Over the past few weeks, many of us have been disabused of the notion that most of Merced's crime is to be found on the south side of town.
Whether it is the sound of police sirens piercing the quiet of the night in our neighborhoods or reading in the Sun-Star of women being attacked in downtown Merced on a weekend night,we are experiencing a rise in our crime rate.
Over the past years, the FBI has reported that while crime in large cities has dropped, the opposite is true of smaller cities. Merced adds to this statistic daily.
While I have no concrete proof it is, indeed, in the realm of probability that our county's economic decline has also added to a rise in domestic abuse and shoplifting. Antidotal evidence and phone calls received at the Merced County Rescue Mission add to the viability of this conclusion.
There is no doubt that our police department, under Police Chief Norm Andrade, is doing its best to prevent crime and apprehend lawbreakers.
Yet, we, as citizens, must also do our share to prevent crime from spreading.
The first thing we can do is strengthen our Neighborhood Watches. We must recruit and join with our neighbors, be more vigilant in our approach and never fear that we are overreaching.
As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.
Do not laugh at how important your individual contribution to prevent crime is.
We are living in strange times. The cultural norms of our society are in quite a flux.
So what should we do? In a report to Congress by the National Institute of Justice titled "Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising," we find some answers to help Mercedians cope.
This report tells us that there are millions of opportunities to prevent crimes that are passed up by us each and every day.
Indeed, we are told that most crimes never result in arrest. I can believe this when I evaluate our overworked police agencies and overcrowded prison systems. Obviously, there must be more arrests made to make it less desirable to commit a crime.
As a community, Merced must demand more of itself. Are we supporting our police department? Are we doing our share in citizen watch programming? Is the Sun-Star alerting us to the types and instances of crime in Merced? Police calls, blotters and other such information given in statistical form are not enough. How does our homeless situation tie into crimes committed and what are we doing about it?
Do we, as families, exhibit the correct and strong moral fiber needed to bring our children into maturity and societal responsibility? Are we the right paradigms and do we practice what we preach? Our kids see more than you think that they do.
Are our schools, especially in the primary grades, providing the right direction? Are they coddling our kids or are they laying down the law? Do they provide and encourage enough after school activities to keep their students away from gangs?
Do our labor markets take advantage and underpay our citizens? Do they give rehabilitated felons an opportunity to work and stay good citizens? If they do so; do they do their share in preventing recidivism?
Is there adequate crime prevention monitoring being done in parks, clubs, cafes, and the like?
Does our police department give adequate resources to its community liaison officer? Does the PD originate community-wide programming?
Lastly, is there a disconnect between city and county police departments? Does this disconnect also exist between the judiciary and the community it serves?
Many of these questions contain their own answers and all are food for thought. If Merced is to be the city that it needs to be, we all must contribute and come up with the right answers.
Herbert A. Opalek is chief executive officer of the Merced County Rescue Mission.
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