24 January 2008

Even In Weather Like This...
Crime NEVER takes a holiday. And nowhere is that more painfully apparent than on the beautiful SOUTH side of our fair city. If it's not some "dynamic duo" (with apologies to Bob Kane) going around robbing, it's certain other individuals with too damn much time on their primate hands

Take these stellar examples of modern urban youth, culled from the pages of the police blotter of the Metro section:

--Robber hits Speedway store on Sherman Blvd:
This happened close to midnight 22 January.
Suspect was black, 5'-5'6", 140-150 lbs, light brown eyes, wearing a dark blue or black cloth over his nose and mouth (bandana) , bright blue gloves,- brown HOODED coat, blue jeans (probably baggy) and blue or brown shoes.

He's still at large.

--Robber hits apartment complex - TWICE:
This happened Monday night, 21 January and again at 1419 hrs. on 22 January in the 8100 block of Bridgeway Circle.
Suspect was black, 5'7"- 5'10", between 20-25 years old - wearing either a yellow jacket with fur HOOD, black gloves or black pants, white long sleeve t-shirt, black knit hat and white tennis shoes (like he actually does play tennis). Both times, the man was armed with a black revolver.

He is also still at large.

I highlighted the word HOOD not only for the metaphorical aspect but also from the fact that many stores are NOW posting signs requiring all patrons to REMOVE the hoods when entering their establishments.
Still, It doesn't matter where you go anymore, the fact remains that we have people on the streets, doing whatever strikes their fancy to get the quick buck.

And these people need to be taken OFF of the streets. Personally, I'm of the conviction that you do whatever it takes to make everyone SAFE and screw politics, ethnicity, and whatever else comes down the pike.
If people don't feel safe on their street, in their driveway, or (in some rare instances) even in their damn HOMES, then don't expect this city to be raking in tax money (to support itself) hand-over-fist, because people WILL LEAVE, and take their money with them.

The state is reducing funding for reserve officers to add insult to injury, so that means fewer non-paid officers on the street. Now I'd have to say that reserve officers should ONLY be used as an adjunct to any law-enforcement agency...say when it comes to a crowd-control situation, or perhaps patrolling something like the 3 Rivers Festival.. It's more akin to deputizing the townspeople to get a posse together and round up the outlaws. You ONLY use these citizens for SPECIFIC purposes. Same should be with reserve officers, UNLESS you WANT to have them on board, doing much the same as a regular officer (along with their regular jobs), with the same dangers facing them as any REGULAR officer, sans paycheck, of course.

Now while volunteering for that is very admirable (and VERY intriguing to me as well), it can open a whole can of worms when and if something nasty were to go down, like a police-action shooting. Can someone sue the department for a volunteer's actions? What about civil culpability? The person isn't on the department's PAYROLL, so accountability can become muddled at best. I just have mixed feelings about it...even though I'd love to be a reserve officer down HERE...I could go through citation books faster than they could get them printed...LOL!

Yet all this crime keeps coming at us, whether we're in a parking lot at the mall or at a restaurant, and even has the audacity to come to our very own FRONT DOORS. Remember all those home invasions we were hearing about?
That places every one of us in a very unique conundrum:

How can we maintain an honest sense of vigilance when we're being constantly distracted by new gadgets, family life, or even personal issues? We're either worrying about the kids scholastic ratings, the city's taxation policies, the weather, our lack of sleep, the nation's economy, or the sundry repairs we might be needing for the home or car...that is, when we're NOT worrying about what tune is on the MP3 player, what our kids are viewing (or placing) on YouTube, or how large an LCD HDTV should we get to hang on the living room wall.
And distraction is GOOD...for the criminals.

They have ALL DAMN DAY to ponder where YOUR mind is at when they're watching your house, or car, or children. They rarely (if ever) work, so their time is never at a premium, whereas yours probably is. So when it comes to all the bad weather we get during winter, always remember that you can become a victim in the blink of an eye.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is NOT to become one.
Be careful...be aware...be self-assured in your actions.

--And if you can carry a firearm, here's a few tips:
An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
Colt: The original point and click interface.
Gun control is not about guns; it’s about control.
If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
“Free” men do not ask permission to bear arms.
If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any.
Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.
What part of “shall not be infringed” do you NOT understand?
The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
79,999,987 firearm owners killed no one yesterday. (Based on 80 million)
Guns only have two enemies: rust and politicians.
Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
911 - government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
Assault is a behavior, not a device.
Criminals love gun control — it makes their job safer.
If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.
Enforce the “gun control laws” we ALREADY have: Don’t make more.
When you remove the people’s right to bear arms, you create slaves.
The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.
“A government of the people, by the people, for the people…”

Any questions?

2 comments:

Tim Zank said...

No questions here, boss. That pretty much hits the proverbial nail on the head!

Bob G. said...

(Whew)...for a minute I thought you wanted to borrow my shitpot-stirring spoon...heh,heh,heh.(actually, it's more like an OAR)

You realize I WOULD have to wipe it off first, right?

B.G.