Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
Well, it's happened again: with the passage of Halloween we've once again entered
The Silly Season - which, for the life of me, I can't figure out why we call "silly". The historically documented increase in crime, domestic issues and general insanity are far from "silly"; usually they are at best time-consuming and at worst damned dangerous. Every year the various professional organizations put out their list of recommended things the average citizen can do to reduce the chances of being targeted by criminals.
Shop in groups.
Lock your parcels in your trunk out of sight of tempted criminals.
Be sure to keep your car locked.
Get an escort if you're going into a parking lot in the dark.
Drive extra defensively; watch out for drunk or aggressive drivers.
The list goes on and on. Pro-2nd-Amendment fanatic that I am, I'm still waiting for some professional organization to post the recommendation of getting a concealed carry permit, carry a gun and be prepared to defend yourself. Since there's little chance of that happening, let's look at some other options.
How about if we, as a society, stop making excuses for
criminals and start holding them accountable for their
CRIMES? I know it's probably illogical, but to me, stealing someone's Christmas presents is an even more heinous crime than normal theft. I mean, what kind of degenerate steals gifts meant for children?
It's like taking candy from a baby is a sick and twisted saying when you think about it. Shouldn't we punish people even more harshly for such crimes?
How about if we make sure that jails and prisons don't serve holiday meals? If you're an inmate, do you deserve to eat turkey? mashed potatoes? carrot casserole? candied yams? Ah, heck... now my mouth is watering just typing this out.
My point is this: the holidays are called "the holidays" for a reason. It's a time of year where we're supposed to be focusing on celebration. No matter your faith, this time of year brings a celebration of
Thanks and a religious winter holiday. Just because this is also the time of year where an awful lot of money gets spent by consumers doesn't mean we should have to increase the level of fear with which we live in response to crime.
Now, with that "rant" out of the way:
If you are a law enforcement professional, I encourage you to be even more aware and alert than usual.
The Silly Season historically also means an increase in threats to law enforcement.
If you are a family member or friend of a law enforcement professional, remember that their work schedule may be screwy and do what you can to make sure they still get to enjoy the holiday season.
If you are a criminal... can you just climb into a hole until, say... January 10th? No? Very well... we're still coming for you then. And since it's the holiday season and we really don't want to have to deal with your stupidity... well... you'll just have to understand if we're slightly less compassionate than normal.
