Police should get tough on drinkers

The city of Whitefish is suffering an epidemic of vandalism accompanying its rapid growth. Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial suggests that the taxpaying businesses of Whitefish hire their own security guard and organize volunteer groups to patrol.

Oh, yes, and convince all their fellow retailers who sell alcohol not to "over serve" their customers, since most serious vandalism is "linked to drunken bar patrons."

I must be confused. I thought that prevention of crime was the main function of the police.

Surely, Chief Dial, you can find money in a $1.5 million budget (2004-2005) to patrol three or four blocks that require protection a few hours a night. Some of those same "drunken bar patrons" will be driving drunk after they finish vandalizing, causing even more serious problems than property damage.

Why don't you take a couple of patrolmen out of their warm new SUVs and have them walk the streets for a couple of hours, instead of busying themselves with barking dogs and minor traffic violations.

Once the city has a reputation for not tolerating drunken behavior, perhaps those "drunken bar patrons" will disappear, and with them the vandalism.

The problem isn't "limited resources" — every government bureaucracy hides behind that excuse — but rather poor allocation of available resources.

P. David Myerowitz

Columbia Falls.