Pubdate: Sun, 07 Jul 2002 Source: Daily Herald (IL) Copyright: 2002 The Daily Herald Company Contact: http://www.dailyherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/107 EVIDENCE OF WORTH OF DRUG COURTS One of the more difficult things for analysts -or newspapers - to pin down is why people commit crimes. In the state police's annual report on crimes reported in 2001, which was released recently, the downward trend in most types of crime continues. While the number of violent crimes in Kane County - like murders and sexual assaults - rose almost 9 percent in Kane County between 2000 and 2001, the overall crime rate dropped about 2.3 percent, with property crimes like thefts and car burglaries dropping 3.6 percent. While it is troubling that Kane's 2001 violent crime rate is higher - and in most cases about double that of other collar counties - the drop in property crimes is worth celebrating. Perhaps when weighed against a rise in violent crime, we are happy enough to live without figuring out why there is a drop in the lesser crimes. However, St. Charles Police Chief Don Shaw says he has some insight as to why the number of property crimes has diminished. It's very simple. The police department and the court system have spent a lot of time and energy focusing on what they say is a relatively small core of people responsible for much of that crime: heroin addicts. While it is difficult to determine just how much of the reduction in property crimes is attributable to the efforts of police and the court system, it can be argued that there has been some effect. Through the Daily Herald's Hidden Scourge series earlier this year and during a town hall meeting on the effects of illicit drugs on young people, we heard from many recovering heroin addicts that they would do just about anything to get money to score more drugs. Petty theft and robbery certainly were popular ways to get quick cash. Anecdotally, we know that once these kids are under the scrutiny of Kane's special drug court, are in treatment and are being monitored, plenty are staying clean and no longer need to steal to support their habits. The crime statistics would appear to support that scenario. Still, we see plenty of young people dying of heroin overdoses in the suburbs. If anything, the number of kids still dying coupled with the dropping crime numbers presents a troubling paradox. It tells us we shouldn't be content that things are getting better fast enough. And we should not rest on the early success of the drug court, ably administered by Judge Jim Doyle. If anything, we should look upon the drug court as a good start. Something to build upon. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth