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Apr. 5th, 2007 04:19 pm
A Teacher's Life
Grading finals: Pain.
Remembering that you'll have all next week off: Fracking priceless.
Remembering that you'll have all next week off: Fracking priceless.
Apr. 5th, 2007
Apr. 5th, 2007 09:14 pm
Oh, I loves him.
KENT VALLIER
Published: April 3rd, 2007 01:00 AM (The News Tribune of Tacoma)
I recently read in The News Tribune that Tacoma’s crime rate ranks near the top of all cities in our state. Over the last three years, I’ve lived in two new condominium developments in the downtown area. And, indeed, I’ve twice been the victim of property crime. Two motorcycles, valued at $20,000, were stolen out of my secured garage within 364 days of each other.
I have an idea. It’s called “No Victim Left Behind.” It’s patterned exactly after our president’s “No Child Left Behind” education law, of which I am all too familiar as a Sumner School District elementary school principal.
It works like this. The Tacoma Police Department and other city departments responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention have until 2014 to ensure there are absolutely no criminal acts taking place within the city limits.
Yes, this means all crime is totally eliminated. Between now and then, every precinct must develop a plan to reduce crime within its area by, let’s say, 20 percent.
Oh, yeah, and they must also disaggregate total crimes. All types of crime must decrease: violent crime, property crime, drug crime, domestic violence, etc. It’s simply not good enough to have overall crime reduced; that could hide increases in other crimes. After all, we’re talking about “No Victim Left Behind” (poor victims, rich victims, Caucasian victims, African American victims, Hispanic victims, Native American victims, disabled victims … you get the picture). Each precinct’s plan must have a public hearing and must be approved by the City Council.
Like the minds who crafted “No Child Left Behind,” I realize it will take the police department and others several years to accomplish this goal. In the intervening years, there will be benchmarks to measure improvement.
In the event established benchmarks are not met, certain sanctions will be implemented. The police chief will be required to send letters to all residents of a given precinct informing them that they live in a “Failing Protection Area” (FPA). If residents want to move out of the FPA to an area within a precinct that met its crime-reduction goal, the Tacoma Police Department and other city agencies must pay the residents’ moving expenses. If the residents living within a FPA want to hire private security to patrol certain neighborhoods, they may, at the City of Tacoma’s expense.
If some precincts fail to meet their reduced crime targets for two or three years in a row, more sanctions will be implemented. Just like teachers and principals are accountable for meeting targets of student achievement, officers, commanders and the chief of police should be held accountable for reducing crime rates. Once a precinct misses its crime reduction goal for three years, existing officers are transferred out, or fired, and “better” officers are transferred in. Same with the commanders.
Makes sense, right? Just like “No Child Left Behind,” we all know ineffective teachers and worthless administrators are the cause for low student achievement. So it must be lazy cops and ineffective leadership who allow crime to continue.
I’m excited. Just think; by 2014, Tacoma will have no crime, an economically robust location for major commerce and we’ll be rid of our reputation as a high-crime city. I can’t wait!
And one more thing. There’s no additional funding for “No Victim Left Behind.” The City of Tacoma will have to do it within its existing resources.
The way I see it, if teachers and school officials are expected to have 100 percent of our nation’s children on grade level in math and reading, regardless of other variables existing in children’s lives, then by 2014, surely the police can create a city inhabited by residents who abide by the laws 100 percent of the time.
Published: April 3rd, 2007 01:00 AM (The News Tribune of Tacoma)
I recently read in The News Tribune that Tacoma’s crime rate ranks near the top of all cities in our state. Over the last three years, I’ve lived in two new condominium developments in the downtown area. And, indeed, I’ve twice been the victim of property crime. Two motorcycles, valued at $20,000, were stolen out of my secured garage within 364 days of each other.
I have an idea. It’s called “No Victim Left Behind.” It’s patterned exactly after our president’s “No Child Left Behind” education law, of which I am all too familiar as a Sumner School District elementary school principal.
It works like this. The Tacoma Police Department and other city departments responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention have until 2014 to ensure there are absolutely no criminal acts taking place within the city limits.
Yes, this means all crime is totally eliminated. Between now and then, every precinct must develop a plan to reduce crime within its area by, let’s say, 20 percent.
Oh, yeah, and they must also disaggregate total crimes. All types of crime must decrease: violent crime, property crime, drug crime, domestic violence, etc. It’s simply not good enough to have overall crime reduced; that could hide increases in other crimes. After all, we’re talking about “No Victim Left Behind” (poor victims, rich victims, Caucasian victims, African American victims, Hispanic victims, Native American victims, disabled victims … you get the picture). Each precinct’s plan must have a public hearing and must be approved by the City Council.
Like the minds who crafted “No Child Left Behind,” I realize it will take the police department and others several years to accomplish this goal. In the intervening years, there will be benchmarks to measure improvement.
In the event established benchmarks are not met, certain sanctions will be implemented. The police chief will be required to send letters to all residents of a given precinct informing them that they live in a “Failing Protection Area” (FPA). If residents want to move out of the FPA to an area within a precinct that met its crime-reduction goal, the Tacoma Police Department and other city agencies must pay the residents’ moving expenses. If the residents living within a FPA want to hire private security to patrol certain neighborhoods, they may, at the City of Tacoma’s expense.
If some precincts fail to meet their reduced crime targets for two or three years in a row, more sanctions will be implemented. Just like teachers and principals are accountable for meeting targets of student achievement, officers, commanders and the chief of police should be held accountable for reducing crime rates. Once a precinct misses its crime reduction goal for three years, existing officers are transferred out, or fired, and “better” officers are transferred in. Same with the commanders.
Makes sense, right? Just like “No Child Left Behind,” we all know ineffective teachers and worthless administrators are the cause for low student achievement. So it must be lazy cops and ineffective leadership who allow crime to continue.
I’m excited. Just think; by 2014, Tacoma will have no crime, an economically robust location for major commerce and we’ll be rid of our reputation as a high-crime city. I can’t wait!
And one more thing. There’s no additional funding for “No Victim Left Behind.” The City of Tacoma will have to do it within its existing resources.
The way I see it, if teachers and school officials are expected to have 100 percent of our nation’s children on grade level in math and reading, regardless of other variables existing in children’s lives, then by 2014, surely the police can create a city inhabited by residents who abide by the laws 100 percent of the time.