Small Town Woes
No city, no matter how remote, is ever truly out of reach of violent crime
By Megan Porter, Marketing –
No city, no matter how remote, is ever truly out of reach of violent crimes. This was especially true in August for Dietrich, Idaho, a remote town with fewer than 400 residents. A man previously convicted for felony sex and stalking offenses violated the terms of his parole by carrying firearms. This man, Jeremy Sortor, was found in possession of firearms on two separate occasions before his trial. He finally pled guilty in December and was sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised parole after his release. Additionally, Sortor was required to pay a $750.00 fine.
The Department of Justice helped prosecute Sortor as part of their Protect Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. This program aims to help lower incidences of violent crimes across the United States. PSN works by bringing members of the community and other stakeholders together to detect, identify, and find solutions for violent crimes present in the neighborhood. PSN focuses on evidence and results, allowing for perpetrators of violent crimes to be discovered and prosecuted. Then, they can join forces with local groups to help re-introduce convicts in such a way that they can become productive members of society, thus further lowering crime rates across the board.
The EyeDetect® technology from Converus could help the Protect Safe Neighborhoods program. It is computerized form of lie detection that evaluates the involuntary responses in our eyes to determine deception. It is fast, inexpensive, and unbiased. If perpetrators of violent crimes were to take an EyeDetect test during their regular interviews with their parole officers, then law enforcement could catch those who violate the terms of their parole more efficiently. In addition, those states with strict gun control laws could use EyeDetect as part of the interview process before selling firearms. This would help keep firearms out of the hands of those who have committed violent crimes in the past and help protect our communities.
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Photo by / David Mark
