An excellent survey article on the challenges that a WM can put on a rural police force:
But different agencies report varying experiences. The majority of the more than 30 small to mid-sized police agencies around the country who agreed to be interviewed for this story said their departments are able to effectively handle the increased calls for service Wal-Mart brings. A few reported no corresponding crime spike and only negligible increases in calls to police.The only thing I would add is that if crime increases in one rural town, it is likely to decrease in the neighboring towns.Overwhelmingly, police chiefs defended Wal-Mart as an asset to the community and helpful to law enforcement, providing full access and information for investigations and grants to fund police projects, to say nothing of the tax benefits the store brings the community.
Posted by Kevin on May, 7 2004 at 05:52 PM
