According to John Firman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, police officers are now encountering more and more "kids with no hope, no fear, no rules and no life expectancy." Princeton University political scientist John Dilulio said that inner-city neighborhoods are raising too many "chaotic, dysfunctional, fatherless, Godless and jobless youths where self-respecting young men literally aspire to get away with murder."
If you want an education on the juvenile crime problem go to this site. Read and excerpt from the EmergencyNetNews Service Daily Report from Saturday, May 18, 1996. If it was that bad then, what's it like now?
And from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention website see the disposition for probation, placement, other sanctions- this one is important because probation rates rose higher than placement and crime is up. There website is
here.
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4 comments:
Bladel should consider hiring retired police officers as civillians to do routine paperwork at the station. This will eliminate the high pension costs, allow a much lower wage costs, reduce a three quarter million dollar overtime expense, and free up more officers for patrol. It is all about management of resources.
Keith
I think all options that would get more police on the streets should be looked at. Could this be a case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians? And before anyone yells discrimination, I am part Indian.
I watched the Chief's presentation on cable. What I heard him say was there are a lot of crimes being committed by a few people.I then listended to the politicians pander to the lowest common denominator. They pandered to fear, to ignorance, to stereotypes and to misperceptions.
The aldermen spoke about a Davenport that I don't live in. I live south of Locust. We are season ticket holders to many events that happen downtown. We love downtown, to eat there and walk around at night. We visit the Figge, a lot, day and night with our children. We are members of the Y downtown and use it all different times of the day and weekends. We walk downtown at night to the library. My family feels very safe downtown, day or night.
I see kids walking to schools, JB, Madison, Lincoln. Happy kids that wave at me and share a smile. They don't know me and I don't know them and that's ok, they are still my neighbors. My kid goes to one of these schools. I know her friends, the teachers and other people in the building. The vast majority of these kids are good kids, trying to make their lives better. They have hard working parents and they probably live in a modest apartment or house.
Perhaps crime is up a bit...where isn't it? But to listen to the policitians cry wolf for more police, more jail beds and if we don't we are going to lose the war (whatever that means) is demeaning to the majority of us that live our quiet satisfied lives day to day.
I hope the aldermen can stop all the gamesmanship, the attacks on the employees, their special little backroom deals with slumlords and other special interest groups. Just stop bashing and start healing. Start by acknowledging the good kids, the good businesses that have stuck it out, the good people that take care of their homes. There is much to celebrate. You don't have to look very hard.
Come live in my Davenport. I've lived in the big city. I've seen a crime rate with 250-350 murders, serial rapists and thousands of stolen cars and other burglaries. That's not Davenport. Let's deal with it, but let's keep it in perspective.
Anon at 12:48pm
They aren't crying wolf about the crime. I also haven't been personally involved with a crime in quite awhile, however, it is here, we do have the highest murder, rape, and assault rate of the entire state for cities of any size. Did the guy who got shot on West Locust imagine it? Someone got shot across West 3rd. from the family Y. I have a problem with that. I have posted the facts and if you can't see the problem, I can't explain it any better.
I do agree with you in that the good businesses and kids need acknowledgement. I also believe the city council should put their individual egos aside and get things done. And I also believe I have kept it in perspective.
Lastly I have live south of Locust for over 50 years. I was gone for a while for military service, but other than that I have been here.
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