The “Wild West”: What It’s Come To

The Oakland Police Dept has announced essentially, “Don’t call us.” According to an NBC affiliate here the list of crimes for which you can expect no response in Oakland are these:

Here’s a partial list:

• burglary

• theft

• embezzlement

• grand theft

• grand theft:dog

• identity theft

• false information to peace officer

• required to register as sex or arson offender

• dump waste or offensive matter

• discard appliance with lock

• loud music

• possess forged notes

• pass fictitious check

• obtain money by false voucher

• fraudulent use of access cards

• stolen license plate

• embezzlement by an employee (over $ 400)

• extortion

• attempted extortion

• false personification of other

• injure telephone/ power line

• interfere with power line

• unauthorized cable tv connection

• vandalism

• administer/expose poison to another’s

Feel safer yet?  

Across this nation, many communities are struggling to provide basic services.  And Oakland is not alone is cutting back on dealing with non-violent crimes.  So, apparently, criminals in some communities can do whatever, so long as they don’t physically hurt someone?  We are providing police protection in Afghanistan and Iraq.  And yet here in America we are losing basic community functions Americans depend upon. Something is very wrong with our nation’s priorities.

As if the facts themselves are not bad enough, this has watch-out-for-Blackwater written all over it.  By that I mean that Blackwater, and other firms like it, can be expected to try to opportunistically swoop in. And one thing that should not be privatized is police protection.  Not ever.