Re: Golf Carts are Disappearing
Bimmer....It appears you are dismissing the cart theft matter based on scale. The problem is... no one is sure of the scale because of the multi-jurisdictional composition of the Villages and the uncertainty of where the newspaper got its info. I have seen nothing that suggests or validates an actual number of thefts or any empirical data that gives an answer. I covered that in a previous post.
Further, if you extrapolate the dubious number of 11 thefts since the first of the year reported in the newspaper, it could suggest a trend of 44 thefts a year. That in my opinion is a consequential number. My experience in The Villages, for better or worse, is that crime statistics of any sort seem to be understated.
There is a theory on crime that is recognized by most scholars as sound. It is called The Broken Windows Theory. It was developed by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. William Bratten predicated his crime fighting approach on it in New York City and achieved more than modest success in reducing crime giving Rudy a great deal of credit for successful crime fighting. In summary, greatly oversimplified, it suggests that if you do not pay attention to small crimes and disorders they will grow in volume and intensity because it suggests people don't care. The theory has critics but most professional law enforcement people believe it.
Another perspective is the potential for escalation of cart theft when an owner or witness confronts the thieves. A foot chase, an assault, the use of a weapon can all cause injury or worse to a victim or citizen who intervenes at the point of theft. I know we have some tough old birds living in The Villages but some of the local "bangers" are fleet afoot can be a little wacky from what I've seen an heard. Ignoring the problem encourages and emboldens miscreants further exacerbating the problem and creating more potential for confrontation.
I usually agree with your well thought out posts. We have a divergence of opinion on this one although I agree that there are issues that are more important.
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