Times are tough these days and getting tougher, but it doesn’t mean crime should get tougher i

Davon Gray
Published: October 26, 2008

Times are tough these days and getting tougher, but it doesn’t mean crime should get tougher in the county.

A few days ago, I read in the paper about yet another major crime in the area. This time it was a bank robbery. Thank God nobody was injured. But it is just the latest indication of the loss of innocence in
our area and the need for everyone to step up.

If I am not mistaken, this is the second bank robbery in our area this year. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. Either way, the idea of a bank robbery in a rather decent neighborhood off Route 1 and just
near Potomac High School is disturbing. 

We all may look at this and say this is an isolated incident or that the chances of this happening again are slim. I would disagree with that.  For one thing, like I mentioned, I think this was the second
bank robbery this year in our area. 

Secondly, we have seen a steady trend of unusual types of crime in our area. This demands our immediate attention and the attention of our lawmakers from the county to local members of Congress.

Criminal activity is the greatest risk to our quality of life. It’s greater than traffic congestion, sprawl or anything else for that matter. More importantly, it cannot be tolerated.  Crime quickly becomes an
epidemic when a community becomes tolerant. 

If you don’t think so, take a look at our neighbors to the north in Washington, D.C. No offense to you if you are from the District and are reading this article, but let’s be honest. 

More times than not, major crimes committed in the district, like murder, rape, assaults and other violent crimes, barely make the news’ headlines. And even when they do make headlines, that crime is
quickly replaced the next day with another.

God willing, that will not be how things go in Prince William County.

So what can we do to stop crime in its tracks?

I have mentioned it before, but it’s worth bringing it up again in this column… stopping crime requires the commitment of everyone. 

First there is parenting. 

Not that I am Bill Cosby or anything, but we must all take a stronger stance on how we parent our children. As parents we must teach our children the right way to live based upon values and morals —
there simply is no way around that. I really want to emphasize the values and morals part. They are the foundations of who we are and must be rooted in something more than just a simplistic belief in the
differences between right or wrong.

Our decision making comes from the roots established by our values and morals, which determine what is right or wrong.

In addition to that thought, I also want to mention the fact that yes, we are our brother’s keeper. 

Often times we see other kids in our communities doing wrong or acting wrong and we don’t get involved. After all, it’s not our kid, therefore not our responsibility. I remember, not too long ago, when if
you got in trouble or were doing wrong outside, the entire neighborhood knew and had told your parents before you got home. There was a sense of everyone being a neighborhood kid or, as Hillary Clinton
mentioned, we were a part of the village. 

We must get that sense of community back. I honestly believe that when we do, we will see petty crimes reduced and ultimately violent crime as well. Why? Because parents and communities provide
prevention.

Then there is the enforcement side of things. My hope is that when the House of Delegates reconvenes in January, and during the statewide races next year, candidates will demand a zero-cut policy in
law enforcement budgets. I know they cannot commit to large scale budget increases, but we cannot afford to lose one officer off our streets. 

I believe every candidate should commit to such an idea. The necessary and direct opposite of prevention is punishment and we need every officer we can get to provide that punishment.

With all that said, this latest crime event is a warning and we had better wake up to the fact that it is not going to get better unless we have zero tolerance for crime and make it a statewide government
priority,  and a statewide community one as well. 

Davon Gray works in Washington, D.C., and resides in Woodbridge. Contact him at .