GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO SOMETHING

On Facebook it has been suggested to me, several times just this last weekend, to do something about the recent crime increase that we have been having in Buffalo. It seems that there are several people that “like” the suggestion that I do something about these problems. So here it goes.

One of the issues is lack of manpower to police the streets of Buffalo. It is common knowledge that the Town of Buffalo (TofB); for reasons that I do not know; has disbanded its Police Department (I think I know why but I'll keep that to myself for now).

It is left up to the Harper County Sheriffs Office (HCSO) to enforce the laws within the city limits of Buffalo. The HCSO concedes that they are spread too thin to provide the protection that Buffalo needs. They want more manpower. Currently there is an impasse between the TofB and the HCSO in reaching a solution to the lack of officers to patrol the town.

It has been suggested that Neighborhood Watches be formed to help out with the shortage of manpower. One can google that topic and find numerous strategies and helpful organizations to guide a community successfully towards a safer community. One common guideline, from different googled pages, stresses the importance of establishing a relationship between the watch groups and the local law enforcement agency which, in this case, is the HCSO. I am not aware if the HCSO has experience and training for implementing any of these watches or not. It is not clear to me if any area organizations can provide any guidance, whether it be a civic group or some sort of law enforcement association.

Let’s just imagine that everything falls into place, the people unite, the entities embrace and the watch groups are organized and implemented to actual on the ground activity. The groups are actively watching and notice unusual behavior or even worse criminal activity. The group witnesses something as simple as popping a fire cracker by a juvenile out past his curfew. It is clearly a violation of city ordinance for two possible issues. The HCSO is called and they respond. Or do they?

Even if they do, as it has been pointed out in the past, the HCSO “can not act on any city ordinance” issues. So that leaves the development, organization, recruitment efforts, and implementation of the Neighborhood Watch group in the same position that the HCSO is now, with their hands tied and the inability to do anything about crimes being committed.

So given that hands are tied because HCSO “can’t act on city ordinance violations” shouldn’t the first order of business, and one step in fast tracking towards a solution to part of the problem, be to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Town of Buffalo for the immediate time being that will allow the HCSO to enforce city ordinances?

A zero cost agreement should always be in existence no matter what the status of manpower is at the time. It should be renewed annually whether or not there is a contract for police coverage for the town by HCSO. It should be renewed annually if even a city police dept exists or not in Buffalo. 

Let’s remove those cuffs so they can be used where they are needed. It seems that currently more manpower or any Neighborhood Watch group that has its hands tied like the HCSO is of no use.