In this weeks edition:

A little fine tuning…

I have watched from a distance during this most recent discussion of the Neighborhood Patrol. As is so often the case, a lot of the contention comes from mis-understanding and inaccurate information.
Having been Mayor of Sutton, I know how hard it is to get and retain police officers. When I was mayor, we had a Chief and as many as three officers. I realize times change and I sympathize with the current mayor when it come to not having an officer, let alone officers. However, few could argue the point that police protection is not needed. I doubt seriously that many would argue that attempts to procure a qualified officer have failed miserably.
When I moved to Sutton, over 45 years ago, I left my vehicle unlocked in my driveway and in front of the office with the keys over the visor. Home or not… the door to our house was seldom locked. We certainly don’t do that today.
In recent weeks we have had intruders on our side of the river. In fact, my grandson confronted a vagrant in an unlocked storage building that used to be the grandchildren’s playhouse.
As is true in other parts of our community, neighbors help neighbors. We have managed, but the lack of law enforcement in Sutton is certainly not deterring crime… quite the opposite.
With that said, I also don’t believe in citizens taking the law into their own hands. Heaven knows we see enough of that on the nightly news. But lets be real, weather you call it Neighborhood Watch or Neighborhood Patrol… the public aiding law enforcement is a good thing and in Sutton, most of the time… it’s the only thing we have short of turning our property over to others.
If it’s done right, and I haven’t witnessed nor have I been told of situations were citizens were not acting responsibly… keeping their eyes open and reporting what they see to authorities is a good thing. Its time, in my opinion, that citizens join together and support this type of activity. That applies to city officials as well. If you can’t get the job done, don’t complain about someone offering help.