What approach do you think is most needed in the fight against crime: prevention or enforcement? [09/16/2008]

Thirteen people answered this week's Tele-Talk question: "What approach do you think is most needed in the fight against crime: prevention or enforcement?" More people favored prevention over enforcement, but several said that both are needed in order to effectively fight crime.Since the question seems centered around the Carroll County sheriff situation it would seem proper that primary function of that portion of Carroll County Government should be the serving of papers, running the jail, covering towns that do not have organized police departments, assisting in emergencies,running the dispatch center. The prior elected sheriff properly left early and that is appreciated. J. Edgar Hoover wannabes are not what the New Hampshire statutes set in place. Crime labs and such should be left up to the devoted system that is in place and seems to be quite effective. Serve the papers, guard the courts, run the jails, transport the prisoners and leave the major crime to those that are best qualified. Prevention would seem to be the logical necessity, on the remote possibility that logic shall prevail.I like Chris Conley's approach best.The question suggests that the solutions to crime either prevention or enforcement are two distinct and separate things. The real solution to crime is combining prevention and enforcement for one unified front against crime and criminal behavior. Strong enforcement of criminal laws is a form of prevention and strong education about the downfall of drugs and bad behavior is a form of enforcement. Above all else, we need to support our police department in its difficult struggle to combat very dangerous elements that are trying to ruin the quality of life and our community. Chris from North Conway.Why pick one? They both work together, prevention and enforcement. Use them both.Hi, this is Fred from Conway, and I think the best approach to crime is prevention. And as an independent voter and a lifelong resident of Conway, what I have noticed is, as more and more Democrats come to power, more and more criminals move into the area. Primarily these are welfare-type people. They live by theft and crime drug dealers and whatnot and the Democratic party seems to promote this welfare kind of state. I've noticed in Conway village alone in the last two to three years, the SWAT team has been involved in four actions right in the center of Conway: up over Cinnamon Tree, the nut case who held a knife to John Arruda's throat and two others up over apartment buildings right in the center of the village. This was unheard of years ago, when it was a Republican-held area. Now that it's gone to the Democrats, it's gone to the criminals. So, I would say if you want to prevent crime, prevent Democrats and you will prevent most of the crime, especially these low-lifes moving up from the southern part of the state and southern New England. I think a good idea would be to not allow this type of element into the area if at all possible.Of course, crime prevention is the most important, but it's not only up to law enforcement. It's up to the citizens, through visibility and reporting. If citizens see anything in their neighborhoods or anywhere else anything that's unusual they must report it. It's your duty to report it. If it's an unusual situation or an unusual person, report it to 911. Don't be afraid; it's up to you. You're not required you're not demanded to give your name, but at least get the call out, so they can go and respond to prevent these crimes. Crime prevention is more important than the arrests and convictions to stop it. It's the beginning of the end. It's a proactive approach.This question is a no brainer. We have plenty of enforcement. The country is full of jails and they are full of people. Of course prevention is much, much better. We teachers, neighbors, friends even strangers should help children from preschool through grade 12 to practice: one, kindness; two responsibility; three, we should praise more than scold; four, we should help parents with two jobs or any job, to raise their children to do the above list, automatically. Maybe God really is as the title of a book says, "the color of water." It costs more to keep someone on death row with numerous appeals than it does to send that person to college. Think about it.Yeah, the same old story, lawyers and judges, they let them out the back door when the police bring them in the front door. Some things never change. This town used to be Mayberry, now it's Madberry. It's like green space: Cut down 500 trees, put in some pavement and plant three trees. Give me a break.There should not have to be a choice. Prevention is probably the most cost-effective approach, steering people away from drugs and crime by education. Reducing the dropout rate is crucial and providing alternatives for completing a high school education for those who do drop out. When I read the court reports in The Conway Daily Sun, I'm often appalled by the light sentences given to criminals. I believe that a tough-on-crime approach will discourage criminals from living here in the first place.I agree with the preventive way, which has been espoused by the lovely Carol Shea-Porter. She believes that no one should have guns, as I do, and that hunters and marksmen and target-practice people they have no need for guns either. If nobody had a gun, there would be no problem. And as she says, the best thing to do if you have a dispute with somebody is to possibly hug each other, hold each other's hands and skip down the lane together singing Kumbaya. What a wonderful world this would be. So remember the best preventive medicine is to have nobody to have guns. Carol Shea-Porter is correct.It's definitely enforcement. It's just almost taken as a given around here all the people who do drugs. These people are more or less hoodlums. Take a look at all the ski areas. They should put the drug test in everyone one of them. Many of these people are selling drugs and raiding medicine cabinets and drug seeking at all of these places. Many of the other resort-type jobs' people are the same way. You definitely have to enforce these things and throw the book at people.Yeah, I want to say that prevention is the best way to fight crime. Like Obama says, we are the most evil country in the world. We export guns, we make guns, we kill people in Iraq, we kill people in Afghanistan. We are evil. We must stop all these guns. Nobody has guns. Nobody will shoot. So, let's do like Barack Obama says: The U.S. must stop being so evil to the world. Let's stop with these guns.Bang, bang, bang.