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Where The Grass Is Green
Everyone finally gets to the point when they just have to take a break. The day after day grind will eventually take its toll and you suddenly realize that it is time for a vacation. I was at that point a few weeks ago. Twenty-four years of a career in law enforcement will numb you a little to life's inevitable tragedies but the environment in which I spend most of my days can still become a bit depressing.
On the day before my family and I were to leave for our vacation, the United States Justice Department was preparing to release a report on how our country's crime rate has decreased over the last year. That was great news except for the fact that Gwinnett was recording about our 20th homicide for the year, the paper was reporting another home invasion, and a story on a bad cop. Statistics are a wonderful thing. There is an old saying by someone, whose name I cannot remember, that goes something like this, "there is the truth, there are lies, and then there are statistics." As we drove to the airport, a local talk radio show was discussing the problem of illegal immigrants and what law enforcement should be doing about them. However, based on the federal governments assurance that there was a lull in the action, and due to the fact that we were experiencing our 15th day of rain, the time for a vacation seemed perfect. We headed for Aruba. This island is the epitome of paradise. A year round temperature of 80 degrees, constant tropical winds, no humidity, very little rain, and most importantly, no police reports to go through. I felt sure that there must be some crime on this island but I saw no evidence of such. How do you spell utopia? I even told my wife that I could see myself retiring in a place like this.
We landed on a beautiful sunny day and experienced several days of tropical fun and frolic on the beach. The food was excellent, I slept late each day, and read Grisham's latest book. By day four, I could actually feel the neck muscles starting to ease up a bit. Ah, vacation….just what the doctor ordered. Everything was just great!
For the life of me, I am not sure what led me to look at a local newspaper. Maybe it was a demon that hated the fact that I seemed relaxed or maybe it was my alter ego that was beginning not to recognize this unshaven, exposed belly of a man that was having a bit too much fun. Whatever it was, it was the beginning of the end for the quasi coma that I needed so badly. I turned to the center of the paper and there was a lengthy interview with Aruba's chief of police.
The article started out on a positive note. According to the Chief, crime was down from last year. The economy was on the upswing and tourism was getting back to normal. However, when pressed by the interviewer, the conversation quickly went south! The Chief spoke of the problem the island was having with illegal immigrants coming on shore from Columbia. Based on their plan of action to incarcerate all illegal immigrants, there was a need for more prison space. The theft incidents had increased slightly and there was an incident of illegal drugs that sounded a bit messy. He was encouraged by the fact that they were getting a hand on crime near the port where the cruise ships dock. I could feel the wind slipping out of my sail and my neck tweaked a bit. Some of the locals had talked quietly about police corruption when I told them of my chosen profession. This all sounded vaguely familiar. I could hear the Rolaids calling me from my suitcase.
Suddenly it hit me, like a rock. There is no such thing as paradise. There may be locations that have nicer scenery or nicer people or perhaps both. There are certainly places in the world that are more dangerous than others but none are crime free. Sometimes it is true that we fail to see the forest for the trees. Our world is not perfect and neither is Gwinnett County. But, it is still a great place to live. Before we criticize our home and wonder if there are better places to live, work and raise our kids, we need to take a closer look at what we have here. The truth is that we have so much to be thankful for. Take a look around. Our schools, police, and county government, as well as, our overall quality of life in Gwinnett County are the envy of the entire state. There is a reason that we continue to add tens of thousands of residents each year. Furthermore, these increases occur despite Gateway, traffic on I-85, and all the other gripes and complaints that we yell out (sometimes at each other) each day. Maybe we should take a look around before we come to the conclusion that out county is going to hell in a hand basket.
Perhaps it is true that the grass is always greener on the other side, but even in Aruba, you can still smell the fertilizer.
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
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Stan Hall is the Director of the Victim Witness Program for the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office. He is also the host of the Gwinnett County Communication Network's television show "Behind the Badge."
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