While I was not a terrible kid growing up in the Otis Street neighborhood of the City of Rochester, I clearly understood what “downtown” meant when a cop said it. It meant booking in the Monroe County Jail.
My teenage friends and I occasionally encountered Officer Jesse Eason, our neighborhood RPD cop. Most often, it took just his presence and his personality to get us to do what he wanted: leave a street corner, stop hanging on the docks of the massive warehouse on Rogers Ave., or simply, “go home,” because it was late.
Like any other cop, Officer Eason wore a belt with several tools to protect himself and others. A tool he didn’t wear was “downtown.” Once in a while, if my friends and I didn’t follow his direction as fast as we should have, Officer Eason would simply say, “Do you want to go downtown?” As a teenager never involved in a criminal justice system, there was no doubt in my mind what he meant; downtown was booking, jail. NO ONE wanted to be THERE.
We lost “downtown” with Raise the Age, Bail Reform, and a culture shaped by all of the criminal justice reforms. Today, adolescents pushing the criminal behavior envelope face no immediate consequences from society. There’s no “downtown” that will make a defiant teenager think twice—and they know it. Teenagers are rebellious by nature and, at times, need tools to keep them from committing dangerous activities. Fear of repercussions helps control stupidity.
As I’ve said so many times, I am not asking to lock up every poor kid who does something stupid. However, we clearly need the same tool Officer Eason had for people who refuse to comply with our laws when simple instructions don’t work.
“Downtown.”
-Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter
