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DDECEMBERECEMBER 20122012 VVOLUMEOLUME V V -- IISSUESSUE 1212

Our MissionOur Mission Work in partnership with our community to protect life and property, reduce crime, and enhance the security and quality of liWork in partnership with our community to protect life and property, reduce crime, and enhance the security and quality of li fe fe in our cityin our city

Centralia Police Department PO Box 609, 118 W. Maple Street Centralia, WA 98531 www.cityofcentralia.com / cpd@cityofcentralia.com 1-800-748-6422 or 740-2726

Fast Facts

More than 30,000 individuals in the United States are killed each year with firearms from homicides, suicide or unin-tentional shootings.

On average, in the U. S. 33 homicides by firearms are committed each day in the United States .

50% of all suicides are com-mitted with a firearm.

Since 1982 there have been 61 mass murder incidents carried out with firearms in 30 states across this nation.

In 2012 there have been 6 incidents of ,mass shootings in the U.S. with 60 killed and 72 wounded.

16 of the worst 25 mass shootings in the past 25 years have taken place in the United States.

Gun ownership in the U. S. is declining from 52% of house-holds in 1980 to 38% in 2010.

Since implementation, the Federal NCIC background check on gun sales has pre-vented 1.8 million gun pur-chases by criminals or other-wise ineligible purchasers.

Do you have a question about the law, police procedures, policing tactics? Why we write tickets on

some people we stop and not oth-ers? Send it in - we will pick ques-tions e-mailed to us and provide an opinion, answer, department proce-

dure or practice, or what the law says. E-mail your question to

cpd@cityofcentralia.com.

When Will It Stop?

Normally, this is the issue when I thank all staff for their work this year, thank you for your support of our depart-ment, and wish to all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. But things are not normal

right now. The mall shooting in Clackamas and tragedy last week in Newton, Connecticut again puts mass shootings and semi-automatic assault rifles on the front pages of our newspapers and first and foremost in our hearts. To be sure, the pundits and experts will discuss everything from gun rights to mental health; security guards at schools to arming the teachers; constitutional issues to societal preferences; violence in our culture to individuals searching for notoriety with no sure outcome at the end of it all.

All agree that this killing of our kids must stop. Beyond that, agreement seems elusive. In this country alone there have been fifteen (15) major incidents in the past five (5) years, (158 killed, scores injured) involving kids, con-gresswoman, theatergoers, university stu-dents and churchgoers; not to mention the Fort Hood massacre, mall shootings (Salt Lake, Oakland, and Portland), as well as kill-ings at places of employment.

Nor is the carnage limited to this country. Before the Sandy Hook Elementary School horror, six of the worst mass killing of stu-dents occurred outside of the United States (see page 2).

I’ve seen all of this over a 40 year career. It breaks my heart. But in our field of work, we press on. The problems and issues leading to all of this carnage are complex - the solutions and answers equally so. It is not just guns - but guns are most certainly a part of it. The request is simple - NO MORE! - but the solu-

tions not so much. Here’s what I think.

First, let’s start with guns. Every transaction involving the sale or transfer of a firearm should be preceded by a background check - NO LOOPHOLES. We check teachers, sports officials, day care providers, etc. before li-censing them - let’s check the criminal history and mental health records of those who wish to buy guns. And there is no earthly need for individuals to possess weapons that, but for the selector switch from semi to fully auto, are virtually identical to what we arm our troops with who are fighting in Afghanistan. The second amendment? Yes we have a right to keep and bear arms - but no right is abso-lute (you don’t yell “fire” in a crowded thea-ter - that’s beyond freedom of speech rights). Moreover, the technology for personal weap-ons back in the day included flintlock muskets and single shot pistols. Not so today. Lim-iting magazine capacity would be a small step in the right direction.

Having said that, the issue is not “no guns.” With over 200 million firearms in private own-ership in our country today, such an approach is impractical as well as clearly unconstitu-tional. We are where we are as a country with regard to personal possession of guns - as well as our immunity to violence.

Which brings me to my second point. We have de-humanized personal relationships. Everything from video games in which car-nage is part of the marketing, to texting in-stead of conversations, from being self-immersed in one’s own digital and electronic world, we care too little about others in our society. Most of that comes down to par-enting, especially in the early years (see page 4). I am ashamed to admit that I come from a very selfish generation, a generation self-absorbed - and that has been passed on to our children, and then to their children. I see the results of that daily in the things my offic-ers deal with. We need to again value other

SEE PAGE TWO

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“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that

people in our lives.

