I wanted to follow-up on the last post. I mentioned the perception of crime is often driven by the media. The perception of crime is often different from reality. While my media friends may bristle at this, it is the truth. Earlier this year we responded to a shooting in Lakeside where a guy claimed he was shot while trying to help someone. Investigators were suspicious from the start. However, the media coverage was intense. I received calls from City Councilors and many Lakeside residents who were upset by this shooting and concerned for their safety. Eventually, we charged the "victim" with several crimes after evidence showed he shot himself.
While I realize violent crime needs reporting, how do we balance it with other news? For instance, the Saturday night Taco John's robbery had headlines on at least one news station Saturday night, Sunday night, and was on again tonight. The news should be that our commercial robberies are down significantly from years past.....However, crime sells (almost always garnering the most on-line hits) while less crime doesn't.
Maybe it's time to go back to talking about pumpkins and deer.
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