Comments on: What Can Be Done?

By: Roger

Roger — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:26:13 +0000

TJacks~ The time for your self-satisfied smugness is long past. The question raised was what to do about the rampant criminality here. I notice you do not offer solutions;rather it appears you think everything is just fine the way it is. Take your head out of the sand and look around. We are fast becoming an anarchic Haiti. I for one came here to serve and it is what I do. What do you do?

By: TJacks

TJacks — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:10:09 +0000

Oh Roger:
There is not enough space or time for me to reply to all of “we need”. St. Croix is far from the Paradise people expect. I can tell you for a fact that most of the “we need ” that you mentioned are in place, however doing what is taught in the Police Academy is only whistling into the wind if the tools are not available for them to do the work. Getting the prisoners to pick up garbage, I guess you have never heard about the ACLU. I know that every place else that we arrived from is always better!!!
But, if the Police, the Prosecutors, The Judges were not doing their jobs, why then is the prison over crowded? Some one had to pack them in there? Sure, the prison is rated the worse under the U.S. Flag, but I wonder who’s fault is that? Perhaps if people spent more time trying to enhance the island, rather than trying to recreate what could not fit in their suitcases when they left their perfect little world, then we can begin to call the place Paradise and mean it.

By: Roger

Roger — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:41:40 +0000

When you compare Crime statistics for Stx with the rest of the US, the result is shocking. When you compare our crime rate with other cities with a population of 50,000 to 65,000, the result is even worse. Cities with 50-60000 experience 1 to 5 murders per year. The highest I saw was Lawrence, Mass. with 8. During the same time span, we had 13 and now it is up to 47!!
We need a massive reeducation of the police regarding crime scene investigation and criminal prosecution.
We need, a huge increase in the number of uniformed officers patrolling the island. (Including the dangerous parts!)
We need an increase in Neighborhood watch programs.
We need to encourage and grow the police auxiliary.
We need to educate the public and police on what to watch out for.
We need judges who actually put criminals in prison instead of letting everyone go.
We need a hugely revamped and revitalized prison.
We need to get convicted criminals to pick up the garbage that defaces our beautiful home island.
Can we send convicted violent criminals to the states?