Originally Posted by: chucklivesoninmyheartLike I said,it looks great on paper/statistics,but the criminal activity is still only reduced in those areas that are monitored[/quote]
An overwhelming majority of crime happens in a very few small areas -- impacting only those areas makes a HUGE differnece; but when does improvements in crime fighting/deterence only effect one area?

Crime in the United States as a whole has been dropping for the last 20 years. The US has been less violent than the UK since 1996. It has to do with a lot of factors (harder sentences, higher conviction rates, concealed carry laws, etc...), but what helps, helps.

The only thing that is increasing here is our perception of violence.

Originally Posted by: chucklivesoninmyheartand those numbers are ridiculous(yes,your just making a point I know).[/quote]
Really?

Between 1994 and 1999, the murder rate fell 63 percent, assaults dropped 60 percent, and armed robberies were down 49 percent.

The above is in direct refference to the city of New Orleans. All but one of the numbers used are greater than what I was using as rough examples.

Originally Posted by: chucklivesoninmyheartNever been to batten rouge...is it a ghost town?[/quote]
"Ghost Town" is what the locals call one of the especially dangerous neighborhoods. A friend of mine was actually mugged on one of the fringes recently.

Originally Posted by: chucklivesoninmyheartWhat are the crime rates for places considerd to be "boon docks"?Would you feel safer walking at 2:00 A.M in "Upton" Massachusetts(where a fender bender is the talk of the town) or 8:00 P.M in Boston within lights and crowds?[/quote]
I don't waste my time and energy worrying about what might or might not happen to me.



[QUOTE=chucklivesoninmyheart]My point is,people shouldn't find a false sense of absolute security just because a camera is in place.It can and does help deter the probability of an encounter...

Then why be so dismissive?



[QUOTE=chucklivesoninmyheart]but is no replacement for good judgment and awarness...

What ever is?



[QUOTE=PonyOne]the street corner i live on was one of the most violent areas in Los Angeles County from the late 70's to the early 90's. it was also the corner that you went to to score whatever illicit substance or service you wanted.

the cops stepped up patrol, and eventually the crime went away. now, the street corner is safe. however, if i ever need a hooker, if i head three blocks east then i'm set. if i ever need weed, then the street one block south of me, from one block east to Lincoln Boulevard which is about 5 blocks east, is the place to score in the West side.

All of that is "vice" crime.



[QUOTE=PonyOne]where. to truly prevent crime takes a lot more than putting in cameras and increasing beat cops; it requires better social services and better education.

Those numbers I quoted for New Orleans -- they all stem mostly from restructuring the police department.

Obviously, the ultimate solution is better education and better oportunities for people, but the harder it is to be a criminal, the fewer people who will do it.