People want many things from the community they live in. One that is generally among the top ones is for their community to be safe. So, one thing that residents and authorities in a community might take particular interest in is where their community lands in safety rankings.
In a set of Homesnacks.net safety rankings regarding Wisconsin communities, Eau Claire was towards the bottom of the pack.
The rankings were based on a score that the report compiled by looking at FBI crime data for 2014 regarding things such as total crimes, property crimes and violent crimes, per capita, for 132 different Wisconsin communities. The community with the top safety ranking was Oconomowoc, while the community with the bottom safety ranking was Milwaukee.
Eau Claire didn’t even crack the top 100 in these rankings. Rather it was ranked the 101st safest community of the Wisconsin communities the report looked at. This put Eau Claire in the bottom fourth for safety.
Keeping a community safe is a very important thing. However, another thing that is incredibly important is ensuring that the rights of those accused of violent offenses or other criminal activity are respected and that such individuals are treated fairly in the criminal justice system. When this doesn’t happen, individuals in a community could be at risk for being punished for something they didn’t actually do, which is a truly terrible thing. So, one hopes that authorities and residents here in Eau Claire make sure that concerns over safety rankings do not lead to practices that curtail or ignore important rights and protections within the criminal justice system.
What do you think are the best ways to improve community safety without endangering resident’s rights?
A person accused of a violent crime or some other criminal offense can be in a very disadvantageous position when they don’t understand what their rights are. So, when facing such accusations, having good guidance on their rights and how to protect them from a skilled defense lawyer can be of great importance for a person.
Source: Port Washington Patch, “Port Washington Named one of Wisconsin’s 10 Safest Cities,” Scott Anderson, Aug. 27, 2016