CrimLaw

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Roanoke's trying to get officers to live in bad neighborhoods.

I think these programs are well meaning but unrealistic.

I've heard officers talk about how their neighbors will wake them up at 1:30 in the morning because the Smiths are having a domestic dispute or "Bobby Jones hit my little boy", etc. Why in the world would they want to move into a neighborhood where people might be waking them up for real reasons (gunshots, knife fights, drug deals)?

I lived in a less than opulent neighborhood when I first moved to Richmond and I heard gunfire fairly often. These represent real world threats which an officer might be held accountable for even if he was off duty. And, as the article states, there is always the danger of reprisal against a young officer's wife and/or child.

Sadly, I predict, even with support from the brass, this program will fail.

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