The Real Cost of Crime

In recent years many have made light of the crime problems in our country. Liberal politicians and agency bureaucrats call the increase a minor spike or refer to our modern use of technology as the reason for the increase. The general answer is, “We see crime problems more on TV so therefore it is more prevalent in our minds.”

As a criminologist, the fact is that crime is increasing in the US as well as across the World, and it’s not a spike or a perception, just ask the victims. In 2007, the number of police officer related deaths have increased 44%, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. One of the reasons for this increase is due to police shootings across the country. More cops are getting murdered. This represents the highest number of police officers being shot in 30 years.

In addition, violent crimes are increasing as well as non-violent crimes, such as theft and fraud. In fact, theft and fraud are one of the biggest problems for businesses and organizations today. And an additional problem is that a great deal of this crime goes unreported to authorities. Businesses just throw up their hands and say why should I call the police? No one will be arrested. Some agencies and prosecutors tell victims it’s a civil matter and to handle it on their own.

I subscribe to the Broken-Window Theory of Crime. But I have this caveat. The Broken-Window Theory is the how, what, when and where of the theory. It is not the why. The “why” is due to a lack of parenting, faith, and discipline. It is not based on race, poverty, or location. Regardless of race, your socio-economic picture, whether you live in the urban core or not, we as Americans, still have the three instrumental foundations of life: Parenting, Faith, and Discipline. It’s these three foundations that has lead America into greatness.

Good parenting produces a strong family. Parents must love their children and teach them the “Golden Rule.” Parent should give guidance, correct wrongs, reinforce rights, and develop their children. Parents are the first level in the building block to Humanity and Civility.

Faith teaches children to serve something greater than themselves. Parents also play a pivotal role in the reinforcement of faith, but so does our community and our government. We have taken faith out of the community. We have removed God from our courts and the public square. We have developed our country into moral relativism and now we have no faith to guide us through life. We no longer view people through the eyes of Christ. Our wants are overcoming our needs.

The act of discipline comes from within. Through the foundation of parenting and faith we have been given a conscience and a soul above all living creatures. We have the cognitive capability of separating the good from the bad. We understand the consequences of our actions and should behave accordingly. Without discipline we become animals and live for today.

Our Founding Fathers understood these three core reasons for crime. They understood to that good parenting and families was the foundation of our Country’s future success. They understood that our country was founded on Christian principles. And they understood they we had to maintain our discipline in order to succeed as individuals, as families, as communities and as a Nation.

Until we truly understand the cause and effect of our crime problems and have a willingness to fight for these fundamental principles, our Country will continue its slippery slope into the Abyss. And that is the real cost of crime!

Currie Myers is the editor and publisher of the Kansas Federalist E-Newsline. He served for over twenty years in law enforcement as the former sheriff of Johnson County, Kansas, as a KBI special agent and as a state trooper. Sheriff Myers is a published author, an adjunct professor, and is the CEO/President of Sheriff Myers & Associates, a security management consulting firm.