POLICE PRIORITIES

More Foot Patrols To Bolster Safety

I 'm glad that the police can follow the smell of marijuana smoke --
but can't hear the cries of women being raped. How many man-hours --
and how much money -- has been spent to prosecute people for marijuana
usage -- or gods forbid -- jogging nude with a pumpkin on their heads?
Why isn't community safety the priority of our police?

The last attack was at Williamson Village, at 7:45 p.m., which clearly
illustrates a basic lack of personal safety in Boulder. The reason is
clear: Since I've moved to Boulder in 1999, I've seen foot patrols by
police in two locations: the Pearl Street Mall, and 13th Street on
University Hill.

As Boulder strives to create a sustainable model for how humans live
in an urban environment, sadly, pop-up mansions and height
restrictions are no longer the true core issues. New urbanism -- which
advocates pedestrian friendly neighborhoods -- is made a mockery when
our streets are not safe to walk.

A lack of safety undermines Boulder's decades of work in creating
possibilities for pedestrian, bike, and other non-automobile means of
travel. Frankly, the city's investments -- and decades of efforts by
fellow Boulderites -- used to support new urbanism and sustainability
become a mere joke -- when our streets are not safe.

The Boulder police, by long ignoring minor safety issues such as
bicycle theft, cars routinely pulling in front of bikes, cars running
stop signs in front of bikes, and cars stopping in crosswalks -- have
set the stage for far worse crimes.

By ignoring the world that is beyond our automobiles -- our sidewalks,
our alleyways, our multi-use paths -- the Boulder and CU police have
created a serious safety issue. Community safety, the basic right to
walk at night -- is central to our quality of life.

Now women on foot are walking targets. In what way does this support
the basic human rights of women, to be a part of our community, to
travel where they wish, when they wish?

Sadly, the failure of Boulder and CU's police priorities is now
readily apparent. By having the vast majority of officers in motorized
vehicles -- ignoring the real world outside of their sealed windows --
Boulder now has a serious safety issue.

There is but one solution -- taking the majority of our police
officers out of their police cruisers, 365 days a week, 24 hours a day
- -- and truly putting them into our community on foot, bicycle, and/or
Segway.

Mark Richert

Boulder