07-01-2008, 07:44 AM
Raising resident homeowner property taxes in the current economic environment would be a hardship for many families. Equitable distribution of currently available funding for police would be a good start. Police personnel and other resources should be distributed across the island on a per capita basis, not on the basis of traditional power centers or which areas pay the most property taxes. The courts have ruled many times that it is not legal for counties, cities, school districts, and even states to allocate fewer resources to areas of lower property values. Somehow, that seems to be happening here.
The Neighborhood Watch concept is proven to reduce crime. Our block here in HPP is joining this program, and the Bear and I will be oriented next Saturday for participation, as will several neighbors. We have been fortunate to have only one burglary on our block in the past year, but we want to keep things that way and also deal with illegal dumping and ATV use. No matter how good the Neighborhood Watch, however, things can happen. That's why we need adequate police protection in addition to community prevention measures.
Cheers,
Jerry
The Neighborhood Watch concept is proven to reduce crime. Our block here in HPP is joining this program, and the Bear and I will be oriented next Saturday for participation, as will several neighbors. We have been fortunate to have only one burglary on our block in the past year, but we want to keep things that way and also deal with illegal dumping and ATV use. No matter how good the Neighborhood Watch, however, things can happen. That's why we need adequate police protection in addition to community prevention measures.
Cheers,
Jerry