Blog
Safety
Safety, Policy, and Economic Development Go Hand, in Hand, in Hand
Safety is something we used to take for granted a little bit. Bad things have always happened but we see so much more these days. People have become desensitized to violence. Violence is taken for granted now.
Cities, especially, are prone to violence. We see the statistics from Chicago where, on average, five to ten people are shot every weekend. It is shocking, or should be. Records show Washington D.C. was more dangerous than Juarez and Bogota.
To state the obvious, many more people live in cities. Many more businesses are located in cities because cities are bigger.
Over the last decade, businesses like drug stores have started locking up items because of theft. California’s law stating $950 or less in shoplifting (stealing) was only a misdemeanor encouraged more stealing. Employees don’t want to take the risk of trying to stop someone. District Attorneys haven’t wanted to prosecute. So, surprise, surprise, crime rose. California is now reevaluating this policy.
You encourage what you accept.
In 2022 the CEO of McDonalds gave a speech reported in The Daily Caller: “He pointed to drug abuse, violent crime and homelessness as business challenges that made it difficult for companies to attract talent.”
“There is a general sense out there that our city is in crisis,” Kempczinski said in a September speech, according to Fox Business. “The fact is that there are fewer large companies headquartered in Chicago this year than last year. There are fewer this month than last month … truth is, it’s more difficult for me to recruit a new employee to McDonald’s to join us in Chicago than it was in the past.”
Companies are leaving crime infested areas and this actually hurts the law-abiding people living there. So not only are people in certain areas in danger but they also can’t get everything they need near to home.
It makes sense. As a business owner, would you want to stay or open a business in a high crime area? Of course not.
Fortunately, Okaloosa County ranks high in safety as compare to the rest of the United States. According to crimegrade.org, “Okaloosa County ranks in the 99th percentile for safety, meaning it is safer than 99% of counties but less safe than 1%. This analysis applies only to Okaloosa County's official city boundaries.”
Economic developers can’t fight crime. They can’t attract business or talent to unsafe communities. They can’t help facilitate job growth in high crime areas. But a community can vote for officials who will fight crime. City councils, mayors, district attorneys, and sheriffs can pass and implement common sense policies that keep citizens safe and businesses thriving. Okaloosa County benefits from common sense policies regarding crime. We need to be vigilant and guard against negative changes to these policies.
Kelly Murphy Redd, CEcD, Murphy Redd Marketing