There are people in this great nation who dedicate their lives to analyzing intelligence and crime data. I'm not one of them - and I suspect that the majority of you aren't, either. I don't like playing armchair quarterback because it diminishes the skill and expertise others have worked so diligently to obtain. (The high levels of know-it-all-ness and arrogance on venues like Facebook drive me nuts.) And I'll readily admit that I don't know everything. I'm just a private citizen, not privy to police intelligence, nor specially trained in criminology. Most of my knowledge is gained by attending public safety meetings, listening to law enforcement talk, reading books and articles on the subject, and paying attention. I still have a lot to learn. Here's what I do know . . . * Raw data doesn't lie. Crime in Madison has increased. Here's just one easily-digestible document that demonstrates this: https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=5141055&GUID=36D7B172-0668-49E2-ADE1-C9FE3D6CF83C * Raw data also doesn't tell the whole story. This sounds counter-intuitive to my first point, but numbers don't tell us the scope of the crime committed or everything we need to know about it - and it diminishes the victim's trauma. For example, "Armed Assaults" is a broad category and doesn't describe the heinous nature of each specific crime. * Scientists use what are called "variables" when testing their theories - these are factors that can impact the quality of the raw data. Examples of variables which may (or may not) impact crime data include: - level of police involvement: Did police implement task forces that given year or did they receive a grant to fight a certain aspect of crime, for instance? - Are the crimes being committed contained in one neighborhood or spread throughout the city? * The types of crimes committed are more heinous in nature. I'm hearing things like "This is a first and I've been in law enforcement for three decades." Let me ask you, do you feel as safe in Madison as you did even a decade ago? How do you feel about going to the major malls then and now? Be honest. I'll tell you what's relatively new to Madison (and please forgive the graphic images these might elicit). - A pregnant woman was repeatedly gang-raped in her own home, while the male victim was beaten. http://dailycaller.com/2014/03/13/horror-pregnant-woman-gang-raped-in-vicious-wisconsin-home-invasion/ - During a home invasion, the armed robbers held a gun to a 90-year-old woman's head. https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/newsroom/incidentreports/incident.cfm?id=17097 - A series of fights broke out at this year's Brat Fest, causing organizers to close this family-centered event. http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime/series-of-fights-saturday-causes-brat-fest-carnival-to-shutter/article_d6052ed4-4095-528e-b8ad-094ed8665379.html And police are the criminals?! * Another thing I know is that city government doesn't seem to be taking this uptick in crime as seriously as they should be. Political legerdemain doesn't count. Which is why I urge you to sign and share my new petition, which we'll present at a future common council meeting. https://www.change.org/p/mayor-soglin-fight-crime-in-madison-by-supporting-its-police-department I wrote the Dane County supervisors, requesting that they send a joint letter (with Madison alders) condemning the uptick in crime. I have yet to receive an answer to this question. I've been accused of being a fear-mongerer. Fine. People who don't know me will believe as they will. I don't live in fear, but I do believe in being vigilant and understanding the threats that are out there. Acting as if nothing is wrong, in my opinion, makes one more vulnerable to the bad stuff. These are my thoughts, and my thoughts alone. This is not a dissertation, white paper, or complete analysis - it's a simple blog post. If you'd like to contact me privately, my email address is paula@pjpublications.com All the best. --Paula Fitzsimmons