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Show Utahns Have Had Enough Crime, Lav Enforcement Alliance Says The Alliance for Better Law h'nforcement (ABLE) h.i.s launched its .statewide community-action program to fitfht skyrocketing crime in L'taii commu ni ties. "Lobi of people are talk, ing about crime still more curse the .startling crime trend. Few really fight crime," declared II. C. Shoemaker, Chairman of the AHLIO Committee of concerned Utahns who are actively working to stren-ghten, stren-ghten, upgrade and support sup-port all law enforcement agencies. IJased on FIJI Uniform Crime reports the increase of major cases in Utah in l!)(i!t was 87 per cent above the nation as a whole. At the 1'J rate of increase, the incidence of crime in Utah would double in 4 years, and in 10 years would would be more than G times the present figure according to Mr. Shoema-' Shoema-' ker. The caseload per officer offi-cer has increased to such an extent that little prc- ventative patrolling is possible pos-sible in many communities. Police strength is falling & crime is rising throughout through-out Utah. "A large group of concerned con-cerned citizens, a year ago after careful study, determined deter-mined that Utah communities communi-ties needed more police strength. To hire the needed need-ed peace officers, upgrade lagging salaries and obtain ob-tain much-needed modern equipment costs money," stated Mr. Shoemaker. In order to meet the need for more police protection ABLE is sponsoring en. abling legislation in Utah's Thirty-Ninth Legislature to permit cities and counties, coun-ties, on a local option basis, ba-sis, to collect an additional addition-al one-half cent sales tax. Provided a community feel3 they do not need additional addition-al protection they may forego the option according accord-ing to Mr. Shoemaker. "The enabling legisla-tino, legisla-tino, HB 225, was introduced introdu-ced in the House of Representatives Rep-resentatives February 9. We urge concerned citizens citi-zens who feel they have had enough crime to phone or write their legislators and ask that they support the ABLE proposal to halt crime or come up with a better solution," annuon-ced annuon-ced Don A. Mackey, ABLE co-chairman. Members of the ABLE speakers bureau are presenting pre-senting the audio visual crime story to many civic civ-ic and women's clubs and other groups across Utah. "We are finding that Utahns have had enough crime in burglaries, holdups, hold-ups, rape, car theft, shop lifting, breakins and arson in business and church 'buildings and in drug in. duced prostitution and other crimes", declared Mackey. "City fathers and county coun-ty commissioners know their local needs. Most communities are short-handed. short-handed. A minimum of 100 more line officers in Salt Lake City and 40 more deputies de-puties for the cuonty sher. iff's office by 1971 is required re-quired to handle the increasing in-creasing caseload. Corres. ponding increases are needed in other Utah communities." "Utahns can help call a halt to crime by phoning or writing their representatives represen-tatives and senators (House Members 328-5171, Senators 328-5701), and invite in-vite them to erase public apathy regarding costly crime," stated Mackey. |