“Attorney General McMaster on Ordinary Citizens Fighting Crime”

July 22th, 2008: Attorney General Henry McMaster delivered a message to our club that was right in line with the four way test: as citizens we must actively fight crime. Mr. McMaster’s theme took him from dog fighting, to criminal domestic violence, to parole for violent criminals, to internet predators. His message was right on target with the news of today. Law enforcement in our state cannot do it all alone, and they need our help by way of a watchful eye, a willingness to report suspicious activity, and a helping hand from local citizens.

One crime that has gained recent national attention is the very gruesome, dog fighting. The movement to stop this vicious and cruel activity was been led in part by local animal welfare societies who have been backing rewards for information leading to the arrests and convictions of dog fighters. Again, the Attorney General underlined the need for citizens to report suspicious activity related to the keeping of dogs.

Another sub-set of crimes that has gained attention is internet based sexual perversion and fraud. McMaster eloquently explained that it is “raining perverts” out there and we have to be attuned to what our children are doing on the internet. Again, it is a priority of law enforcement to trap these predators but they cannot do it alone, and will probably never be able to find them all. It is essential for citizens to report suspicious behavior and monitor their own families.

Mr. McMaster also discussed criminal domestic violence, which is not a new crime, but which has become more of a public issue in modern times. He encouraged the attorneys in the club to be trained in order to be deputized special prosecutors in magistrates court for criminal domestic violence cases. Often times only the arresting officers are present to prosecute these cases, but there is a defense attorney on the other side. We need more attorneys working to convict the CDV offenders, and encourage the victims to come to court and testify. He also discussed abolishing the parole system in the state and instituting a new system for non-violent offenders. We thank the Attorney General for giving his time and visiting our club.

Reported by Jackie Grau, Keyway Committee.