You hit the nail on the head with this story (Hoppe, “Crime in an Election Year,” May 30-June 6). We've been cheating our criminal justice system for decades. Mayor Peterson didn't start the problem but he sure hasn't done much to fix it. He comes out with tree plantings and 100 new streetlights. Give me a break, we need hundreds of more cops, dozens of more prosecutors and defenders, hundreds of more jail beds and a school system that churns out more graduates than criminals. All of this is going to cost us money, and its time to bite the bullet. I hate taxes as much as anyone, but public safety is the most fundamental purpose of government.