Letter: This is called crime prevention | Opinion

To the Editor: After reading Spencer Crispe's letter, “Stop Making Brattleboro a Dumping Ground” (August 15), I felt the need to respond. I am in a professional job, not downtown, but as a long-time resident, I know our downtown very well.

There are real homeless people on our streets, but as a long-time trained crime prevention officer, I know the vast majority of them are scamming our sympathy and money. I saw a couple finish their day and jump into their Massachusetts registered vehicle afterward. I walked a few to our state and local welfare offices where they could walk out with their needs (of course they didn't want to leave) and offered to take them to a place to eat, but never gave them any money. I contradict anyone who claims to have been a war veteran!

I worked on the front lines of law enforcement for 30 years and in the beginning I took it when someone accused me of not doing my job. That soon changed when I responded that I did my job. I arrested the person or cited them to court. In that case, you should speak to the prosecutor or judge who did not follow through and released the person without any punishment or consequences for the crime.

I also took a week-long course on selective law enforcement offered by Northwestern University. In short, you send your officers to where crime is increasing.

We need to staff our police department sufficiently to get the job done with the support of our district attorney's office and our court system. I worked for our excellent police department for several years and we always had at least one officer on patrol downtown. This is especially needed now that our headquarters are so far away from being able to respond.

Because we were in the business district, we were able to respond to crime immediately. There was always at least one officer downtown during the day shift, two in the evening, and two at night. We went “on patrol,” checking businesses, talking to people, and checking people who were loitering or driving suspiciously up and down Main Street.

People choose their consequences; they can be good or bad, but if they are wrong, they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible so that they make the right choice in the future. This is called crime prevention.

When crime rates spiraled out of control, Boston police went back to “patrolling” the higher crime areas. Amazingly, crime rates dropped and arrests increased.

Terrance D. Martin

Brattleboro, August 17