By Rick Bart and Al Boren

In an engaged community that has strong relationships between neighborhoods, families, schools and their youth, adding new deputies or police officers (because of workload and safety issues) is the least important issue.

It is not as important because that community is safer due to the strength it has in those relationships. Unfortunately, Snohomish County is not as engaged as it could, or must be, and we constantly need more deputies and police officers. We believe there is a better way to make us stronger and safer. We need to address the core issues causing us to continue to increase our criminal justice spending.

As we move into 2003, with an uncertain economy and thousands of our neighbors facing unemployment, all of us need to think creatively if we are to become a stronger and safer community. Raising taxes to pay for new criminal justice programs and added deputies or police officers cannot solve the problems we are facing. We cannot buy our way out of the downward spiraling whirlpool that is sucking into it more and more of our community resources. We need to start rowing our way out of this whirlpool and we need to start now! Hard work, and not money, is going to solve these problems.

Core problems like drug/alcohol use, unemployment, disenfranchised youth, domestic violence, teen violence and broken homes will never be reduced or eliminated by only throwing money at them. We need to strengthen our relationships within the family, neighborhoods, schools and businesses by supporting one another with understanding, involvement, mentorship and a renewed sense of community commitment. Just after September 11, 2001, this community became very strong and united. We need to regain that sense of togetherness and commitment to continue our way of life. We need to pay more attention to our youth!

A community at risk exhibits outward symptoms of sickness with increased drug and alcohol use (specifically among our youth), increased violence at home and in our neighborhoods (specifically among our youth), a lack of respect or tolerance for others and many more symptoms we are sure you can identify. Robert Heinlein once said “Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms such as you have named (violence, muggings, sniping, arson, bombing, terrorism, riots) but a dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners, a lack of consideration for others in minor matters, is more significant than a riot.”

Do any of these things come close to home in your community? Do you have a “drug house” in your neighborhood? Are you tired of the speeding cars zooming down your street? Are your neighbors, or maybe you, rude to the local teens or one another? Are they rude to you?

What can we do to help our children, schools, families and communities? This basic question challenges all of us in today’s busy world where the building of jails seems more common than the development of playgrounds. The good news is that there are answers. However, each of us must be willing to slow down and take more time for relationship building with those around us, especially kids.

Please don’t blame our schools any more for the problems we hear and read about within their walls. Work with them to make things better in the community if you really want to solve the problem. These kids live somewhere and have parents and neighbors who should be better monitoring their activities. They take to school what is at home or in their community. We all need to accept more responsibility in the their education.

Data from over 1 million youth ages 11 to 18 years across the United States suggests the more assets a youth has, the better chance she/he will not be engaged in violence, substance abuse, sexual acts and poor school performance. The good news is that youth and individuals of all ages can acquire these building blocks at any time to enhance their lives. We need to spend more time block building in our communities by volunteering, mentoring and helping families that are struggling.

Only a few years ago more than 3,000 youth participated in an assets survey in Snohomish County through the Healthy Communities initiative. The average number of assets among youth in the Northwest averaged just over 18, which is on par with the youth across the United States in both rural and urban areas. The study by Search Institute indicated a major change in positive behaviors among youth with 30 assets and above.

This begs the question: How are these building blocks acquired and what can we do to help our youth? Beyond food and shelter the assets are acquired within three basic areas; safe places, relationships with caring adults and productive activities. Unlike in the years past, homes and neighborhoods today are often vacant until late in the afternoon depriving kids of safe places and opportunities for intergenerational relationships. Activities may be limited to individual pursuits such as the Internet exploration, video games and television behind a closed door.

Each of us has a choice to be an asset-builder within our own home, neighborhood, faith community or place of employment. Ask yourself the three-way test: Is it a safe place? Am I being a caring person? Is this a productive activity? Safe homes, safe schools and safe neighborhoods enable youth to acquire assets. Friendly, positive interactive relationships with adults enable youth to feel recognized and valued. Do you know the names of the kids in your neighborhood and say “Hi” when you see one? Can you help create a productive activity such as a park, tennis court, ball diamond or skateboard park where caring adults can interact, protect and influence kids? These kinds of caring, common sense actions can help today’s youth to be productive, fulfilled citizens.

The choice is ours. Let’s make the effort to reach out and build relationships with those around us, especially the youth, for safer, stronger communities. Remember, in a community that is strongly engaged with its youth, adding deputies or police officers is the least important issue.

Rick Bart is Snohomish County Sheriff. Al Boren is with the Snohomish County YMCA.