Earlier this week I asked Alan Wimbish State Coordinator of Child Evangelism Fellowship of New Mexico to write about the dramatic increase in crime in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You see Alan was a Police Officer for 13 years before moving to New Mexico. Little did I know the extreme tragedy of Dallas would happen. The massacre of 5 Dallas Police Officers. Listen now as Alan talks about what has taken place in Dallas and the life of a Police Officer.
I’m a has-been. I “has been” a cop. I patrolled the streets of Wake County, North Carolina for thirteen years. During that time, I learned a lot about people. I learned a lot about a lot of things. I was a cop, a psychiatrist, a doctor, a baby-sitter, a mechanic, a fireman, a social worker, a good guy, a bad guy, a guardian angel, a racist white guy, a taxi driver, a teacher, a shoulder for the public to cry on, etc, etc. I’ve saved people from killing themselves, watched people die right in front of me, rescue children who were being abused, threatened by those I arrested, hated by bad guys, and loved by the law-abiding citizenry. Law enforcement is made up of hard working men and women who do something that most people won’t do and can’t do. Are there some bad apples in law enforcement? Of course there are. There are bad apples in every profession.
Why is the crime rate up in Albuquerque? I don’t know. According to the latest statistics, the crime rate in Albuquerque is the highest it’s been in ten years. Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s bad all over the country, not just in Albuquerque. I was born and reared in Raleigh, North Carolina. Raleigh and the Raleigh metro area is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. When I was in middle school, the state population was a little over six million. Over the past thirty years, the population has jumped to over ten million; most of the increase in population is in the Raleigh area. Raleigh has some of the best schools in NC, best neighborhoods, unemployment is low; all of the elements for a “perfect” place to live. Guess what! The crime rate in Raleigh is fifty percent higher than the national average. Fifty percent! Listen, though noble in their profession and true modern day warriors, it is still just sinners policing sinners. They are asked to take an oath of office when they are sworn in. This oath requires the police officer to be a superman 24/7. The Albuquerque police are out there everyday protecting you and me.
Let’s get back to the main question; why is the crime rate the highest in ten years? There are multiple reasons. Leadership has a lot to do with it. The Chief of police is hired by the Mayor and usually a city council. Politicians, with little to no experience of what the officer on the street goes through day to day. City leadership is usually only concerned with the city’s image and what’s in their best interest (not always, but we all know how things work in the political realm). There’s a lack of police officers in Albuquerque. The last that I heard, the department was down by approximately two hundred officers. It’s hard to answer calls in a timely manner and be everywhere all of the time when the department is inadequately staffed. Over time, inadequate staffing leads to over-worked staff and, sometimes, a spirit of apathy. Small crimes, tend to go “unnoticed” which builds a culture of apathy among the public. I am a big proponent of the “broken window” theory. Maybe you’re familiar with it, but in case you’re not, this theory was developed in New York City many years ago. The idea behind this theory is that if you have a neighborhood with broken windows and unkempt property, it sends a message to criminals that the public in that neighborhood does not care and that crime is welcome in that neighborhood. New York City turned itself around by cleaning up neighborhoods, enforcing major and minor crimes, prosecuting those crimes, and instilling a sense of pride back into local neighborhoods. Eventually, the crime rate went down drastically in NYC. Could this be something that works in Albuquerque? Of course it would, but it’s not the magic bullet. We also need a court system that will actually prosecute criminals instead of letting them go so easily. There is no excuse for someone to be charged with DWI 9, 10, 11 times before they actually go to jail. The police can arrest a drunk driver, take them to jail, but that’s all they can do. It’s up to the DA’s Office and the Judge to carry through with a criminal’s prosecution. For the life of me, I cannot understand the lackadaisical enforcement of state laws in the State courts. Officer’s risk their lives every day to enforce the laws, and the public lives in fear of the criminal, but the courts just seem to let the criminals go with just a slap on the wrist. When there is no fear of punishment, what keeps a bad guy from committing crime? How do we fix the crime problem?
Well here are some suggestions from a has-been. There needs to be more follow through with enforcement of the law in the courts. Pay police officers what they are worth. They run to the gunfire when everyone else runs away. How much is that worth? I don’t know but more than they are making now. Let cops enforce the law without Monday morning quarterbacking and political interference. If a cop messes up and does something wrong, we have a system in place to prosecute that officer. With great power comes great responsibility. Want more cops to fill the empty ranks? Pay them. This gives a city the ability to recruit the best of the best instead of hiring whoever can pass a background check. Let’s take back our neighborhoods by standing up to criminals. Get to know your neighbors. Help each other out. Watch your neighbor’s back. Don’t be a nosey neighbor, just aware of what’s going on around your home. Lock your car up and don’t keep valuables in it. That’s just common sense. If you know how to use a weapon responsibly, carry it. Criminals don’t like people that shoot back. You have a responsibility and a right to protect yourself; do it. Let’s teach our children to respect the law and law enforcement. There is a generation growing up that does not only disrespect the law and law enforcement, they have no clue what respect is in the first place. In their minds, this is their world and you and I are just living in it. Don’t be restrictive to businesses moving into the state. Businesses hire people. They pay taxes. They bring other businesses with them. People who are employed are less likely to commit crimes because they fill their day with working. Men, be the leaders within your families. Strong, loving families are the core of a strong safe society. Children, obey your parents (Ephesians 6:1). Don’t do drugs! Nothing good ever happens when drugs are involved. Our society needs to take back it’s responsibility. I have a responsibility to act like I’ve got some sense. I’ve got a responsibility to do what is right. I’ve got a responsibility to take care of my property and not infringe on my neighbor’s property. I’ve got a responsibility to work and be a productive citizen. I’ve got a responsibility to take care of my family, lead them, and raise my children to act like they’ve got some sense. I’ve got a responsibility and so do you. So does every citizen of Albuquerque. This is our town and we can’t let the few criminals ruin it. There’s more of us than there are of them. We can’t live in fear. This is just the opinion of a has-been.