PROSECUTOR SEES EVOLUTION IN CRIME SCENE OVER 30 YEARS

Drug Problems Worse; People Refusing To Take Responsibility Increasing

n 30 years in one profession a person can learn a lot and see many strange
things. Sometimes one sees that the more some things change, the more
others seem to stay the same.

Does alcohol and drug abuse have a role in violent crime? Ask Lawrence
County Prosecutor Robert (Bob) George and he will say alcohol nearly always
plays a role in violent crime. That is an aspect of law enforcement that
has not changed much over the years.

What has changed? George said last year three people died in Lawrence
County last year from methamphetamine. Ten years ago one could not say that
about the county, he added. At least if a person chooses to buy a bottle of
alcohol in a store they have some expectation of quality control, George
said. When taking a drug cooked up in a person's home or garage one never
knows what it may contain.

Why do reports of child abuse seem more prevalent today than perhaps in
past decades? George said better education of children and mandatory
reporting by adults has resulted in more reports of abuse. However, he
stated his belief that the Internet has contributed to an increase in
sexual abuse of children.

Easy access to pornography on the Internet is one aspect of increased
sexual abuse, said George. A potential abuser once had to order pornography
by mail or go into an adult book store to obtain it. Now pornography, even
child pornography is available online. Unsolicited offers to view
pornographic Web sites are sent to many Internet users. George himself has
received many such e-mails and said he, of course, would never request such
a thing. Showing pornographic photographs and videos to children is one way
to "groom" victims to accept sexual abuse, George said.

Alcohol has always been a problem in physical abuse cases, George opined.
He estimated more than half of all assaults involve abuse of alcohol or
drugs. "A lot of physical abuse is related to the over consumption of
alcohol," he said.

One change in attitudes George has seen in his many years of law
enforcement, 30 years as of September, is people seem less inclined to see
wives or children as personal property to do with as they please. "We have
more respect for individual rights," he said. At times in the distant past
severe abuse cases perhaps were considered "family matters" and not an
issue for law enforcement.

A marriage does not make a person one's personal property, George said.
However, some of this attitude can still be seen in Lawrence County and
violent crimes against a wife or child may not be reported. "I get more
calls about [abuse of] dogs or cats than children," George stated.

George does not want to give the impression that Lawrence County is a
hotbed of crime or that laws are not enforced. The police and Sheriff's
Departments are very active and efficient, he said. It helps that most
residents do not contribute to the crime problem. "The vast majority of the
county are law abiding citizens. Thank God!" said George.

There does seem to be more drug activity to fight against lately. George
said when he was a police officer in Joplin in 1974, an eight ounce
marijuana arrest was "like breaking up the French Connection." A more
recent arrest netted 192 kilograms of cocaine and 522 pounds of marijuana.

Another change George has experienced is in a lack of willingness to take
responsibility for one's own actions. Or those of one's children. George
said when he used to arrest people in the 1970s, generally they would
accept the fact they were caught committing a crime and accept that they
themselves made that choice.

The prosecutor said if offenders are likely to continue to commit crimes
until they accept responsibility for their own actions. Community service
can help an offender see the real damage done to the property and lives of
crime victims. He cited the case of some convicted vandals who were
required to meet their victims face to face and replace the property they
damaged. George believes that particular service made a real impact in the
minds of the offenders.

People can reform themselves and turn away from a life of crime, George
believes. He said that is something that has not changed with time. "I
still have a heart," he said, laughingly admitting some defendants and
defense attorneys might be surprised to hear that.