Use Japanese police model

If we want to stop crime in Milwaukee, there is a proven way.

I was a colonel in the U.S. Army stationed in Japan from 1983 to 1987. I was intrigued by how little crime there was. I allowed my 8- and 12-year-old children to ride the train from my station in Camp Zama to Tokyo, some 20 miles away, and never had a fear for their safety.

I asked the Tokyo Metropolitan Police how crime was limited in such a city as Tokyo. The population of Tokyo in 1984 was some 7-plus million people. However, there were 23 “special wards” that were basically governed autonomously. Some had as few as 53,000 people, while the largest one had almost 900,000, but many had the population of Milwaukee.

So, how is crime kept down in such populous areas? “Koban” and “Chuzaisho” are at the heart of police activities in Japan. “Koban” (police box) is a place where community police officers mainly carry out their work by a relatively small number of police officers (three to five officers). There are also residential police boxes called “Chuzaisho” usually staffed by a single officer. Each Koban and Chuzaisho covers specific areas and they are a branch of the police station.

They are responsible for maintaining the safety of the respective areas by figuring out each security situation and taking requests and concerns of residents into consideration. The existence of Koban and Chuzaisho provides a sense of reassurance to the residents. Koban has attracted a great deal of attention worldwide, and in fact, countries such as Singapore and Indonesia have introduced Japanese-style Koban.

To prevent juvenile delinquency and contribute to the sound growth of youths, many community police officers teach boys and girls various sports, such as judo and kendo, and cultural activities including painting, calligraphy and tea ceremony while off duty. They also participate in various community gatherings to establish strong ties with community residents.

Community police provide counseling on consumer victimization, drug abuse, organized crime intervention in civil affairs and traffic accidents. They also receive requests and complaints concerning the police themselves.

To be sure, what we need is the “Koban and Chuzaisho” elements in each of our various neighborhoods where crime has become rampant.

If we chose the Japanese model, would we be doing the right thing? We need people to analyze how this would work and present this to the mayor and to the Common Council.

Richard Ippolito Milwaukee