AN EDITORIAL


The Westland Action Center is part of an initiative to educate Westland Area residents about reducing crime and the fear of crime in their neighborhoods. The Westland Mall Community Service Center operated by the sheriff's office is the result of a national movement called community policing, where police become more involved in their communities and therefore improve their effectiveness through increased cooperation from the residents they serve.

Unfortunately, many area residents are opposed to these crime prevention initiatives because they feel this means the Westland Area is a "bad neighborhood". Measuring how "bad" a neighborhood is can be difficult, but the Westland Area is not a "bad" area by any reasonable standard. There is crime, but crime is everywhere. Crime prevention programs exist in affluent suburbs, small towns, and farm country.

Some people believe a society only has as much crime as it will tolerate. Crime prevention programs are designed to lower society's tolerance of crime. You can help lower your community's crime tolerance level by getting involved: get to know your neighbors, start a block watch, volunteer in your neighborhood, learn about crime prevention from the Community Service Center and the Westland Action Center. You can make a difference!

Lincoln Village Residents Association president Bill Ashcraft said "we must decide what kind of community in which we wish to live. We need only drive a few miles down Broad Street or Sullivant Avenue to see what is ahead for us if we become complacent." The "solution" to neighborhood problems practiced in the 1960's and 1970's--running to newer neighborhoods farther from the central city--is not viable. Neither is burying our heads in the sand. By supporting community policing and crime prevention, you can help the Westland Area remain strong, with safer streets, higher property values, and stable businesses.

John Kazalia, Webmaster



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