Crime reduction...it's everyone's responsibility!

Recent article published in the Morgan County Citizen and Lake Oconee News

Lately, it seems as though the prevailing public perception concerning criminal activity is the ambivalent reliance that it is solely law enforcement’s responsibility to solve anything that comes their way. While it certainly is true that local police stand at the ready to address whatever crosses their path, their success rate would increase exponentially and crime would be reduced if everyone assumed personal responsibility for their property and overall security.

Most criminals merely take advantage of unsuspecting victims who inadvertently present the opportunity for the criminal to prevail. A classic example is the individual who stopped at a convenience store to make a quick purchase and left their vehicle unlocked and running while shopping inside. As they made their purchase, their vehicle exited the parking lot and was located a day later minus its contents which included a Smartphone, a laptop computer, a digital camera and other assorted prized possessions. The individual was dumbfounded that they were victimized in a small community where crime rarely occurs. Their life-long belief was that crime only occurs in the metro-Atlanta area. Unfortunately, in this instance, the victim presented the opportunity to an individual who was obviously quite willing to take the risk since little to no effort was required.

To compound matters, the victim could not provide any definitive descriptors such as the make, model or serial numbers of any of the items taken. Consequently, all routine law enforcement resources designed to track and identify stolen property were relegated to the back burner. Furthermore, the Smartphone was on and not password protected which facilitated the acquisition of credit card account information that led to a number of quick, on-line untraceable purchases.

This example typifies an overwhelming majority of the crimes reported today. Countless victims do not have the basic information necessary to assist law enforcement in pursuing their case. Crime resolution is a partnership between the victim and law enforcement. The failure to provide this information not only impedes and adversely impacts the investigation; it jeopardizes the positive identification of recovered property especially when it is the possession of known criminals. Consequently, criminals are free to roam the streets with impunity and allowed to keep the suspected stolen property since it cannot be proven to be stolen. Law enforcement across the country recovers property on a daily basis and if it not is the nationwide law enforcement computer system, it cannot be married up with the legitimate owner and the individual in possession of it cannot be held accountable.

To alleviate this dilemma, it is incumbent upon everyone to take immediate inventory of their significant possessions. They should record the make, model, serial number and any other unique identifying information. If any article lacks this information, such as jewelry, fine artwork, heirlooms etc., then they should photograph or capture it on video so it is available to law enforcement so if taken, law enforcement knows specifically what they are looking for. Secondly, everyone must exercise diligence in protecting themselves and their property. They should lock their homes and vehicles, secure their electronic devices with passwords and refrain from posting their whereabouts via social media as many criminals peruse social media feeds specifically to see who is on vacation or away from their home for an extended period of time for that quick opportunity. To enhance personal security, everyone needs to become increasingly aware of their surroundings especially in commercial and business parking lots, shopping malls and public events such as fireworks displays, festivals and parades. Complacency leads to that opportunity miscreants look for and quickly take advantage of.

If everyone subscribes to these basic personal security strategies, the opportunities criminals yearn for would be minimized, forcing them to work harder to pilfer their wares. After all, crime victims worked hard to acquire their valued possessions in the first place; so let’s make a concerted effort to make it more difficult for criminals to succeed and in turn reduce crime.