Solving Detroit's Violent Crime Problem Does Not Involve A Silver Bullet
The problem is simple - violent crime. However, the solution to it is indeed complex and will not be fixed over-night by a bullet - silver or lead.
As I have perused my time-line on social media over the last few days, I have seen a number of proposed solutions.
For starters, I have seen some folks cry out that the gloves should come off and "let the police be the police." That's cop-talk for cracking skulls of any person on the street who may simply look like a criminal - whatever that is. I have been under the scrutiny of over-zealous "big city policing" officers a few times. So, if it can happen to me, yes, it can happen to you or someone you know or love. If you have any gray hairs, you remember the days of the Big-Four and STRESS. That's not gonna' fly today.
Additionally, others have asked for more law enforcement officers. This solution has every possibility of decreasing response times and catching more suspects shortly after a reported crime. However, Detroit government officials and others would rather give billionaires handouts and corporate welfare for things like a new hockey and a new soccer arena than spend money on things that really matter.
Furthermore, the issue of too many police leads to a militarization of law enforcement outfitted with tanks and stun-grenades, unreasonable searches such as Oakland County's Stingray machines that perform eavesdropping without warrants, and seizures of property via asset forfeiture.
Besides, our crime problems are deep, we can't simply arrest our way out of them. Additionally, more officers on the street would probably translate into unproven and speculative policies such as "Broken Windows" which wouldn't change anything but terrorize the community at-large and levy more fines upon people who already are struggling to stay financially afloat in an impoverished city.
Marches and civilian patrols are also currently popular these days. The one thing that I will say about them is that they almost never fail to bring out the news crews from the media. Far too often it is just another televised public outcry at the all too common stories of carnage, barbarity, and wanton outbreaks of unspeakable violence. Heinous law-breakers ignore marches and protests as deftly as they skirt "Gun Free Zone" statutes and signs.
Moreover, the most curious approach - by one local group - is to just embrace the evil that some people do and politely ask that they follow some limits while committing acts of robbery, carjacking, drug dealing, and other violent acts. The "who" and the "where" is more infinitely more important than the "what" when terrorizing the city. It is a defeatist approach, for sure, but the bar is so low for any signs of abatement in crime levels, that any half-baked idea will be given media attention.
Oh yeah, before you even ask me, I know that law-abiding citizens carrying firearms for self-defense will not solve our violent crime problem. If you have been paying attention to me over the years, you'd already know that I felt that way. Carrying guns solves the "About to get victimized" problem. And for the record, it offers a chance but no guarantees. Furthermore, there seems to be no shortage of criminals willing to risk their lives by coming into people's homes uninvited, or attempting to drag citizens out of their vehicles, or dragging women into abandoned buildings.
The solution to our violent crime problem is to not create them in the first place. All start out with high hopes and aspirations. Some of these children irrevocably fall by the way-side and become lost. Our solution will involve children having stable childhoods, access to good schools, and guidance into learning how to be a productive citizen upon their maturity.
Anything else is akin to offering a band-aid to a gun shot victim in a triage station. Our problem is huge and will not be solved over-night. The quick fix solutions will get all of the media attention and fail just like all of the other prior solutions.
So, I will tip my hat to DPD Chief Craig for trying to do his part by attempting to reach young people before they lose their way. Others need to do their parts. We can start by holding our elected leadership to task. If they are incapable of working on this problem then they need to step aside and let somebody else do the job. This is going to take a lot of people and unfortunately a lot time. But it can be done.
I also believe that rehabilitation, alternative sentencing, drug and mental health screening and treatment, and decriminalization can also help but that is another post for another time. True story.
For more info on safe firearm handling and responsible firearm ownership, please visit our blog on the Internet: Legally Armed In Detroit at http://www.legallyarmedindetroit.com/
About The Author
About The Author
Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school - Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, UPI, Fox news, New York Times, USA Today, Bearing Arms, NRAnews, Guns Digest, Tactical-Life, The Truth About Guns, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, The Detroit Examiner, WJLB, WGPR, and the UrbanShooterPodcast.
For more info about free shooting lessons for women and Michigan CCW Classes, please contact:
Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com.
Email: detroitccw@gmail.com
Phone: 313.733.7404
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