The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
02/20/04

Atlanta's troubled Police Department for years has failed to confront a serious crime problem and has even downplayed it, a new audit concludes.

Police Chief Richard Pennington said the report, to be released today, describes a department where crime reports have been either intentionally suppressed or lost through sloppy record keeping. The result has been altered crime statistics, he said.

-- Crimes have been consistently under-reported to the public over the years — at least one ranking officer said the Police Department's job was to protect the city's image for tourism.

-- Thousands of fugitives, including murderers, wander streets with little worry that they'll be tracked down. Fugitives usually aren't taken into custody until picked up on a traffic stop or another new crime.

-- Atlanta's crime problem is worse than the FBI crime statistics indicate because 15 other law enforcement agencies — such as universities and MARTA police — take reports but don't report them to the Atlanta Police Department or FBI.

-- A revolving-door justice system in Fulton County Superior Court ensures that many burglars, drug dealers, car thieves and snatch thieves — even if caught — spend little time in jail.

Commentary:
Glad you don't live in Atlanta right about now? Perhaps only if you think this isn't happening in Ohio:

Columbus: Homicide total is skewed by city (limits)
This story also details how the City of Toledo is manipulating their homicide totals.

February 21, 2004
Toledo Blade

It's official. There are two people in each anti-smoking detection squad. Along with them is at least one Toledo police officer and a police vehicle. I can't believe the mayor and city council are wasting resources that should be out protecting the community and getting real criminals off the street.

Criminals are killing and maiming ordinary Toledo citizens. Elected officials have lost touch with what's really important: making sure it's safe for citizens to walk the streets and operate or go into businesses without getting shot. Let the police do what they're trained to do.

As a taxpayer and registered voter, I am sending notice to the elected officials of this community. I will do my part at the polls and my best to convince other registered voters to remove all of them from office.

It's apparent to me that they have their priorities all wrong. Hopefully, we'll get some people with common sense elected the next time.

By the way, in between the trips to the bars, could the city make sure that the vicious thugs who don't shovel their sidewalks are at least roughed up a little bit? Especially the really old ones?

STEVE LANDRUM
Sandralee Drive

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Toledo's rage against self-defense takes a TARTA bus ride

Toledo police: Self-defense a ''right'' you shouldn't exercise

Toledo bureaucrats' ''solutions'' not working to prevent terrible crimes

Toledo church congregation made victims by gunman - and by HB12

The DDN contacted OFCC's Chad Baus in preparation for this story, which reveals that pro-concealed carry letters, calls, faxes and emails outpaced those sent by anti-gunners by more than 11 to 1 since Taft took office in 1999. Following the DDN story, is documentation of the wealth of information we provided the DDN on the history of OFCC's grassroots fight, but which Bischoff was not able to use in her story.

Letters speak louder than donations, some say

By Laura A. Bischoff
Dayton Daily News
February 21, 2004

COLUMBUS -- When it comes to political contributions, the gun lobby outspent gun-control advocates 32 to 1 since 1995, the year legislative supporters first began pushing for a bill to allow Ohioans to carry concealed weapons.

Gun advocates also sent 11 times as many letters, faxes and e-mails to Gov. Bob Taft and called his office 3 1/2 times as much as opponents of the concealed-carry bill did. And gun-rights groups put the pressure on state leaders over the years by packing hearing rooms, holding demonstrations, and signing petitions.

Simply put, they outgunned their opponents.

"The volume was very intense. And that is on both sides. I'd say the proponents outweighed the opponents about two to one," said state Rep. Jim Aslanides, R-Coshocton, the sponsor of the concealed-carry bill that Taft signed into law this year.