Local officers doing a commendable job
If you’re wondering about the condition of Warren County law enforcement, for the city police department and the sheriff’s department, the most recent news is encouraging.
A TBI investigation, which was published in Wednesday’s Standard, shows McMinnville Police Department is doing a top-notch job in solving crime. McMinnville’s crime clearance rate of 44 percent for 2001 was well ahead of every Midstate city of similar size. And McMinnville’s rate of 44 percent looks spectacular when compared to the 10 percent rate reported in neighboring Manchester.
The TBI has released similar numbers for sheriff’s departments which the Standard is currently examining for a similar story. The TBI numbers show the Warren County Sheriff’s Department solved half of the total 1,163 offenses it handled in 2001. That’s almost double the statewide average of 26 percent.
While it may be easy to look at the numbers and say law officers aren’t solving at least half of the crimes which take place here, our numbers shine in comparison to other counties. Warren County’s 50 percent rate looks too good to be true when compared to Coffee County’s rate of 12 percent or Cumberland County’s rate of 9 percent.
When thinking about quality of life and safe places to raise a family, the rate at which crimes are solved certainly plays into that equation. We want crimes to occur as infrequently as possible. When crimes do take place, we want the people responsible to be punished.
That’s why it’s reassuring to know the officers we have working here in Warren County are doing such a commendable job. You don’t have to look any further than last weekend to see an example of this.
In a story prominently displayed in Sunday’s Standard, a gunman decided he wanted to use his wife, and then deputies, for target practice. After allegedly shooting at his wife through the windshield of her car, he shot at deputies numerous times over the course of a three-hour standoff which took place on Beersheba Highway.
During the course of the standoff, snipers had several opportunities to shoot the gunman, who obviously was not thinking clearly. But instead of wounding the man, or possibly killing him, officers were able to put him in custody by first negotiating with him to throw down his weapon and then taking him by surprise.
Considering all the recent attention being given to policemen who lose their cool during hostile situations, the Standard is proud to recognize our officers for following proper procedure during what was a tense – and potentially deadly – situation. They did not snap and that would have been easy to do with bullets zipping by.
Combined with well-above-average numbers in the TBI’s crime report, our law enforcement agencies have done well for themselves, and this community, over the last year.