The Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies are doing a great job apprehending these criminals (our tax dollars at work), just to be slapped in the face when the District Attorney or judges (our tax dollars again) make deals with the defense attorneys and hand down sentences of probation or community service for convictable felony offenses.

What about the victims of these crimes? Who pays for broken windows, doors and replacement of goods that are stolen?

In this economic time, insurance has become a luxury item for some while others have increased their deductibles to keep their essential insurances affordable. If you have insurance for the stolen item or damaged property you have to go through the hassle of filing an insurance claim. Then you must endure the insurance process often paying deductibles and other out of pocket repair costs for damages. .

What if the items stolen are tools of the trade? It hurts more when the things taken affect one’s ability to perform his job. Who’s paying for these items to be replaced?

Does the person who committed crimes against you pay for your inconvenience and damages? From what I have seen, the answer is “No!” Who’s paying the increased insurance rates due to increased crime? Not the career criminals.

I hear the saying, “When the economy is bad, crime is higher”.

My question is, “How long has our economy been bad?” Looking at the pattern of these career criminals, I’d say that some of these criminals have been living in a “Bad Economy” for years.

I have recently started researching career criminals in my area and encourage everyone to do the same at http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/offendersearch.do?method=view . You can usually find the names of these people in the current police blotters and sheriff reports. My research has revealed that many of these career criminals (repeat offenders) only receive community service and probation. If they serve any jail time, it is a few months and then they are paroled. What are these individuals really learning?

Here’s an idea. Let’s have a work farm or industry that requires career criminals to work off their debts to their victims as well as the excessive tax burden incurred to investigate crimes and prosecute criminals. Maybe we could use these individuals to sort the recyclables from trash at the landfill saving us money while protecting the environment.

For their housing, I would not have them living in state of the art faculties with all the amenities, only hard working, law abiding people deserve yet sadly many cannot afford. For these career criminals a tent complex like the one Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona has is sufficient.

If you think this is cruel perhaps you can adopt a career criminal or run some kind of criminal foster care program. I’m just sick and tired of supporting local scum, (who have the elected judicial officials wrapped around their pinkies), with my hard earned money and possessions. I’m tired of my local law enforcement agencies using valuable resources (my tax dollars) to round up the same repeat offenders time and time again. Aren’t you?

Most neighbors watch out for each other, but there’s only so much neighbors can do when we keep seeing the same people arrested and released for the same type of criminal activity. Faith in the system that was established to protect us is lost.

The attitude that I commonly hear is, “The courts won’t do anything, so why should I waste my time?” Additionally, we need to rethink the attitude that it is our fault when we are victims. Falling prey to a career criminal is the fault of our flawed judicial system.

We do have a voice in the matter, but it takes citizens to let our local elected officials know that we are tired of career criminals in our neighborhoods. It is time to hold our elected judicial officials accountable.

Everyone’s all excited about voting for a presidential candidate and perhaps even a state senator or governor. We need to get excited about voting for the right LOCAL candidates who hold local seats and daily impact the conviction or release of these career criminals who are plaguing our neighborhoods.

It is time to demand more of your vote. If the current elected officials don’t work to restore justice to our neighborhoods, then it is time to vote for someone else.