Guest Commentary: Start printing names of arrestees again

By Ed Robison

I moved from the Los Angeles area to Ramona 30 years ago to get my family away from the “criminal vermin” that had infested and destroyed that area over the prior 30 years. I commuted from Ramona back to my cop job in “Vermin City” for the next 12 years.

On my days off I used to enjoy reading the

Sentinel

because the local news was so mellow and sometimes downright boring. It was a welcome relief from my job as a cop. These days, I dread even reading the

Sentinel

because it has become apparent that the “criminal vermin” has followed me here. It is obvious, by your weekly crime reporting, that our little “country town” has been overrun by thieves, drug addicts and out-of-control juveniles.

Wake up, Ramona!

Open your eyes and pay attention to what is going on in “your town.” Report anything and everything that you see or hear that just doesn’t seem right to you. Call the sheriff. (You don’t even have to give your name if you don’t want to.) They are the experts.

Let them determine if your observations are founded. Don’t dismiss your gut feelings only to be kicking yourself in the butt later when you find out that you should have called but didn’t.

Get involved with your schools, your Sheriff’s Department, your Neighborhood Watch. Know where your kids are and who they run with.

I was very happy to see that the Sentinel was printing the names of the lawbreakers in “our town.” It was a great service to the community to let us law-abiding citizens know who these people are so we could “keep our eyes on them” when we saw them out and about in “our town.” I, for one, benefited from this practice when I saw the name of a person who had been arrested, and convicted, of a serious felony that had frequented my home. Needless to say, I no longer allow that person on my property. It saddens me to see that the Sentinel has stopped this practice.

Why did the

Sentinel

stop the practice of naming the Ramona arrestees? These names are public record. Did someone raise hell and threaten a lawsuit because one of their family members got arrested and they were embarrassed?

Ramona Sentinel,

start printing these names again! In addition to reporting what crime occurred, tell us who did it.

I suspect that the State of California’s brilliant decision to order the early release of thousands of low-life criminals into our community has had a direct bearing on our local “vermin invasion.” I would like to see an investigation by the Ramona Sentinel that compares our statistical criminal activity to the “before and after” release of these criminals.

Ed Robison is a Ramona resident.Editor’s Note:Thank you, Mr. Robison, for your comments. We are giving your suggestions serious consideration.