A Philosphy of Crime

Many Blogolanders are upset that Trenton may lose one third of the police force in a few weeks; most truly believe Trenton will face a crime wave. I have my doubts, but then I see things differently. Trenton could have one thousand police officers and there would still be crime. First, there are always people who refuse to behave for whatever reason. Second, those who misbehave rarely notify the police of their plans. Third, few buy into Officer Friendly - most just don't like the police. Fourth, when the police try to be proactive (stop a crime before it happens), they are accused of racism, sexism, agism, you name it. Fourth, the public has never been taught how to deal with the police. Fifth, we all watch too much television. We forget that television is not real life; it is entertainment. I confess to watching Law & Order C.I., but I watch for laughs. Most of the evidence gathered by Detective Robert Goren would be tossed out of court; he had no search warrant. So all those times when he was in someone's home questioning them and casually flipping through the suspects mail, whatever -- a Robin Lord would fry his ass at a trial. But it makes for good television. To wind this posting up, the biggest problem we have in Trenton is that we tolerate anti-social behavior. Some even think it's cool.