Where the blame falls

Thanks to a great job Arkansas

Democrat-Gazette reporters Eric Besson, Scott Carroll and Aziza Musa did, we now know how useless Little Rock’s little bureaucrats really are. They tell us 37 civil and criminal complaints have been filed over a four-year period against the Power Ultra Lounge. It only took a now nationally infamous shooting that injured 28 before anyone noticed what was going on there.

And thanks must also go out to Warwick Sabin. Shortly after his announcement that he will be running for mayor, it seems the current figurehead, Mr. Stodola, finally woke up and developed a multi-pronged crimefighting plan.

In addition to all these years of ignorance and inaction, we also now get some insight on how the Little Rock Police Department malfunctions. While individual officers are still due our respect, the administration tying their hands looks pretty bad, according to a letter written to city directors by the LRPD Black Officers Association. Apparently, among other issues, the chief and his cronies need not follow the same rules and regulations the rest of the force are reprimanded and disciplined for violating.

I recently moved out of Little Rock, but still spend much time there, and crime is still a concern. While the kind of crime the capital city is experiencing can be identified as cultural, it’s still out of control. And a large part of the blame falls directly on those who failed to do their jobs.

WILL COHEN North Little Rock