New Mat-Su crime unit already making a difference

Sometimes our behavior depends on whether or not we think anyone is watching.

Is it OK to pocket $20 you find on the floor in Fred Meyer, so long as no one’s looking? If you cheat at school, is it OK so long as you don’t get caught? Speeding is fine, until you see those heart-skipping flashing lights, right?

We all know what’s right, but sometimes we still do what is easy instead when we perceive there will be no consequences for our actions.

That could, in part, explain the long history of property crimes in the Valley.

It’s been a pleasure reading the Alaska State Troopers dispatches the past few weeks. No doubt other folks who follow the troopers’ daily log of activities have also noticed the number of recent arrests credited to the new Mat-Su Theft Suppression Unit.

Last week alone, the unit recovered thousands of dollars worth of Valley residents’ personal property and made several arrests.

These are crimes that previously may have languished as low-priority incidents in the backlog of AST’s workload. Instead, some stolen items were recovered within hours.

Some credit goes to the community, which is supporting the unit’s efforts via a couple of local Facebook groups — such as Stop Valley Thieves — that have sprung up to share information about suspicious vehicles in neighborhoods, stolen items, or leads on where to find missing items.

Though the Mat-Su Theft Suppression Unit is a very welcome addition to the Valley, we believe there is more at play here. Drug addiction is an everyday motivator for theft. That’s why we think fighting theft may be treating a symptom rather than the disease.

We could gain ground on a number of social issues by adding more drug and alcohol addiction programs to help our neighbors recover. Addiction is toxic fuel for other ills the Valley battles, such as child abuse, spousal abuse, homelessness and sex crimes. Look no further for proof than the Department of Corrections, which lists alcohol and drugs as contributing factors for an overwhelming majority of its inmates.

We welcome the Mat-Su Theft Suppression Unit’s work to reduce property crimes, and we would applaud a companion push to provide recovery help for our neighbors. Treating drug and alcohol addiction would go a long way in our fight to reduce the rates of impaired driving, domestic violence, child abuse and, yes, theft in our Valley.