Refusal to cooperate
The crime problem in Columbus is not with the police department, it is with the community. When members of the community refuse to come forward with information about a crime or who committed it, there is very little the police can do. The police can only be as effective as the information they receive.
When the mindset of the community is such they refuse to corporate with law enforcement there is a problem. The problem cannot be fixed by hiring a consultant; it can only be fixed when the community decides it is willing to corporate with law enforcement.
For too long in Columbus certain segments of the community have put all of the blame on the police department for failing to stop crime.
This is wrong; look too the community and ask what we could have done. The police officers are only as effective as the people they serve. If the community is willing to accept the crime in the community and are unwilling to assist law enforcement, the crime rate will continue to climb.
Robert E Butler
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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