Political Rewind Vol1 Ed3: Nominee McCall on crime
With crime continuing unabated, we decided to revisit the February 21, 2007 speech delivered by then Commissioner Nominee James McCall in accepting his nomination to the position. The following excerpts, from the nominee’s speech, stand in stark contrast to the results we have seen to date:
“There are many tools that we can use to stem the tide of criminal activity in our community, but none are more effective than a successful relationship between the prosecutors and the police.”
“The renewed working relationship between our two departments will allow our police officers to become more effective in establishing probable cause prior to an arrest which should increase the number of search and seizure warrants.”
“Believe me when I say this cooperative effort between police and prosecutors works. I have seen it work very successfully in other jurisdictions and have much confidence that it will work here.”
“There is but one goal: to get the criminals off the street. With the cooperation of the Attorney General’s office and assistance from the Federal and territorial law enforcement agencies we will begin to specifically and aggressively target armed violent offenders and potential violent gangs. There is a widespread belief that the police often know who the criminals are, and that for some reason action is not taken because of who they are or who they are related to. I can assure you that all good officers in the VIPD take this accusation as an affront. I believe strongly that the police must respect the people who they are employed to protect and serve. But respect is a two-way street, and I would ask all to respect the men and women of the VIPD as professionals. If any on the force fail to meet the highest standards of professional behavior, we wish to know this and correct it. But I do not care, and I do not believe the vast majority of the force cares, who any criminal, particularly any violent criminal is, or is related to. We want to prevent crime where possible and arrest criminals efficiently and without delay. Targeting and arresting these known criminals is an initiative that has been used successfully in other places that faced the same challenges as we face here.”
“We will make it clear to the criminal element in our community that they cannot ride around with guns, drugs or contraband with impunity.”
“Three recent homicide arrests were made as the direct result of citizens coming forward with information. We are extremely encouraged by this. We know it’s not easy in a community this size for people to step forward, but it is clear that the community realizes it is essential. The Department of Justice and the VIPD have received numerous calls from individuals in the community regarding unsolved cases. The VIPD and the Attorney General’s office, together with other federal law enforcement agencies, have established a “cold case” unit which will be specifically charged with solving these open cases.”
“I know that the people of the Virgin Islands are saying, “We have had enough!” There is a growing understanding throughout the islands that we can only solve our problems together. You have my word that the VIPD is fully committed to its duty to protect and serve all the residents of the Virgin Islands.”
Click here to access the full text of Commissioner James McCall’s acceptance speech.
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It is almost a year now and there has not been any significant changes in the VIPD. The image of police is worst than ever. The crime rate has increased and few if any violent crimes have been solved.Recall that recently a police officer was arrested for two murders on Christmas day.A young black male found with a loaded gun was released on bail because he did not pose a threat to the community. I guess the threat was only to those he planned to kill.As you can see,those arrested are still protected by the Bill of Rights that Sen. Russell wants to destroy. Do we still think the Senator’s proposal is viable?
Some of the same solutions mentioned in McCall’s speech were the ones I have proposed.Click to St.Croix Source and the archives of the Virgin Islands Daily News to find my proposals.I did not mention anything about a forensic lab, but wrote about crime prevention measures and ways to improve the image of the VIPD.