![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.imgur.com\/stEFtdR.jpg?resize=200%2C258\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SouthsideCentral is always glad to publish letters to the community from our readers. In today’s YouCentral, Neal Morris talks about the recent uptick in Danville crime.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Again, this is from Neal Morris.<\/p>\n
May 6, 2016<\/p>\n
Southside Central:<\/p>\n
At the outset I would like to express my utmost respect and appreciation for the men and women of the Danville Police Department on the STREETS as they perform their dangerous and complex duties.<\/p>\n
With that being said I want address the problem of crime in the city although I have tried to refrain from commenting but there are several things that have brought me to this point. First is the fact we have the 2nd highest crime rate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are articles that try to minimize this fact by saying the crime rate is based on 100,000 population but that is the way the crime rate has always been rated. So if the crime rate several years ago was lower and it now 2nd highest in the state it is bad! I cannot go anywhere without people asking me about the crime problem so they are not really concerned with these figures as they are with is actually going on within the city.<\/p>\n
Secondly, the editorial in the Danville Register & Bee Monday morning, May 2, 2016 entitled \u201cSomeone should be voted out of office\u201d singled out Mayor Sherman Saunders as one of those persons. Why would Mayor Saunders be more responsible than any other council member when the editorial properly pointed out that he has no more political power than the other eight members of council? It is my opinion they are looking at the wrong person to place blame on for the crime that is occurring. The Police Chief has the sworn responsibility to assign, deploy, plan and implement strategies that provide effective law enforcement measures to protect and serve the citizens. If there is any criticism of council members it is failing to ensure these functions are being met. The practice of moving officers about before they can become effective investigators, crime scene personnel, not allowing the street crime unit to perform their duties and enforce the law, all but elimination of the Community Oriented Police (if it has not been totally eliminated) and the failure to have effective undercover drug investigations are factors I think contributes to the rise in crime. Undercover drug operations could have removed some of the people that are committing shootings, robberies and burglaries from the streets.<\/p>\n
Thirdly, Councilman Larry Campbell stated he had talked with Mark Herring, who occupies the Office of Attorney General in Virginia, about ways crime can be reduced and initiating programs that will help. He further said the attorney general had made dealing with crime in Danville a top priority. I commend Councilman Campbell for looking for ways to reduce crime but the attorney general is not involved in the enforcement of the law so why is not Councilman Campbell looking to his Police Chief to develop these initiatives and programs? Could it be the fact that at a work session with the Police Chief he asked for 4 police officers as a method to reduce crime? I submit 4 additional police officers will not do one thing to reduce crime.<\/p>\n
In closing, crime will not be eliminated but there are methods that could be employed that would reduce crime by removing some of the criminals from the streets but if fear of some sort of confrontation with drug dealers and criminals is preventing the Police Chief from making some decisions and letting unsafe situations exist things will continue to get worse.<\/p>\n
T. Neal Morris<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SouthsideCentral is always glad to publish letters to the community from our readers. In today’s YouCentral, Neal Morris talks about the recent uptick in Danville crime.<\/p>\n
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