It just doesn't happen in a small town--
By tammytwo
@tammytwo (4298)
United States
August 12, 2009 8:10am CST
Do you live in a small town that seems to have a lot of crime?
This question arises as the economy is bad and people are turning to alternative methods of making ends meet, whether legal or illegal. Do you feel your small community has more crime than the average small community? Or do you feel your community is exempt from crime because it is small?
I ask this question because I live in a town where our police force is now four officers short and our council doesn't seem to be eager to hire any additional officers anytime soon, though they are in the chief's budget for the year. The department has been operating for some time being three officers short. But now as school is about to begin again we will have to remove the School Resource Officers from our schools.
Our population is approximately 6,000 so not really tiny but not large either. However, removing the officers from the school just seems to be asking for trouble but it's what the Chief has to do to keep the streets patrolled.
We have a lot of drug and alcohol abuse in our community and because of that other crimes do occur.
Please give some information on your town and tell us how you perceive crime in your small community.
1 person likes this
1 response
@AmbiePam (93831)
• United States
12 Aug 09
I live in what is considered a small town, but it is not nearly as small as 6,000, so I don't know that our city's situation can compare. I feel like with the job loss people aren't just committing crimes for financial gain, but because they have so much time on their hands. Now I'm not thinking of 60 year old men getting together to rob a home...But when one is desperate, and has time to think about the only possibilities they see (which are probably more bleak than those with jobs- financially speaking), they might find ways to get what they want that normally they wouldn't consider.
I think in our town the police force is actually looking for more officers. In fact, I read that my entire state is looking to hire more officers. The need is great. I'm sure there are several reasons that crimes have gone up, and one of them probably is the lack of money due to job loss.
1 person likes this
@tammytwo (4298)
• United States
13 Aug 09
Thank you for your response.
I would feel officers would be needed more but our council just says they are being laid off and let go all over the country. These people have it in for the police department and seem to be trying to get rid of it. Not sure what we would do then.
But it does seem you are hearing more about crime in small towns now with all of the job loss, etc.
1 person likes this
@tammytwo (4298)
• United States
14 Aug 09
Yes, it should be. But it seems they care more about water and sewer than public safety. They feel if they eliminate our public safety departments they can build new water/sewer facilities.
The Lt. of the department just resigned after serving 29 years with the department and he publicly acknowledged that it was because of the council and their attitudes toward city employees.
