SERIOUS CRIME'S DOWN; FOCUS NOW ON PREVENTION

If America's criminals still doubt this society's unforgiving, intolerant
disposition toward their misdeeds, let them consider the public resolve
that has in the last decade:

Funded tens of thousands of additional police officers to law
enforcement agencies.

Locked up so many inmates that state and federal prisons on average stay
15 percent over capacity. The prison population nationwide grew from
329,000 in 1980 to 1.1 million in 1995.

Legislated, in some states, tough "three strikes" rules and mandatory
prison time for packing a firearm when committing any crime.

Pushed states to try more juvenile offenders as adults.

Strengthened victims advocacy while embracing the death penalty, now
supported by a majority of Americans.

This is a people in no mood to give the bad guys a break.

Reinforcing that mood, law enforcement agencies report steep declines in
serious crime nationwide since 1991. Serious crime dropped 10 percent in
the first six months of this year over the same period last year, the FBI
reported Sunday.

Hear the "we told you so" echoes? A vengeful and fearful public will almost
certainly interpret the FBI numbers as evidence to support more spending
for crime fighting and harsher penalties. Get tougher and crime will drop
further, they reason.

It's never that simple. If the numbers reported are accurate - they're
always suspect because any of the 9,300 police agencies that contribute to
crime reports can manipulate them to curry public opinion - it's safer to
live in the United States today than any time in this decade. One must
wonder whether the nation's amazing economic prosperity, low jobless rates,
emphasis on juvenile crime prevention and improved social programs haven't
had more to do with securing this safer America.

And one must ask if it might not be more prudent now to invest a larger
part of new public resources in prevention and treatment programs than in
police batons and prison bars.

Last month, Volusia and Flagler residents heard their state attorney
acknowledge that get-tough measures aren't reducing drug offenses. Instead,
Tanner wants to focus local efforts on treatment. At the state level, the
chief of the governor's anti-drug response has similarly advocated more
emphasis on treatment.

Other needs are evident. Mentally ill people are too often jailed by police
but aren't provided treatment for the illnesses that cause their
revolving-door run-ins with the law.

Meanwhile, metropolitan police chiefs across the nation have turned 180
degrees on the gun possession issue. Until recently staunch advocates of
the popular slogan "guns don't kill people; criminals do," these chiefs
have mounted major campaigns to track down handguns used or possessed
illegally and take them out of circulation. This new focus on prevention is
making a difference, they say.

Now that police caseloads are lighter and government treasuries are
bulging, it makes good sense to direct additional resources to help
troubled people avoid and turn from lives of crime. It's time for this
angry, fearful public to show its compassionate, hopeful side. Doing that
is the nation's best prospect for continuing the crime rate's downward
spiral. ---