Neighborly: To deter crime, we must do more to look out for one another

In case you haven't noticed, local law enforcement officers have been busy lately.

Every day seems to bring another arrest, another investigation.

It is a commentary on how hard those in the law enforcement community work, but it is an insight as well into the steps that still need to be taken to keep this community safe.

Drugs, gangs, thefts and misdirected youths, those are just a few of the concerns we face as a community -- and sorry to say, they are some of the same problems faced by other cities of all sizes.

We are not alone, but we can take steps to be different.

Stopping crime in a community takes more than just a top-flight group of investigators and a large jail. A community that wants to stop criminals has to be part of the solution.

So the fact that some of the crime reports we have seen recently include stories of neighbors who noticed something was amiss and took action -- or called authorities -- is a taste of what needs to happen if putting an end or at least a choke hold on crime is going to be a priority.

There's no question that local police departments and the Wayne County Sheriff's Department do not want residents taking on criminals on their own. It is dangerous. But groups like neighborhood watches and communities that band together to keep an eye out for each other are a first step in making this city and county safer.

It takes courage to speak up, to let authorities know that there is drug activity in your neighborhood or to let the police know when a crime might have been committed.

But without these tips and without people who are willing to stand for what is right, a community cannot beat criminals or keep its children safe.

It is naive to think there is no danger in dealing with criminals -- especially since many of them are armed and dangerous with nothing really to lose.

But there is too much at stake to simply sit back and wait for the law enforcement community to find those who are bringing drugs and crime to our community. If we want a safer city, we have to "take it back," especially in the neighborhoods where criminals already have a hold. If it becomes harder to "do business" there, they will move on to somewhere else. And whether a criminal makes that decision or not lies in the hands of the people who live in that neighborhood.

We have to get involved now. If for no other reason than we do not want to lose one more young person to the streets, to prison or to a funeral.

Published in Editorials on August 14, 2014 10:32 AM