A BORDER RUNS THROUGH IT

'There's nothing wrong with Prince George's County," County Councilman Tony
Knotts, D-Temple Hills, recently said. "If you don't like it, leave it."
He's right - unless you consider 74 homicides so far this year and the
highest auto theft rate in all of Maryland "nothing."

During a recent meeting with Examiner editors and reporters, County
Executive Jack Johnson pointed out that the vast majority of violent crime
occurs in communities inside the Beltway - where drug use is also rampant.
The former prosecutor noted that while crime is no longer accelerating, it
has not yet begun to decline, and blamed the influx of drug users who moved
into Prince George's when the District began dismantling its own
crime-ridden apartment complexes.

Last week at a press conference, Johnson unveiled a three-pronged approach
that will focus on prevention, intervention and suppression of crime. The
get-tough strategy will include special robbery units that will keep much
closer tabs on repeat offenders. "We must find a way to stop the revolving
door," Police Chief Melvin High said.

True, but the revolving door also swings into the District's drug- and
violence-infested neighborhoods just over the border. What's missing is an
acknowledgment by both jurisdictions that one can't possibly solve its
crime problem without the cooperation of the other.