NCJ Number
121288
Date Published
1989
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Suburban crime will not be stopped by placing the blame on outside forces or by efforts that represent only window dressing; instead, organized community action and citizen's arrests are needed to stop criminals physically and to let them know that they will not get away with crime.
Abstract
Suburban crime has increased 67 percent over the last 10 years. Panicky suburban officials tell us that outsiders are the perpetrators. In fact, most suburban crimes are committed by neighborhood youths who are familiar with community habits and who steal or intimidate for fun and a sense of power. High taxes and more police are not the solution, because the distances police must travel to a crime scene allow the perpetrators to escape easily. Similarly, crime watch programs are useless. They give people a feeling of false satisfaction, but in fact serve as an invitation to criminals and a message that nobody will come out of their homes to stop crimes. Instead of these efforts, citizens action is needed. However, individual vigilante action is inappropriate and dangerous. Instead, citizens need to form groups and make apprehending criminals through citizen's arrests a community responsibility. The organization of unarmed citizens called the Guardian Angels is one example of this active community participation.