In our current Dispatch weekly Web poll, the readers/voters are
making it quite clear that they’re concerned about rising crime
– and particularly gang-related violence – that has increased in
the last year.
In our current Dispatch weekly Web poll, the readers/voters are making it quite clear that they’re concerned about rising crime – and particularly gang-related violence – that has increased in the last year.
“Do you believe that gang-related and violent crime in Gilroy have significantly increased in the last year?” is the question. More than 88 percent of the 300-plus voters are answering yes.
Our city’s new police chief, Denise Turner, is starting in Gilroy at a challenging time. For whatever reason – a lousy economy is undoubtedly a factor – crime is on the upswing.
But in precarious times, it’s important to have the appropriate response and vital to send a message to the criminals in our town: there will be consequences.
Hopefully, Chief Turner is taking a look at the programs in place like the Anti-Crime Team, the gang prevention programs and the Lucky Seven (parolees who are supposed to be visited daily by a law enforcement officer). Perhaps those need to be re-tooled or reinvigorated.
In addition, the City Council should be expressing heightened concern and seeking a full public report at an open meeting to discuss crime trends – anecdotally and in hard numbers – with the new chief and her views on what’s happening on our streets.
Public safety is the highest priority for our tax dollars, and while that should include prevention programs, the focus must be to let criminals know that crime doesn’t pay in Gilroy.
