ELECTION 2009: Would you change the way the city deals with crime? Why?

The View asked the candidates to share, in their own words, their opinions on public safety

William Robinson, candidate for mayor Robert Eiliason, candidate for City Council Ward 1 Stephanie Smith, candidate for mayor Ned Thomas, candidate for mayor Shari Buck, candidate for mayor John 3:16 Cook, candidate for mayor Jeffrey Eggeman, candidate for City Council Ward 1 Michael LIttle, candidate for City Council Ward 3 Rolando Cruz, candidate or City Council Ward 1 Angelo Carvalho, candidate for City Council Ward 3 Jack Kelso, candidate for City Council Ward 3 Anita Wood, candidate for City Council Ward 3 Kim McKinney, candidate for City Council Ward 3 Felix Acevedo Jr., candidate for City Council Ward 3 Advertisement

John 3:16 Cook

Yes. I would definitely change things. Cops are too quick to stop people. They gotta have a heart.

I don't mind them getting drunks, but forcing you to have the car insurance? Our jails so crowded. It's big business. I've been helping people 50 years. Every town I go into is the same, and jails are making money.

It needs to be cleaned up.

William Robinson

Yes. We need to be more pro-active in the neighborhoods. If elected, I will push for an expansion of our Community Policing initiatives. We must ensure that our public safety personnel are in the streets and in tune with our communities.

Shari Buck

The issue of public safety is an important one to North Las Vegas, which is why I am so proud of my endorsement by the North Las Vegas Police Officers Association.

Crime prevention is not just a municipal function.

Success in diminishing crime must be a community wide endeavor. I support the neighborhood watch program, and would like to see it expanded into all neighborhoods.

I also support the concept of citizens knowing their assigned patrol officers so that community policing, a true partnership between the police department and the residents, can take place.

Ned Thomas

The proper role of mayor and council in crime prevention and law enforcement is in setting a clear example of integrity and accountability and in establishing policies that will increase public safety and security in our community. My top priority as mayor of North Las Vegas will be providing adequate funding for public safety. Even in tough economic times, we will absolutely provide our police officers and firefighters with the resources they need to fulfill their duty in protecting our homes and businesses.

Crime prevention and law enforcement are essential to maintaining quality of life in our community. As mayor, I will guarantee that the city continues to promote an excellent, well-trained police force and maintains open, effective, and transparent management in all operations. Our dedicated police force is an extremely valuable asset to the city and its residents, and I look forward to working with Chief Forti and his commanders.

As a professional urban planner, I also support the concept of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Good design is a proven means of reducing fear and crime in neighborhoods. I understand these concepts and know how to apply them for the betterment of our community.

Rolando Cruz

To many, our city has an added stigma of high crime. While our brave men and women in uniform do a fantastic job, we can still do better. When elected, I will push very hard for the mandatory implementation of C.P.T.E.D. (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design). This program is already in place, but only on a voluntary basis. With this tool, we can bring flawed building designs that make fighting crime harder for us under control. Not only can we reduce crime, but we can also make fighting crime easier by eliminating easy hideaways. Buildings should have the approval of C.P.T.E.D. before they go to City Council for final approval.

Jeffrey Eggeman

I have the highest respect for the North Las Vegas Police. They have one of the hardest jobs policing North Las Vegas. Just watch an episode of "Cops" when they are in North Las Vegas, you can see what they have to deal with on a daily basis. If elected, I will try and bridge any gaps between citizens and the police. I will set up neighborhood watch programs and stage meet and greets with the officers and the neighborhoods of Ward 1. I will talk to homeowner associations and local businesses on solutions they might have on crime prevention. It is up to the citizens of North Las Vegas to put a stop to crime and help the police out. They can't do it alone. It takes all of us to put a stop to crime.

Robert Eliason

I think the Police Department is doing the best they can with the current funding and economic situation.

Felix Acevedo Jr.

For the most part, I support the current direction of city law enforcement and will ensure the resources necessary to fight crime are not reduced. However, we need more police-community partnerships, recreational facilities and programs for youth. These measures will aid in crime prevention and promote stronger neighborhoods.

Angelo Carvalho

We need to be tougher on criminals and allow the police officers to do their jobs more effectively.

Jack Kelso

I feel that North Las Vegas Police deal with crime very effectively and are known as being tough on crime. I support efforts to strengthen our community policing policy and force. During these stressful times, public safety is not the area that the city should look to for budget cuts, we cannot compromise safety for budget shortfall dollars.

Stephanie Smith

I believe that the most important role I can fill as mayor is to ensure that the residents of North Las Vegas have a clean, safe place to live. We are facing tough times, and our city will have to make difficult decisions in the coming months. But I absolutely will protect our public safety budget. I also will continue to advocate for community policing, which puts individual officers in touch with neighborhoods and businesses. We need to expand our use of technology and public access to information about local crime, so that citizens can be more informed and aware of what is occurring in their own neighborhoods. The more that is available online, the more customer-friendly we become. We need to continue adding police officers, but we also need to continue adding the support that our officers need, which includes addressing crowding in our detention center and shortage of corrections officers. Finally, we have talked for years about a citizens review board, and we need to move forward with this so that our police department is accountable to our residents.

Michael Little

The word crime has become an ambiguous expression with a double standard. Is there any difference in my transporting an unlicensed, unregistered, no lights, no tags, no insurance political A-frame sign on the public roadway opposed to the general public doing so because I'm running for office? Should I be ticketed and prosecuted in court in front of the judge who has done the same? Is this a crime or a code violation?

I will work on change regarding crime. First, we will define crime. The system currently does not differentiate a crime from a code violation, so we have a taxpayer-funded jail full of repeating code violators and a street full of white-collar criminals.

I fear that all of our good intentions have ostracized our police officers by the unintentional judicial criminalization of our youth over code violations which has in turn, over decades, disfranchised a large portion of all communities from the very agencies that we entrust and charge with the duty and responsibility to protect both the community and the individual. I want our police officers and police department to share the same sincere citizen respect that we give to our fire department and firemen.

Kim McKinney

Crime prevention should be the focus in our city, not the exception. To accomplish this, more police officers are needed. Response time is impaired as police officers are very few and our city far spread. Before we change the way we deal with crime, we need to "beef" up our police department.

Anita Wood

I'm a graduate of North Las Vegas Police Department - Citizens' Police Academy and a member of the Citizens' Police Academy Alumni North.

I am a strong supporter of law enforcement and public safety. These connections and my years of volunteer organizing taught me to seek the opinions of those who actually do the job -- the patrol officers, those who run the jail, court officers, parole and probation officers, public defenders and prosecutors.

We need to start a larger conversation among these people and the North Las Vegas community.

We have to confront the very high price we pay for crime in terms of tax money spent on the court system, jails and administration.

Other communities have developed courts aimed at cutting the number of repeat offenders -- recidivism. Those who participate receive training, counseling and guidance to turn their lives around.

Those who succeed straighten up.

Those who fail get the maximum penalty.

As a wife and mother with a family, I take public safety very seriously.

It's my first priority.

I also take very seriously the tax money that goes towards financing the revolving door of crime, arrest, conviction, jail, release and crime again. We can do better.