Crime in Bartow County

Okay I know I am supposed to post about my sister's murder first however this has been weighing on my mind recently and after glancing at the local news paper (online) I have to post a musing that I stated a few years ago on Facebook (FB).

The crime that is occurring in Bartow county is not unlike the crime wave that is sweeping this great nation. The reason this is occurring is in large part due to the broken windows theory. This theory states that if "broken windows" appear and are not repaired crime will flourish. This theory can be metaphorical or actual. Due to the current state of the economy buildings and areas are being vacated with no one moving into the area or a failure of those left behind to taking the necessary steps at a modicum of upkeep such as cutting grass, weeding sidewalks, replacing broken fixtures, removing trash, etc. This is commonly seen in large cities such as Atlanta when housing projects fall into disrepair and are soon after condemned due to a lack of care. Think about it do you want to venture to Tech wood apartments (if it is still called that) in downtown Atlanta? The reason areas such as this are feared is because they are dilapidated, run down, and crime ridden. The hub of Bartow county is Cartersville. Cartersville is quickly becoming more dangerous to live in than Atlanta so evidenced by a few of my friends that live in Atlanta yet are more scared to visit Cartersville than where they live in Atlanta even in broad day light. Being scared of an area can come from many factors however the largest one is typically due to the appearance that the area is dangerous due to higher crime rates. Police may patrol these areas more however this is not always the most effective way to solve this issue. In order for the crime rates to decrease law enforcement in the area must do a few things to fix the problem.

There are many factors that must be considered when working on plans to fix the problem especially in Bartow. Drugs are a huge problem in Bartow. Another crime that is rising quickly is property crimes. My parents were robbed in February of 2012 and I am certain those that robbed them stole to use the money for drugs. There is a large number of immigrants in the area (I am NOT saying they are the cause for the uptick in crime!) which has swollen the already growing population of the county which results in the increase in the need for law enforcement from car accidents to thefts to drug use. Drugs are also a huge problem in this area due to rapidly available resources and the economic down turn of the area due to the closing of manufacturing plants, more people vying for jobs, and less jobs available.

First all agencies in the local area from local city police to the state run agencies need to recognize and acknowledge the theories that are causing the crime increase. Second they need to agree to work together as much as possible which includes sharing resources and information. Third a working plan that can be changed and modified as needed should be put in place. Fourth implementation should occur. The local agencies may be working together however after a similar posting to the one above that I made on FB there was a series of news paper postings by a local reporter that stated in essence what I had said was occurring and needed to occur to fix the problem.

The end of the crime wave will not happen over night however the flow of crime in the area can be stagnated and reversed with proper measures taken.

I would love your thoughts, comments, and suggestions! :)

(Please forgive my disjointedness of this post however I have a teething 9 month old and almost 6 yo that demand my attention every 5 seconds. LOL)