Conference turris::womannotes-v3

    	Martin,
    
    	Any cop can catch a speeder.
    
    	No cop can catch a rapist/murderer/whatever until that person
    	"reveals" himself.
    
    	Scott

    I was griping in CARBUFFS one day about how there seems to be a
    plethora of cops in Acton that give out speeding tix.  The response was
    that there were 5 cruisers in Acton purchased specially for speed
    enforcement.  Over 3000 speeding tickets are given yearly in the town
    of Acton, 15-20 per day.  Acton has a population of about 17,000, so
    I'd say that's about 10,000 licensed drivers.
    
    And yet when I locked my keys out of my car the response from the 
    Acton plods was that they no longer did lockouts.
    
    Lisa 

    
    
    Sad as it may sound.  The reason why we see more cops handing out
    speeding tickets than catching rapists is revenue.  One is clearly
    a revenue generating activity, where the other is one which costs
    the tax payers.   Also, you really can't compare the two.  Speeders
    are easy to catch, rapists are not.  Many women who are raped never
    even report the rape to the police, and I am sure that number is
    significantly lower for men who have been raped. So if there is no
    report, then there is no investigation.  
    
    
    
    Growing up I lived across from a major intersection which also was
    home to a MDC police headquarters.  It was funny because you never
    saw the cops (with the exception of being in the parking lot
    of the donut shop across the street all the time) until it was the
    last 4 days of the month or the first 4 days of the month.  Now they
    still contend that there are not quotas, but why would they only be
    out actively enforcing the area on those particular days consistantly??
    
    When I moved into Boston, I saw a totally different story.  The cops in
    Boston were always out on the streets.  Very rarely did I actually see
    one pull a car over for speeding.  Maybe it is the level of violence
    in the different areas, or maybe it could be just the difference in the
    individual police departments?
    
    Michele

    Sometimes I wonder, if we just built a large federal penitentary (sp?)
    out in some remote location like Wyoming or something, and stuck repeat
    offenders there, and made them stay their entire sentence, would it be
    easier for police officers everywhere?
    
    I mean, if we decided that this was a case of national security, and
    therefore diverted the funds from one stealth bomber to this
    project....
    
    Lisa

    re .4 Have you tried to build a prison lately ? There are strong
    movements against the State prison in New Braintree and the
    new Hampden County jail in Ludlow (both Mass. USA) Prison sounds
    great until you run face-first into the NIMBY's. 
    
    Then, there are those who question the deterrent effect of prison.

    I imagine the people of Wyoming or somewhere might have something to
    say about it.
    
    Rathole alert:
    
    Has anyone seen 20/20 that showed what America has done to the South
    Pacific Islands (can't remember the specifics); first they relocated
    the people, blew up nuclear bombs to test them; it was bigger than
    they expected (second rathole alert:  remember Butch Cassidy and the
    Sundance Kid); relocated the people, who are still giving birth
    to children with defects, dying of cancer, etc.  AND NOW, they've
    decided to use the islands as America's garbage dump.  All these
    barges headed for the south pacific.
    
    sigh.
    Maia
    

    I know of cops who would like everyone in "Jail".  Then they would 
    still be complaining.