With the rising concern about the increase of criminal incidents in the Downtown business corridor, this may be a solution, almost as old as the country itself: Cops on the beat.Foot patrols, 24/7/365, covering the grid of the Downtown area from the Rail Yards to Lomas, and First Street to Sixth Street.Assign one officer to patrol a three block beat, covering the grid.Assign relief vans, providing the officers A/C in the summer and warmth in the winter, and to also supplement surveillance of the Downtown grid. There won’t be much these officers won’t see and immediately respond to whenever a crime happens.A cop on the beat is strolling the streets, twirling their baton, breaking up fights, preventing crime by keeping people from being harassed and keeping a sharp eye out, looking into dark corners where crime may be lurking. A beat cop is also writing parking tickets, getting to know the locals, enhancing community relations, making folks feel safe just by their presence and, best of all, a positive and much needed ambassador for the APD! Assign a patrol car to each of the Downtown parking garages, preventing theft and vandalism, just like the beat cop.Our city has invested too much money in renovation and renewal to let it fall to ruin as entrepreneurs, businesses and homeowners flee the Downtown area in search of safer outlying locations. When compared to the cost of just letting the city die, a strategy like this would be continuing our investment in a brighter future for generations to come.Nationwide, Albuquerque currently has a terrible reputation for car thefts, murder, home invasions, police brutality, violence and all major crimes. We could turn this around and be a shining example instead of a cautionary tale.
Letters: Healthy Water? Healthy Water?
The question of whether fluoride should be added to city water has returned. Rather than just ask if fluoride should be added let’s consider whether other chemicals should be added to our water. If we embrace the possibilities of other additions to our water, the range of benefits is convincing. Adding lithium would benefit those needing that medication but now without the inconvenience of prescriptions by medical staff. Though scurvy is not rampant in our society we should err on the side of caution by adding vitamin C to our water. We need enough iodine for our thyroid to function well, so we’ll add that to our water. ED (erectile dysfunction) lurks among half of our senior population. As fluoride additions are for the children how can we ignore a crucial need of our seniors? So we add arginine, pycnogenol and L-citrulline. Taking these steps, we’ll have a scurvy-free population, children with healthy teeth, emotionally comfortable folks on lithium and seniors with smiles on their faces. One final addition would make our water perfect: cannabis oil. Come to Albuquerque for the meds, stay for the high.
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