While law abiding citizens often find it frustrating to learn that those accused of crimes against them are arrested but very soon released, that doesn’t mean the system doesn’t work.

Sometimes it just means it’s slower than we might like, certainly. But in America, the scales of justice are not fixed for a certain outcome.

The police often have an uphill battle to gather the burden of proof of wrongdoing. And if you know that’s the guy who stole from you, watching him walk can be infuriating.

But neither individuals nor the justice system always know what they think they do.

That’s something we may have to keep reminding ourselves in the near future in this community — that in order for justice to work, it must work the same for everybody, even for those who may eventually be found guilty.

And while we’re pondering those thoughts so hard to hold in our heads, we should add a few more. Just why is it that we suddenly seem beset, in this small community, with those who would steal? What has happened to make this a reality at this moment?

The answers likely are found in causes rooted in society at large, about which we may not be able to prevail. But perhaps there are things we can do to make such crimes less likely here, more than the obvious security systems and further reaching.

Security systems are good. Needing less of them would be better and would require solving root causes, not just treating symptoms.

Let’s think about that.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher