Tuesday’s vote by Barren Fiscal Court to approve becoming part of South Central Kentucky Crime Stoppers is a big step forward in helping law enforcement work together in this community. It also was good to see Barren County Sheriff Chris Eaton and Glasgow Mayor Darrell Pickett come forward and change past stances to do what is best for the community.
The regional Crime Stopper effort will help law enforcement throughout the area. Those who commit crimes don’t limit themselves by county lines, an example of this is the arrest of a Glasgow man accused of killing another man in a Bowling Green hotel room. Within hours of the tip being run on Crime Stoppers, a number of Barren County residents had contacted the Crime Stoppers line to indicate they knew the man pictured in a hotel surveillance video.
In addition, the program is funded without any tax dollars. Its fees are paid through a $1 charge assessed to anyone convicted of a misdemeanor criminal charge, which does not include minor traffic violations.
The Daily Times had been quick to criticize when it appeared a disagreement between local agencies would stop this worthwhile program from coming to Barren County, therefore it’s important to congratulate the local agencies for looking beyond their differences to support Crime Stoppers.
In the past when Crime Stoppers had been run solely out of Warren County, both the Barren County Sheriff’s Office and Glasgow Police Department had been allowed to post crimes. Both agencies also had success using the program.
The city’s decision to renew its funding of the Barren-Edmonson County Drug Task Force was another step in the right direction. It’s key with methamphetamine manufacturing rising again to have an active task force with the appropriate resources to combat the problem. The undercover work required from task force detectives is necessary in the current meth climate where producers make a small amount of the drug and leave the toxic chemicals used in its production along the side of the road, for children to find, or in a dumpster, to pollute the area’s land and water.
Simply supporting a common program isn’t enough though. This needs to be a first step toward a more cordial relationship between local departments. Regular meetings between the heads of all area law enforcement agencies would probably go a long way toward increasing the level of communication.
Cooperation will help those people law enforcement is charged with serving — citizens — by keeping the streets and roads of Glasgow, Cave City, Park City and Barren County safer. When agencies work together they can get more criminals off the streets.
