There are times when I get creative and start from scratch with an article topic and there are times when I revisit and revise previous articles because they have a timeless message which is worth repeating. This article is one of those of the second category which I am revisiting so as to bring awareness to the need for community crime prevention. Next week I will get creative again!
We are so fortunate to live in a community where both property crimes as well as crimes against persons are few and far between. There are numerous reasons that we are able to enjoy such relative tranquility, but two of the main reasons are; One, the amazing men and women we have dedicating themselves to the safety of the communities they serve, and two, the amazing community itself which maintains a strong sense of unity and vigilance.
We all have a stake in the preservation of the quality of life we experience in our daily lives. Many times, we begin to take on a false sense of security believing that crimes could not occur in our communities.
We do however have crimes which are committed and most times, law enforcement is able to develop leads and ultimately solve these cases. Although isolated and infrequent, crime does exist here in Kewaunee County and I wanted to revisit the issue of crime prevention.
Many times, we may see something that looks out of ordinary, or is in fact downright suspicious. Unfortunately, many times we do not go any further due to our busy lives, or our desire not to involve ourselves in someone else’s business. For there to be effective crime prevention, we all need to realize our obligation to our neighbors and our communities, and this may mean that sometimes we get involved by calling in suspicious persons or activity. Once law enforcement responds there are two possible outcomes. The first is that the person or activity has a legitimate purpose and we can wish them well and move on. The second is that the person or activity is in fact suspicious and our contact with them could lead to the solving of a past crime or better yet the prevention of a future crime. The bottom line is we all need to be a part of the solution.
The second part to Crime Prevention is eliminating easy targets. While I would love to say we can live in a community where we do not lock our doors, I would be openly encouraging an environment of easy targets. There is an old saying that locks keep out the honest people, and there is some truth to that. While there will always be those people in our midst who may be inclined to steal, the more barriers we can put before them the more we limit their access to our valuables. If nothing else the barriers will force them to expend more effort in the commission of their crime increasing the likelihood that they will be noticed.
These barriers are very simple. They include preventions such as: Locking doors of buildings and vehicles. Securing valuables, whether that is a piece of equipment in the yard or valuables in your home or vehicle. Making a record of your valuables so that if taken they can be more accurately reported and effectively recovered. The most important barrier is to be part of your community by noticing and if need be, reporting those things that seem out of the ordinary. We should be very proud of the high quality of law enforcement we have in our communities, but we would be negligent by saying we can do it all. A community where law enforcement and citizens work together always has been and always will be a better community.
