Peirspictiochtai Ar An Saol
Zero-Based Law Enforcement
Part Eight
Additional types of proactive endeavors – activities that could be taken by law enforcement officers striving to minimize the likelihood of criminal activity before it happens – possible through Zero-Based Law Enforcement include several items below.
Vacation Watch programs could be implemented by law enforcement officers working with residents who plan to be away from their homes. Law enforcement officers could drive by or walk by each participating home each day to identify any things that could indicate someone was not home. If they see mail, packages, newspapers, or other items in front of a home, they could pick up the items and have the items held at the local law enforcement station. When the residents who had been on vacation come back home, they could retrieve their items at the local law enforcement station.
Law enforcement officers could also make daily checks to confirm the entrances to each home are closed and locked. The timing of these checks could be varied each day so that potential criminals would not know when the entrances would likely be checked by law enforcement officers.
A technique that could help minimize the risk of theft of certain types of property could be implemented by law enforcement officers using identification marking devices. This could especially be helpful for property that is movable. Such property could include tools, electronic devices, telecommunication equipment, and similar types of property that could have high dollar or sentimental values.
Identification marking devices could be used to place specific marks that would not be visible to the naked eye on targeted property, yet could be viewed with specific equipment or lighting. To make this technique work best, law enforcement officers could provide signage to be placed where the marked property is located to let potential criminals know that stealing such property would not be wise.
A similar type of technique that could help minimize the risk of theft of these types of property could be implemented by law enforcement officers using identification tracking tags. Law enforcement entities could purchase volumes of identification tracking tags at wholesale costs and then provide the identification tracking tags to residents at those same costs.
Identification tracking tags could be secreted within property in such ways that the identification tracking tags would not be visible to the naked eye. As with property with identification marks, to make this technique work best, law enforcement officers could provide signage to be placed where the tagged property is located to let potential criminals know that stealing such property would not be wise.
Law enforcement entities could provide meeting places monitored by law enforcement officers for situations where people could meet to sell or exchange property. Potential criminals would be less likely to meet potential victims at meeting sites monitored by law enforcement officers.
Beyond simply providing meeting places, law enforcement entities could require those using such sites to provide photo identification and sign in to enter these meeting places. Potential criminals would be much less likely to provide photo identification prior to committing thefts.
The next news column in this series will focus on mediation and dispute resolution that could be taken through Zero-Based Law Enforcement.
Peirspictiochtai Ar A Saol – Gaelic – Irish – for "Perspectives On Life" is a column focused on aspects of accountability and responsibility as well as ways people look at life.
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