Third, we have huge mental health issues in this country. The number of people we arrest for which the criminal charge is the symptom and a behavior disorder is the disease, is astounding. The police option is to put them in jail, where they are stabi-lized, medicated (as necessary), only to be released without adequate follow-up or assistance. As a society we have also made that choice in terms of our preferences as to the amount of and how we spend our tax dollars. Locally our Lewis County Commissioners are doing something about this with the adoption of a 1/10th of 1% dedicated tax for drug and family therapeutic courts, case man-agement of mental health patients in the criminal justice system, and other projects designed to treat the disease, not just the symptom.

Fourth, we need to properly address security in our schools. That is not as simple as a guard in every hall. Nor is it arming teachers - think about that, a gun for each teacher, or a gun in the classroom lock box. How are they trained, do coaches bring one to practice? A handgun against an assault rifle? One solution is increasing school resource officers in our schools. We have a great partnership with the Centralia School District which provides for a full-time presence in the schools. Superintendent Dr. Steve Bodnar told me that the top priority for the district is to provide a safe learning environ-ment for students. It’s not just the presence of an armed, trained, and certified law enforcement officer in the school building;; it’s the relationships that officer builds with staff and students, parents and neighbors. As a department we learn a great deal as to what’s going on in our schools and with our kids because of our SRO.

Finally, we all need to be great observers as to what’s going on with our family members, friends, students, fellow employees, and neighbors. Many times (though not always), there are clues, hints, and suggestions that a problem or issue is brewing in the life of someone you know or care about. Say something to someone. This country was founded on people looking out for each other. A little more of that would be helpful.

Just some thoughts from one who has seen too much of this. Take care this holiday season .

Chief Berg

The ten worst massacres at schools, not including the most recent tragedy in Newton Connecticut. Four of these ten inci-dents occurred in the United States.

10. Cologne school massacre 11 killed, 22 injured - June 11, 1964: Armed with an insecticide sprayer converted into a flamethrower, a lance and a homebuilt mace, 42 male entered the Katholische Volksschule and opened fire on the girls playing in the courtyard. He then knocked in classroom windows with his mace and fired inside.

9. The École Polytechnique Massacre 15 killed, 14 injured - De-cember 6, 1989: Twenty-five-year-old male killed 14 women and wounded a further 13 people at the École Polytechnique at the Uni-versity of Montreal in the worst school massacre in Canada’s histo-ry.

8. Columbine High School Massacre 15 died, 24 injured - April 20, 1999 : Two students stormed Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and murdered 12 other students aged 14 to 18 as well as a teacher. A further 24 people were injured before the attackers killed themselves.

7. University of Texas Clock Tower Shootings 18 killed, 31 injured - August 1, 1966 : After killing his wife and mother, Charles Whitman pointed a rifle from the observation deck of the University of Texas at Austin’s Tower and began shooting in a homicidal rampage that went on for 96 minutes. He killed fifteen people and wounded 31 others before being shot dead by police.

6. Dunblane massacre 18 killed - March 13, 1996 : Unemployed former shopkeeper and Scout leader walked into Dunblane Primary School armed with two 9 mm pistols and two .357 Magnum revolv-ers. He killed sixteen small children and a teacher. The subsequent police investigation revealed that Hamilton had loaded the maga-zines for his Browning with an alternating combination of fully metal jacketed and hollow point ammunition. Deadliest attack on children in the United Kingdom.

5. Erfurt massacre 17 killed, 7 injured - April 26, 2002: Eighteen people died when an expelled former pupil went on a shooting spree at his school in the eastern German city of Erfurt. Masked and dressed in black, the gunman walked through classrooms kill-ing 14 teachers, two schoolgirls and one of the first policemen on the scene before taking his own life. Worst mass school shooting in Germany.

4. Ma’alot massacre 26 killed, 60 wounded – May 15, 1974: In this massacre members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine murdered religious high school students from the city of Safed. Ma’alot, located on a plateau in the hills of the Western Gali-lee region of Israel.

3. Virginia Tech 32 killed, many more injured – April 16, 2007: A school shooting comprising two separate attacks about two hours apart on April 16, 2007, on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. The perpetrator, killed 32 people and wounded many more, before committing suicide, making it the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

2. Bath School disaster 45 died, 58 injured - May 18, 1927: In the deadliest mass school murder in United States history, former school board member set off three bombs in Bath Township, Michi-gan killing 45 people and wounding 58. The male subject killed himself and the superintendent by blowing up his own vehicle.

1. Beslan school hostage crisis At least 386 dead, including 31 hostage takers, over 700 injured – September 1, 2004: A group of pro-Chechen armed rebels took more than 1,200 school children and adults hostage at School Number One in the town of Beslan, North Ossetia. On the third day of the standoff, gunfire broke out between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces.

