times of municipal budget cuts.
Over the years I've been involved in a few of these groups, and if your city is starting to get out of control, it's time for you to take action and get involved.
Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
One of the biggest costs of course is police and fire, and there are legacy costs associated with that such as pensions, benefits, and other things.
All too often cities begin to cut their police force too much, and in doing so there are a few more broken windows, a few more burglaries, and a little more graffiti.
Indeed, the more crime there is the more the criminals figure they can get away with it.
And that's when the trouble sets in.
You see the police department can't be everywhere, and although they do a good job with zone defense, the response time is of the utmost importance.
However with fewer cops on the beat, the chances of them getting anywhere very quickly are slim to none.
At some point they cut down to bare bones, and if you have a stolen car, you just call in for a report number, they never investigate anything, even if you think you know who stole their car, and if you doubt this, check out the Los Angeles police department, the Chicago Police Department, or the fine officers who are still left in Detroit.
So what do I recommend? The community needs to get involved, they need to be the eyes and ears for the police department, they need to be proactive, and keep their eyes open.
They must take responsibility against crime, and get involved.
That's easier said than done.
As things get more out of control people are fearful of getting involved, and perhaps that's why the drug cartels have run rampant in Mexico.
The same thing happens with regards to violent crimes in the United States including burglaries, strong-armed robbery, assaults, and other crimes.
This is why I recommend that the business community get together and form a business watch, and work with all of the neighborhood watch groups.
If they do this in conjunction with the police department in the local city it's amazing how coordinated and strong the community policing force can be.
No, it's absolutely not a substitute for regular uniformed police officers, but it sure makes their job a lot easier in these tough times of municipal budget cuts.
Over the years I've been involved in a few of these groups, and if your city is starting to get out of control, it's time for you to take action and get involved.
Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
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