As Published in the Democrat and Chronicle on July 7, 2024

Yes, police are part of an ever-evolving equation for reducing crime.

The current “us versus them” politics fixes nothing. It leads to everyone digging in and arguing their points of view as communities suffer.

Public safety reforms enacted since 2019 should have included everyone affected, from prosecutors to defense attorneys and judges to crime victims and law enforcement. Discussions about policing happened in Albany with no input from us, and legislators continue to overhaul the system without consulting us.

Good solutions rooted in truth, love, and facts can be found by putting our energy into coming TOGETHER and talking instead of blindly advocating for extreme positions.

Our shared ultimate failure to reduce violent and property crime is also rooted in a lack of prevention. That means being proactive. Proactivity means funding both violent and petty crime prevention programs. It means both drug enforcement and addiction intervention. Proactivity is finding guns and violent offenders and keeping them off the streets. Proactivity is mental health intervention, programs targeting domestic violence, family dysfunction, traffic safety, and promoting safe schools.

Proactivity by everyone – police, social services, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges – looking out for the best interests of the entire community. Proactive prevention looks like putting crime victims first, while at the same time helping those convicted of crimes from reoffending so they can better their lives and the lives of those around them. Proactivity is the relentless pursuit of those who refuse to stop criminal behavior that we, as a society, have deemed unsafe, harmful, and detrimental to quality of life.

If we truly invested in prevention, we could eventually close most jail cells, reduce hospital beds, and better protect our vulnerable populations. Prevention is the reduction of poverty and awareness of our biases. Prevention reaches juveniles and their families and supports social service institutions and private support agencies. Prevention is a living wage that supports hopes and dreams and encourages perseverance and faith in the future.

For prevention to work, we cannot abandon enforcement of laws – from the streets to the courtroom to our jails and prisons. There will always be a need for a system to deliver justice for those who refuse to comply. Law enforcement must be adequately staffed and culturally supported.

There is a small amount of dangerous people in our community who will never stop committing crimes, no matter how much intervention and services they’re given. We know who they are, and we will never stop working to bring them to justice. We must have the means to protect our community from them.

At the same time, we must help people who want to move beyond a life cycle of lawlessness. However, some must first be detained before rehabilitation can start. Rehabilitation means instilling values, teaching life skills, and promoting professional development. Rehabilitation is essential for offenders, their loved ones, society, crime victims, and taxpayers. Diversion efforts, education and rehabilitation in jails, incarceration transition programs, mental health and addiction assistance, inmate sweat equity, and real work are all investments in recovery from the cycle of violence affecting everyone.

Rhetoric from all sides and the “all or none” mentality destroy us. Let’s bring everyone to the table to collaborate on real solutions. It’s not me versus you. It’s not us versus them. It’s all of us matter or none of us do