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THE DATA PAGE This page presented for those of you who love “looking at the numbers””

Index Crime Aug. YTD

Murder 0 2

Rape 0 11

Robbery 3 17

Felony Assault 1 40

Burglary 21 164

Theft 51 485

Auto Theft 2 41

Arson 0 8

Total 78 768

Department Category Nov. 2012 YTD

2011 YTD

Calls for Service and Complaints: 1557 20309 20932

Traffic Infraction Notices Issued: 92 1183 1126

Criminal Misdemeanor Citations Issued: 73 1016 955

Felony Arrests (non warrant): 29 389 442

Warrants Served (Felony & Misdemeanor): 56 874 784

Summons Requests: 2 38 58

Juvenile Arrests and Referrals: 5 101 81

Traffic Collision Investigations and Reports: 41 473 479

Centralia Police Department Community Policing Calendar

2013 April - Citizens’ Police Academy begins

April / May - Spring Cleanup Pro-ject

April xx - Volunteer Recognition Week

May 12 through 18 - National Po-lice Week

May 14th - City Council CPD Recognitions

May 15th - Peace Officers’ Memo-rial Day

June - Special Olympics Torch Run

July 4th - Summerfest, Borst Park, Downtown Parade, Fairgrounds Fireworks Show

July 13 & 14 - Seattle to Portland Bike Ride

August 6th - National Nigh Out Against Crime

September - Wellness Fair

October 31st - Halloween Safe Trick or Treat Downtown

November 20th - Tower Crawl

December - CDA Christmas Tractor Parade

December - Day with Santa

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“If we did all things we were capable of, we would literally astound ourselves” - Thomas Edison

Statement about Connecticut School Shooting from Miriam A. Rollin, J.D. V.P./Chief Operating Officer, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids & Former Prosecutor

Once again, innocent children have been stolen from our midst. Once again, law enforcement colleagues have the grim duty of sharing with parents the worst possible news – that their child is gone forever. Once again, the ques-tion “Why?” is asked rhetorically, as if the question were unanswerable, the solutions unknowable.

We do not yet know what led Adam Lanza to commit this atrocity. It’s clear that no single answer can prevent all acts of violence. However, that “Why?” question is NOT unanswerable, the solutions NOT unknowable. Others have already discussed possible gun laws, but no attention has been given to the many investments in children that have been proven by rigorous scientific research to reduce the likelihood of later crime and violence.

We know that voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs for at-risk pregnant women and parents of young children, like the Nurse-Family Partnership, can cut child abuse and neglect nearly in half and more than cut in half arrests by age 15 and convictions by age 19. The research has demonstrated that NFP can also produce net sav-ings of nearly $13,000 for each family served. While there have been recent federal investments in such voluntary home visiting programs, there is still substantial unmet need.

We also know that high-quality early care and education for disadvantaged children before kindergarten entry, like the Perry Preschool Program, can cut later crime: at-risk kids left out of Perry Preschool were twice as likely to become chronic offenders with more than ten arrests by age 40, and 50% more likely to be arrested for violent crimes. A cost-benefit analysis found that the Perry program returned to society an average of over $180,000 per child. While state and federal investments in high-quality early care and education have increased over the past decade, we’re far from meeting the need, and recent state budget cuts have moved us in the wrong direction.

We know that about one in five children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 has a diagnosable mental health disorder impairing their lives, but that, in any given year, four out of five of those children with mental health disorders fail to receive needed treatment. Some behavior disorders such as conduct disorder and substance abuse disorders, when untreated, can lead to later crime. Comprehensive health care coverage for children can help ensure that behavioral problems and mental illnesses are identified and treated as early as possible, reducing the risk of later crime and violence, but many children still have no coverage or inadequate coverage.

Even after teens are arrested, it’s not too late to reduce the likelihood of recidivism and violence. One program, Functional Family Therapy, has been shown to cut rates of re-arrest in half by intervening with families to teach them how to better control their children’s behavior. The research also found that Functional Family Therapy saves the public $67,000 for every youth treated. Too often, such effective behavior-change approaches are not availa-ble, and our communities pay the resulting human and fiscal toll.

And those are just the tip of the iceberg of approaches that work to reduce crime and violence, which are not yet being prioritized sufficiently by our national and state policy-makers.

So, as we respond to the tragedy Friday in Sandy Hook Elementary School, we all must join together to surround the grieving families of

the young children and school staff with the love and support that they need. But we also need to stop the endless hand-wringing, and unanswered “Why?” questions. Instead, we must start amassing the public and political will to prioritize the state and federal investments in our youngest citizens that can give them the right start in life, reduce crime and violence, and give us the best hope of preventing many such tragedies in the future.

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