CRIME STILL A PROBLEM IN FITCHBURG

If you attended the Fitchburg City Council debates we co-sponsored
this past week with Fitchburg State College, you couldn't help but
come away with the realization that crime is still a major problem in
the city. Candidate after candidate said the city must do more to
combat crime, mostly drug-related crime, so the hardworking,
law-abiding people who live in Fitchburg get the city they and their
families deserve. I couldn't agree more.

The police department has made solid strides fighting crime in the
city, and the amount of violent crime in the city this summer seemed
to drop noticeably from last year.

Yet the crime rate in Fitchburg remains too high, and we can't let
ourselves be satisfied with the progress we've made.

The good news to me watching the debate is that most of the
candidates understand that.

In addition, the two minority candidates in the debates -- at-large
City Council candidates Jay Cruz and Dean Tran -- also called for
cracking down on criminals. It just goes to show you that good people
of all backgrounds want the same things: a good job, a safe place for
their family to live and good schools for their children to attend.

Many candidates lamented the fact that too many criminals and drug
addicts hang out on Main Street and in the neighborhoods around the
college, which in turn keeps residents away.

Michael McLaughlin, another at-large City Council candidate,
recounted how he drove home after a late municipal meeting earlier in
the week and saw three prostitutes on Main Street.

He also noted quite correctly that things like that ruin a city's
image. Fitchburg has the potential to be a great city.

But we can't be afraid to do the hard things that need to be done to
make Fitchburg great.

First, we need more police officers walking the streets, every day
and every night. And we need to adopt a zero-tolerance policy dealing
with criminals. That means if there's someone hanging out on Main
Street, or in someone's neighborhood breaking the law, even if
they're just drinking on the sidewalks or yelling at people, they
should be arrested, not warned. Anyone who comes to visit Fitchburg
should know that this is a family-friendly city, and if they break
the laws, no matter how trivial, they're going to spend the night in
the concrete Hilton.

If that upsets the liberals in town, so be it. And then the judges
have to set high enough bails so the criminals are not back out on
the street the next day.

I'm all for giving people second chances. But a lot of the people who
loiter on Main Street and buy and sell drugs have gotten numerous chances.

They don't deserve anymore. That's just the way it is with some people.

There's a lot of kids out there who given the right help and a second
chance will turn their lives around.

But there's also a lot of jerks out there who no matter what you do,
will continue being jerks.

It's their decision what road to take. I don't know about you, but
I'm sick of running into them on Main Street in Fitchburg.