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Are Things Really That Bad.....?
If we depend solely on what we read in the paper or hear on the news, it would appear that it is time to pack up the truck and get the heck out of Dodge and in this case, Dodge is located in Gwinnett County. Murders are on the rise, home invasions are common place, kids have gone wild in our school systems, and it is hard to find an intersection where the signs are not painted with gang graffiti. Are things really that bad? The answer is yes and no according to your perspective.
The answer is yes if you look at Gwinnett County's crime picture based on previous years. 2003 saw the homicide rate hit an all time high of 36. There is not a way to spin the numbers to make them look less serious. Anytime that there have been a reported 36 people killed as a result of a criminal act, it is a very serious matter. There is no doubt that there is validity to the concerns of gangs in Gwinnett County. In fact, a number of those persons who were murdered in 2003 were as a result of gang activity. Some cases involved gang involvement on the part of the perpetrator, as well as the victim. We did have some home invasion cases in Gwinnett County last year. Furthermore, we have already had one home invasion this year that resulted in the deaths of two of our finest citizens. By now you may be asking yourself where is the other perspective that I mentioned? The other perspective which has to be included is based on numbers. As the old saying goes, statistics do not lie. I will admit that they can be twisted, stretched and manipulated in many ways, but eventually they are what they are.
I am a lifetime resident of Gwinnett County. I remember a time when it was unheard of for someone to be murdered in our county. However, as we approach a population of over 700,000 people it is not realistic to look back at those days and ask "what went wrong?"As we become more and more of an urban county, we will be forced to deal with urban problems of a criminal nature and it is not fair to compare current crime numbers to those days that we think about so fondly. Despite the increase in homicides last year, other numbers were down. The Department of Justice recently released crime statistics concerning reported Part 2, crimes which are of the more serious in nature. This category includes offenses such as murder, rape, robbery, and etc.. This report shows this categorical decrease to be a national phenomenon. In contrast, crimes of a less serious nature seemed to be on the increase. On another front, it is important that we look at our sister counties to see how we compare to them. Gwinnett's crime stats are continually lower than those of DeKalb, Fulton, and compare very closely with those of Cobb County. This information is important due to the fact that the metro counties are all faced with similar problems and it is comforting to know that we seem to have an advantage as to how we combat these issues.
The Gwinnett County Police Department has taken a very aggressive stance toward crime prevention and the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office has taken a similar approach to those who are prosecuted in our county. The Gang Task force has made great strides in identifying potential and known gang members. In fact, information that has led to an arrest in some of last year's homicides was, in part, thanks to this task force. Community awareness programs such as COPS has created a relationship between our communities and the police that has
benefited and will continue to benefit the fight to keep our county safe.
The fact remains, however, that none of these efforts will stop crime. The strides that have been made will do nothing to bring back those lives that have been lost or to comfort the families of those who have been left behind. Crime is as much a part of our society as anything that we do. The problems that we see in Gwinnett are the same problems that every county faces. As our population grows, it is only natural that crime numbers will grow in respect to them. If we agree that we cannot stop crime, it is imperative that we put the best possible efforts forward when it comes to our public safety needs. Gwinnett County certainly does that. I would invite you to take a look at the County's budget; you pick the year. The public safety segment of the overall budget continues to be, by far, the central focus of county concerns. It is only by this dedication of our officials, as well as the taxpayers who foot the bill, that we will continue to fight the fight that is needed to keep our county as fair as it can possibly be.
So, are things really that bad? To those who have been victims of crime, the answer is yes. There is nothing that can be said to those innocent victims who have had their entire lives changed based on a senseless act. However, for the large majority of our citizens, we still enjoy an overall quality of life that is the exact reason that Gwinnett's population continues to swell. We have excellent parks and recreational facilities, great communities, one of the best police departments in the Southeast, and so many other amenities that other counties are green with envy about. If things were really that bad, surely they could find a better place to live!
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