A Batavia detective will become a full-time member of the Genesee County Drug Task Force, according to the Daily News. This marks the first time since 2002 that a member of the city force joined up full-time on the multi-agency task force. Police Chief Randy Baker said he hopes the group will continue its focus on "the big guy," as well as the "smaller concerns of neighborhoods." At least, that's what I think he says. Here's the full quote, from reporter Scott DeSmit:
"We met and we wanted to refocus our efforts ... They were doing long-term investigations, focusing on getting the big guy rather than addressing the smaller concerns of neighborhoods. That's all tied together and that's what we're doing."
It's not clear if the chief is saying that the task force was concentrated on the big guy and now they will focus more on smaller concerns, or my interpretation up above. I phoned the chief to clear up the ambiguity. He was unavailable. I left a message.
UPDATE: Chief Baker did get back to me this afternoon to confirm that the second interpretation is correct, that the task force will do more to address the "smaller concerns."
Plans for the soon-to-be-built Sallome's Deli on Oak Street—check out their job listing on our site—were approved by the city planning board last night following a brief debate over the number of signs to be allowed. There's no mention of when the deli will open at 34 Oak St., but the hours will likely be from 8:00am to 8:00pm six days a week.
Richard J. Peters II, 18, of Batavia, was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in state prison for the rape of a four-year-old girl. Wyoming County Judge Mark H. Dadd added 20 years of post-release supervision. Peters could have faced up to 25 years in prison for pleading guilty to a felony county of first-degree rape and a felony count of first-degree criminal sex act.
As the wrecking ball gets set to smash Le Roy's historic Masonic Temple to the ground, Genesee County's Economic Development Center gets set to give Walgreens $122,375 in tax exemptions. The temple, a few neighboring retail spaces and a couple of homes around the corner are all being torn down to make way for the pharmacy chain.
Batavia's town planning board has determined that the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park will have a "significant impact on the environment." A public hearing has been set for 7:00pm on September 16 at the town hall, 3833 West Main Street Road, for residents to hear about the impact and voice their opinions on the project. "The potential effects of constructing the Ag Park," writes Paul Mrozek, "include increased noise, odor and traffic and converting 200 acres of vacant land into an industrial park."
"We met and we wanted to
"We met and we wanted to refocus our efforts ... They were doing long-term investigations, focusing on getting the big guy rather than addressing the smaller concerns of neighborhoods. That's all tied together and that's what we're doing."
Without the smaller concerns you cant catch the bigger guys. The law of supply and demand rings a bell. I think everyone that lives in Batavia can tell who is the big guy and the troubled addict.
I guess I am the only one who sees that the small fish ends up costing more to bust than the dealer that wears clothing worth more than the dime bags some addict buys to get through his illness.
Maybe its just the economy with gas prices going up and drug supplies going down, we might be running out of the little guys. so many in jail, dead, moved, Hey even rehabilitated.
One thing is for sure. If you get the big guys and follow proper proceedure like search and siezure, it could not only be profitable but it could make a huge positive inmpact on the community.
The war on drugs is an
The war on drugs is an abject and demonstrable failure. The over-emphasis on incarceration instead of treatment gets us stuff like this:
"According to the American Corrections Association, the average daily cost per state prison inmate per day in the US is $67.55. State prisons held 249,400 inmates for drug offenses in 2006. That means it cost states approximately $16,846,970 <b>per day</b> to imprison drug offenders, or $6,149,144,050 per year." Yep,that's 6 <b>billion</b>.
"Department of corrections data show that about a fourth of those initially imprisoned for nonviolent crimes are sentenced for a second time for committing a violent offense. Whatever else it reflects, this pattern highlights the possibility that prison serves to transmit violent habits and values rather than to reduce them."
"The United States has the highest prison population rate in the world, some 738 per 100,000 of the national population, followed by Russia (611), St Kitts & Nevis (547), U.S. Virgin Is. (521), Turkmenistan (c.489), Belize (487), Cuba (c.487), Palau (478), British Virgin Is. (464), Bermuda (463), Bahamas (462), Cayman Is. (453), American Samoa (446), Belarus (426) and Dominica (419). "
"The U.S. nonviolent prisoner population is larger than the combined populations of Wyoming and Alaska. "
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/prison.htm
Let's stop kidding ourselves that the money we're spending on arresting and incarcerating people is well spent. <i>"...the task force will do more to address the "smaller concerns."</i> Yes, junkies commit personal injury and property crimes, but dedicating local police resources to busting high school and college age kids for personal possession is a misappropriation of tax dollars. How long does someone sell any appreciable amount of dope in Batavia before it becomes common knowledge? Do we have cars cruising neighborhoods trying to score crack or heroin? This seems more like an effort to capitalize on the emotional response to drugs than a real press to police the streets.
I guess you agree ? WOW ! I
I guess you agree ?
WOW !
I never met an addict that benefited from drugs but I have met or seen many dealer's whom benefited from drugs.
Guess I'm just simple.