Fear scares crime debate senseless

by Sean Kittridge

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 00:00

Polio may have been the best thing to ever happen to FDR, because if he could use those legs, imagine how hard they would be working to roll his bones over in his grave. It may be third grade rhetoric, but simply because he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" in the 1930s does not give us credence to ignore those words today. The fact remains: This has always been a society dominated by fear, and for Madison, it is the fear of crime ushering the community to the brink of rebellion. This is not an issue of whether crime in Madison has risen, as both robbery and aggravated assault numbers have increased in the last few years, according to Madison Police Department statistics. But in comparison, national crime statistics make Madison crime increases appear much smaller. Nevertheless, even a small spike in crime leads to a mammoth spike in public outcry, and the public's wailing for increased law enforcement and seemingly daily community meetings are making Madison look a bit more like Salem than Compton. We have let the news cycle dupe us into crisis mode. We are looking to others for answers when simple and effective solutions are at our immediate disposal. For the last six years, unjustified panic has merely been second nature, to the point where a photo-snapping helicopter over Camp Randall needs a disclaimer to avoid whispers of terrorism. When Dean of Students Lori Berquam attempted to remind the student body of the importance of safety, she used the tragic Kelly Nolan story to illustrate the dangers not because it was in any way a likely scenario, but because it would generate the strongest response. Sensationalism has taken center stage and has tossed common sense to the curb. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Madison mantra "More Crime? More Cops!" The rallying point of many in the Madison community is the desire to add 30 MPD officers to assist in controlling crime, but this is nothing more than an overblown response to an overblown problem. For starters, there is no way to put an on-duty police officer on every corner, so despite increased officer numbers, crimes are still going to occur. But if Barney Fife can catch a crook every now and then, so can just about anybody, and that's where the responsibility falls upon the citizens to take an active role in keeping the community safe. Despite what your Public Enemy cassette tape wants to tell you, 911 is not a joke. Even if there are not 30 additional officers waiting to respond to a crime, someone will show up. As of 2005, the MPD employed 390 officers to handle an average of one robbery and less than two assaults each night. In comparison, St. Paul, Minn., deals with two times the average robbery and assault cases nightly, and does so without a police force twice the size of Madison. Beyond that, the cost of hiring increased law enforcement is only going to take away funds from programs that attack the roots of crime. A substantial percentage of Madison crime is the result of poor education and a lack of opportunities. Programs such as the City of Madison Community Development Office work to assist the less affluent neighborhoods and communities, even coordinating with local government to decide the allocation of city resources. Advocating projects such as the building of neighborhood centers and business growth for job creation, they provide solutions that not only help today's community, but also the Madison of tomorrow. Keeping the youth in school and involved in positive activities should be far more important than keeping them in the back of a squad car. Unfortunately, it appears the city of Madison has backed Mayor Dave Cieslewicz into a corner, and more likely than not, 30 more badges will be issued. The fearful in Madison have used illogical means to reach a logical conclusion. The mayor may not agree this is a dire need in an ever-shrinking city budget, but like any good politician, he knows where the votes come from. So fear, in coordination with the doughnut industry, has won for now. But to bring both the article and my Chuck D. and Flava Flav reference full-circle, "Don't believe the hype." Sean Kittridge (kittridge@wisc.edu) is a sophomore intending to majoring in journalism… hopefully.