Want to tackle crime? Help police and civilians to work together

I recently read a story about a New York man attacking a woman on the city’s subway with his feces — that’s right, human excrement. The report sounded like something out of The Onion, a satirical media outlet, replete with an outlandish premise that speaks candidly to the realities of life. I was mistaken, as it turned out. The story was true, and caught on video. Street violence is becoming an alarming trend in New York City and major cities across the United States. In addition to assaults such as this one, the Council on Criminal Justice’s crime research finds that homicides have surged by 44 percent since 2019, with a single year increase of 8 percent in gun violence. 

The United States has a crime problem apparently exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and layoffs that have led to considerable unemployment, particularly in cities. The situation is destined to worsen if financial disparity widens between the haves and have-nots, and the uninformed continue to campaign for “defunding the police.”

I am horrified by the violence and devastation occurring throughout the country, and I am outraged that the only force we have to defend us and keep our streets safe and clean — law enforcement — is often demoralized, overworked and underappreciated. This has resulted in law enforcement retiring at unprecedented rates. We must alter the trajectory of our country, and we need to do it now. 

The first step is to increase investment in law enforcement and spend more money to assist in the recruitment of talented, educated police officers who are suited to the demands of the job. We need to improve technology to better aid police in preventing crime in densely populated areas. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that we need to clean up the “bad apples” within police departments, but most police officers are hard-working, caring individuals who should be praised, not condemned.

The second step is to strengthen law enforcement’s relationship with the communities they protect and serve. Communities and police are safer when relationships are built. When trust exists, police and community members can effectively interact with each other, without fearing for their own safety, and civilians can see police officers as more than just the uniforms they wear. This also assists in the removal of troublemakers from communities — as well as from police forces. Having events where police can connect with the public and community groups is an essential part of resolving problems.

The third step is to convey clearly to criminals that their predatory conduct against innocent individuals will not be tolerated. We must quit making excuses for criminals and misassigning blame for the issues that plague some communities. Instead, we must tackle these destructive issues and ask what we can do to rid communities of the ruinous behavior of criminals. While this may be more prevalent in some communities than it is in others, it is essential nonetheless to prevent criminals from crossing community borders. 

We need to toughen up on crime. This doesn’t mean targeting certain groups of people; instead, it requires telling criminals what we will and won’t tolerate. We must emphasize the significance of the family unit and men helping to shape the direction of young men; this is in the best interests of our communities and our country.

Young men require honorable men to mentor them and serve as guides and resources. They must show these young men what is and what is not acceptable. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of these mentors, which is why we see many young men, particularly uneducated ones, demonstrate little respect for their communities and for human life.

Our societal norms have shifted so dramatically over time that they have created an expectation of mediocrity and victimization that justifies not only the awful behavior of our young men, but of young people in general. It’s clear what we need to do: support our police officers, build better relationships between officers and communities, and focus on instilling values in young people. Following these steps would help to change today’s reality in many urban neighborhoods.

We must be honest with ourselves about the state of our country and the ugliness that continues to spread within it, regardless of who is committing atrocious acts. We must address it, discuss it, and move forward. We must be honest with ourselves, as well, about the state of our country and the ugliness that we allow to persist.

NOTE: This post has been updated from the original to correct and clarify the time frame for the increase in homicides in the first graph.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is the owner and manager of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the Year. He is the author of “Reawakening Virtues.”