Big Picture on Crime

Three cheers for your editorial (“Plans for Increased Police Presence Are Missing Big Picture,” Jan. 26) on the needs of San Diego’s criminal justice system.

Cheer 1: Your editorial points out that San Diegans are more concerned about crime, especially violent crime, than any other issue. Sadly, our rising level of violent crime gives reason for those concerns.

Cheer 2: You point out that San Diegans (may be) willing to pay for additional resources if those expenditures will help solve our mounting crime problem.

Cheer 3: Most important, you point out that a comprehensive plan to meet this goal is required.

It should be clear to everyone in this community, and particularly clear to government officials, that our criminal justice system is interdependent. We cannot solve our problem simply by tinkering with one or two components of that system. Tinkering has brought us to the point where we now have no place to put arrested or convicted criminals, and where publicly funded defense outspends the prosecution.

We need more police, but the addition of those officers has to be part of a systemwide reform that brings us additional prosecutions, enhanced crime laboratory capability, sufficient court resources and jail facilities. This systemic reform must provide a well-organized, efficient criminal justice system for the people of this county.

Our people will respond to necessary tax increases if they have confidence in the end result. It is our job to build that confidence systemwide. Most of the time communities get what they deserve; San Diego deserves a great deal more than what it has today.

EDWIN L. MILLER JR., District Attorney