Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2008 > March > 06
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Officer: All must fight teen crime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What makes a good police officer?
One of Gwinnett’s most community-minded lawmen told me.
“A good officer is not one who sees how many young people he can lock up,” said Detective Marco Silva of the Gwinnett County Police Department. “A good officer tries to get in touch with kids, try to prevent them from being locked up.”
On Wednesday, the Badie Tour stopped by Silva’s office to talk about teenage crime. If any law enforcement officer is qualified to discuss the topic, it’s Silva. He went from being a kid in a Chicago gang to serving as co-founder and president of the Georgia Gang Investigators Association.
In Gwinnett, the most sensational crime of late is linked to a teenager. Last Thursday a Gwinnett deputy and her two daughters were found dead inside their Lawrenceville home. The deputy’s teenage son has been charged with their murders.
Maybe you noticed. Perhaps you’re outraged. Silva is, though he acknowledges horrific acts like this and others committed by teens are exceptions.
“Many [teen crimes] make me go ‘whoa,’ ” said Silva, 46. “Crimes like this should always make me go ‘whoa.’ If they don’t, I’ve started to slip.”
The morning we talked, Silva was to teach a 12:30 p.m. class on youth crime prevention to park rangers who patrol Lake Lanier. He recently led a class on gang awareness and juvenile delinquency to Buford’s Spanish-speaking residents. Silva’s bilingual.
Silva would like to see residents sign up for free courses, classes and programs offered by the county Crime Prevention Unit. Some topics on crime prevention and reduction are geared to parents, such as “Gang Awareness for Teens and Parents,” and “Drug Awareness for Teens and Parents.”
There’s generally one problem, though.
“Like everything else, people don’t take advantage of it till it affects them,” said Silva, a former Marine.
If there’s one thing that he’d like to see change, it’s the tendency - mine, probably yours - to react to crime, not approach it proactively. We generally don’t care until someone we know gets victimized, or our homes or cars get raided. Then we call the authorities.
Silva wants change. For the sake of the community. He wants us aware, alert, concerned at all times, not just when a gruesome crime makes news. The way he sees it, we’re all in this together. Get involved.
He gave an example of the little things we can do. He told me about an incident that took place at a movie theater where he works part-time security. A group of kids were harassing another youngster. An adult, unrelated to any of the kids, brought it to Silva’s attention.
“These are the kinds of things you would like to see more of,” he said. “But too many people say, ‘It’s not my kid. It’s not my problem. “But it’s everybody’s problem.”
And that’s straight from the mouth of an experienced lawman.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (51) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
