Spring 2005

 Crime Prevention Report by Gretchen Sperling

As Crime Prevention board member, it seemed like a perfect way to spend a month - district attorneys describing hundreds of crimes, witnesses testifying, and police officers explaining the arrests.

As foreperson for the grand jury, I had the opportunity to know some of the district attorneys work in a very concrete way. They make every effort to present a case with clear and credible witnesses. They are courteous and seem genuinely appreciative of our volunteer commitment of a month to hear them present these carefully researched cases. I was impressed with the Portland Police. When called to testify, they had: copious notes describing the incident and were clearly doing their best.

I came away with these truths:

• Drugs, especially meth, drives most crimes.
• People addicted really don't care about others or the consequences of their behavior.
• Repeat offenders are a reality.
• Few people change their ways.
• Laws should be much stricter for driving while under the influence. This is another crime that is repeated by the same people. One brush with the law doesn't "scare them straight."
• We need more jail space with people to work at the facilities to support the work that the DA's and police are doing.

The two biggest lessons to remember - Shred your personal documents and use a club on your car.

Other tips include:

• Don't leave anything in your car….your "trash" may be someone's treasure.
• Lock your doors.
• Stop mail and paper delivery when away from your home.   .
• Use timers on lights to simulate occupancy.
• Keep bushes trimmed and away from windows and doors.
• Have motion detector lights on your home
• Don't leave cans and bottles that have a deposit on them in your recycle bin.
• Pay attention to the activity and routine of your street.

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Last modified: May 05, 2008