Show Warnings in a Crime Wave TN N ANNOUNCING a change of assignments for several members mem mem- members I IN bers of the Salt Lake police department Chief Reed Recd E. E said zaid Relieving Lt McGinness of one of his many duties as ashead ashead head head of of the pl plainclothes division will wil enable him to devote more time to assault and robbery and burglary cases which have Increased suddenly This recent increase in crime in Salt SnIt Lake City is cant It deserves a little attention First of all part a of the cause of the increase undoubtedly Is the alarming increase in juvenile delinquency in the city Petty juvenile delinquencies inevitably lead to more serious crimes if proper action is not taken to control delinquents For Instance just the same day Chief made his comment on the current crime wave three year old East high school students who had been picked up by police confessed that they had bad stolen a safe from the thc College inn pried open the door with door with witha a B. crowbar and an taken in cash Three other youths 16 years old were implicated in the crime later police said Now that isn't juvenile delinquency Its It's major crime and It has to be handled with more than a lecture and a slap on the wrist if such youthful contributions to a crime wave are to tobe tobe tobe be halted Secondly this recent increase in serious crime is just a very small mall sample of the sort of thing we are going to face after this war is over Right now the war is keeping a great many potential criminals so busy they haven't either c ther time or temptation temptation temptation tion to crack safes hold up stores or commit other such depre depre- But after the war war were we're quite likely to have a good many idle people in Salt Lake City City and and some of them are going to turn to crime erime for money for excitement or maybe just because because because be be- cause they haven't anything better to do But were we're going to have it whatever it-whatever whatever the thc reason This current crime wave may be just a freak condition or it may be the first small manifestation station of the big increase in crime rime we will have after the war is over We Wc should accept it as a warning We Ve should make this small crime wave a test of our ability to me meet t the big one that's coming We Ve should check checkup checkup checkup up now on on our fighting crime-fighting machine to see that it is functionIng functioning functioning function- function Ing smoothly and make any necessary changes It seems that is exactly what Chief is doing doing and and we commend him for it It is not a bit too early to get our law enforcement machinery machiner in condition to meet the stresses and strains it will surely be subjected to in the postwar period And of course it is never too early to tighten up our control of juvenile delinquency and check the efficiency of our delinquency- delinquency fighting machinery |