PUBLIC SAFETY ALSO A TAX ISSUE

There is a reason -- troubling, but fixable -- why public safety is
declining in Tennessee, and why the state's rate of major crimes is now the
10th highest among the all states in the FBI's major crimes index per
capita. It is this: Continuing neglect by the Legislature of needed
investments in Tennessee's criminal justice system.

District attorneys general cannot prosecute well or speedily all the cases
before them if they do not have enough prosecutors on staff, and they do
not have nearly enough staff because the Legislature will not allocate
enough money for more prosecutors.

And district attorneys general cannot establish drug courts aimed at
criminals who commit roughly 80 percent of crime -- though such courts are
well proven to significantly reduce crime, repeat offenses and expensive
jail time -- if the Legislature will not fund the necessary drug-treatment
services that undergird drug courts.

District attorneys general properly believe that legislative action to
reverse these limitations would bring down the state's alarmingly high
crime rate, and they justifiably are pushing for such action. But given the
state's current fiscal crisis, they know they are fighting an uphill battle.

Hamilton County, for example, hasn't had a new staff attorney added by the
state in six years. With six prosecutors per 100,00 citizens -- the lowest
of any major city in Tennessee, and barely a fourth the number in much
larger cities nationally that have managed to reduce crime -- the district
attorney's office here is substantially understaffed. Other major Tennessee
cities have expanded staffing, but only through county funding.

But their reticence has not secured improvements for years, and their
professional concerns finally have compelled them to speak out. That is why
district attorneys general, police chiefs and sheriffs across the state now
are making a round of public appearances to emphasize their concerns to
lawmakers and ordinary citizens.

Both groups should pay close attention. Two of the coalition's proposals --
drug courts and stiffer sentences for targeted serious criminals -- would
substantially reduce the overall rate and cost of crime. Drug addicts who
repeatedly steal and burgle to get money for drugs now clog courts and
jails. Drug courts, and probation based on clean drug tests and job
records, have vastly reduced repeat offenses and more expensive jail costs
elsewhere. Similarly, investments in prosecutorial staff and more vigorous
prosecution also are proven ways to reduce crime and its attendant costs in
victimization and property loss.

The Public Safety Coalition's appeal is inherently linked to the
Legislature's fiscal and budget crisis. Improvements in crime fighting and
public safety measures would require new money. With so many tax-averse
lawmakers falsely claiming that the state has a spending problem -- and not
a revenue problem or a need for tax reform -- the law enforcement
community's appeal does put legislators on the spot.

Law enforcement officials now are aligned with those representing the
accumulating, unmet needs of K-12 schools, higher education and health care
services. They stand with mayors and county executives pleading with
legislators not to cut vital state-shared revenues and economic development
grants. It should be increasingly difficult for legislators to look away
and call still for spending cuts, and another inadequate patchwork budget,
while crucial public services go down the tubes.