CRIME STRATEGY NEEDED

No Simple Solution to Wave of Lawlessness

It is time for this community to have a serious discussion about
crime.

The timing for a comprehensive look at crime in Manatee County is
ideal. County and city elected officials are beginning their annual
budget drafting process for the next fiscal year, amid mandates from
the state Legislature for property-tax rollbacks of at least 7 percent
and curtailment of future tax increases. In the Manatee County
Commission's budget hopper is a request from the sheriff's department
for a 13 percent, or $12 million, increase.

At the same time, the release last week of crime statistics from the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement for 2006 showed a disturbing 6.2
percent increase in crime from the previous year in the county as a
whole and an 8.2 percent jump in the unincorporated area. That's
considerably higher than the 1.4 percent hike in crime for the entire
state last year. Three cities in Manatee County saw their crime rates
decline: Bradenton's by 3.2 percent, Longboat Key's by 4 percent and
Bradenton Beach by 7.4 percent.

The statistics probably came as no surprise to residents who read this
newspaper or watch local television newscasts. From horrific multiple
murders to brazen gang shootouts at the beach to child kidnappings at
suburban school bus stops to purse-snatchings at malls to rampant
vandalism in upscale neighborhoods, it seems few days pass without
fresh headlines about criminal activity, much of it violent, somewhere
in Manatee County.

Money is Not the Answer

It is tempting to point fingers of blame, to focus on scapegoats who,
if only they got their act together, could curtail this crime wave.
And many citizens are doing just that, as reflected in letters to the
editor on this page criticizing various law enforcement agencies for
not doing enough to suppress crime or for endangering innocent
bystanders when they do target criminal activity.

Obviously, throwing money at crime isn't the answer. The sheriff's
office has seen its budget increase by $25.5 million in the last four
years, even as the crime rate has risen in all except one of those
years.

Yet what politician is willing to say no to law enforcement? What
incumbent wants to be slimed in the next political campaign as being
"soft on crime" for cutting law enforcement's budget? County
commissioner Joe McClash doubtless spoke for most of his peers when he
told a Herald reporter recently, "My commitment to the people of
Manatee County is not to leave them in a position that their safety is
in jeopardy because we reduced the sheriff's budget. I'm not going to
do that."

Crime Has Many Facets

That's why a community dialogue is needed, to bring into the open all
of the things that impact crime statistics - factors that can distort
perceptions and lead to poor decisions by policymakers. Among these
should be:

The county's population increase - up by more than 7,000 last year
alone, more than 25,000 in the last four years. More people means more
crime, more streets to patrol, more needs. The average daily call rate
to the sheriff's office in '06 was 550, up 31 calls a day from '05.

Misleading interpretations of violent crime statistics. A big jump
in murders and assaults does not necessarily mean our streets are less
safe. Many of those crimes stem from domestic disputes - family
members hitting and killing one another.

Factors beyond the control of local law enforcement agencies:
Increased illegal immigration that spawns gang activity, economic
downturns that lead desperate citizens to turn to crime, easy
availability of guns, societal toleration of illegal drugs and violent
forms of entertainment.

Increasing sophistication of criminals using high-tech tools to
break the law.

Breakdown of the nuclear family in general, with high divorce rates
that lead to single-parent households where children do not receive
adequate supervision.

Manatee County isn't alone in this dilemma. Many cities are reporting
comparable increases in crime even as they pour resources into law
enforcement. The challenge is to direct resources to areas where they
can be most effective. Local government needs to look at all factors
that affect the crime rate, then study strategies that have worked
elsewhere. Commissioner Ron Getman is on the right track in urging
county staff to study ordinances that have been effective in
curtailing gang activity in Orange County, Calif.

Crime is not "someone else's" problem. There is no reason for anyone
to feel smug about crime. Murders, burglaries and vandalism are
prevalent in the suburbs as well as inner city neighborhoods. Ask any
middle or high school principal about drug activity among their
students; the stories would shock you.

That's why a comprehensive approach is needed. Simply raising law
enforcement agency budgets isn't the solution. It may be one, but
there are many more that could be implemented with smart strategic
planning.

Talk Back

Should Sheriff Brad Steube be given all of the $12 million increase he
requests to operate the Manatee County Sheriff's Department for the
next fiscal year? Share your views in the Opinion section of
Bradenton.com.