WE NEED NEW LAWS LIKE WE NEED HOLES IN OUR HEADS

After the arrest of John Albert Gardner III, there has been a push for new laws. Here's the problem. We already have all these new laws, passed mostly by stupid initiatives that were drawn at the heat of the moment. The problem is that it is not a complete solution, and they are not enforced, either because of a lack of money, lack of thorough training, or both. 

The North County Times further states in its Editorial:

"In the meantime, though it may be like shouting into a hurricane, we urge politicians not to use this tragedy to grandstand with 'get tough on crime' rhetoric. Rather, what we need is a close and careful examination of the law and its processes. We also need to separate the convenient myths from hard facts and to adopt reasonable measures to fix the holes in the system.

"For instance, in an era of cheap digital information storage, it makes every bit of sense for Schwarzenegger to do as he did earlier last week, and order parole authorities to retain all officers' field notes.

"Jessica's Law, which was enacted after Gardner's conviction and therefore not applicable to him [Actually, the State Supreme Court ruled that it would apply to people like in Gardner's case], bans sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a park or school, but does not prohibit an ex-offender from walking or loitering near either ---- which seems just dumb. (A different kind of problem with the ban is the 2,000 feet distance ---- such a distance pushes ex-offenders into more rural areas, where it is much harder for authorities to keep track of them.)

"Violent sex offenders who have been released may have to wear ankle monitors, but in nearly bankrupt California, there's little money to monitor the devices.

"The Megan's Law list, which requires all California sex offenders to register with police annually or within five days of obtaining a new residence, has 63,000 names on it. But the range of offenses committed by those on the list runs the gamut from the 18-year-old boy who is intimate with a consenting 16-year-old girl to the most evil and monstrous predator.

"The worst thing we can do at this time is proffer new, hastily drafted legislation. Let's take the time now to review the flaws of the laws we do have, study ways to mend them (if needed) and then proceed accordingly in a clear-headed manner."

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Instead of gunning for blood, we should either use clear heads to change the laws we got or reform the initiative process.