Fewer Cops, More Vigilantes, Bad Idea
With our state's budget rapidly shrinking, public spending cuts are on our doorstep. And as the budget gets closer to completion, lawmakers are getting creative on how to spin the news to their constituents.
Krist Novoselic's column runs every Tuesday on the Daily Weekly. Hear Krist and Reverb columnist Duff McKagan fill in as hosts of the Ron & Don Show on KIRO 97.3 FM, Thursday, April 16 from 5 to 7 p.m.
State Senator and Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon, for example, has suggested cutting local law enforcement because his rural constituents would be more inclined to reach for their own guns and give burglars a "hot lead enema" instead of calling the local cops.
With the current economy, we have to accept cuts in state programs, but I don't think basic law enforcement should be one of them. There are networks of criminals who operate on the back roads of rural Washington. They're cooking meth and dealing in identity theft and other stolen goods. Some tweakers are skilled hunters, and regularly poach wildlife. In the absence of law enforcement, this dark world will only flourish.
The sheriff of our small county had to lay off deputies because our commissioners cut his budget. One officer was specially trained for domestic-violence situations. A female deputy, battered women were more comfortable speaking with her and more willing to show bruises and other injuries.
On television and film, police are about gunfights, standoffs, and heroic strutting. In reality, cops mostly respond to domestic violence and dysfunctional behavior. So a battered woman in rural Washington will have less public resources to help her. Instead, according to the macho strutting that's being offered as public policy, she'll have to obtain a firearm, learn how to use it - if she doesn't already, and hope she doesn't miss. Inevitably, the county will have to clean the mess up. There will be an investigation and likely a prosecution. In other words, it will cost taxpayers more in the long run. Of course when crime rises, there will be calls to do something about it. And you'll see what will happen--the politicians who called for the cuts will target their opponents as "soft on crime" and call for tougher laws during an election.
We should not take our system of rule under the law for granted. The "hot lead enema" sounds like the necktie and necklacing--vicious methods of summary execution used in places where police and judges are weak, corrupt, or nonexistent.
I am a rural dweller that owns guns and sees them as valuable tools. I would use one if I had to defend myself. But if you're going to pull a gun, you better bloody well be willing to use it! I'd rather first call the police. They're trained to deal with the problem. In addition, they'll help recover any property I've lost if they can. This is a good service.
Are things so bad in Washington that people will have to take the law into their own hands? From the safe perch of stability provided by our system of rule under law, the good old boys are struttin' for a fight--just as Wall Street insiders and politicians looked to remove New Deal reforms regulating lending and banking. Sure, it looks good on paper, especially while you're being protected by the reforms you seek to torpedo. But the reality is chaos, collapse, and, ultimately, calls to fix the mess.
Write Comment
Email to Friend
Print Article
