With the economy pretty much at the worst anyone under the age of 70 has ever experienced, maybe people are finally learning that crime really doesn't pay and are looking for income elsewhere. Or not.

Hank, you should start thinking about where you get your "information." Is it B'moon?

Hank, the police department budget for 2010 is $12.5 million, which accounts for the loss of the state grant. There is no danger of a "25% reduction" ($3 million). I know that Chief Moore is prepared to present an austerity budget if the city council requires across-the-board cuts, but let's hope it does not come to that.

Then again Eric Levitt makes how much money a year maybe we can take some of his big bucks away...

Janesville deserves this grant I love this town I have lived here my whole life and I will never leave. Keep up the good work protecting us!! Then again maybe no one wants to pay the $400 fee that we may get charged if the police are called..

Nap time!

bobb- Use English! Your posts don't make any sense.

Bobb, I usually laugh at the "grammar police"; but your post was so badly written and spelled that hopefully all deliberations were verbal for the juries you served on.

With the grant based on the crime rate, the answer to "Do you think it was fair for the department to lose its grant?" is yes.
This reminds me of property taxes. When values are rising, taxes rise right along with them, no one in government says boo. But when the reverse happens, local governments launch into the mode where they seek out alternative revenues. In other words, it's a one-way street.
In the immediate case, it's GOOD NEWS that crime rates are down! And with less crime, it makes sense that the PD needs less money.
Let me put it another way - if the PD needs more money when there is more crime, if that is a true statement, then it's also a true statement that they need less money when there is less crime.

Or is it because less crimes are reported because people are not feeling like anyone will do anything about it.

A real answer. First, it is in a state of flux. Never...is it the same for anything! Everything always goes up and down. Crime (may) be in a down slide right now, with the up-increase yet to come.
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Second, how are these stats being given? I mean the D.A. drops so much from it's case files and tells the cops (if it tells them anything) that it is because of huge case loads. Essentially they are committing to triage like like a war time hospital. I would think that indicates there is still a huge number affecting the D.A.'s office.
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So do the dismissed cases, reduced patrols (yes they have been), less complaints (because our general population has changed it's morals around here lately and does not demand the same as it did before), and let's not forget the ever political numbers configuration of our leaders. Who knows what the real numbers are anyway.
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Finally I believe the smaller offenses have been on the increase anyway. Now, what about the several murder cases we have had in the last few years. Seems like more than the average ten years ago!

They cannot afford guns?

Their get away car is broke and they don't have the money to fix it because they are to lazy to walk to the liquor store to rob it?

We are NOT catching them?

I don't think it's fair that the police dept. lost the grant. I think the drop in crime rate has many factors. First, the population in Janesville has decreased. Less people, less problems. Secondly, I think the unemployment rate gives people less disposable income for things like alcohol and drugs, which tend to cause problems. In addition, more people are at home with their families, which helps keeps kids out of trouble. With more people home, there are more people watching the houses and the neighborhoods around them. In a bigger city, higher unemployment would add to the problem. However, in Janesville there is enough local support and state support that people aren't desperate to the point of committing crimes.

As NVgrf would say: "It's Obama's fault."

NOW I THINK PEOPLE TAKE THE LAW IN THERE OWN HANDS.

Real nice bobb1951.

Criminals moved to a place where people have jobs and money.

if bobb tries to identify himself in court as bobb1951 my guess is he will be excused long before mistrial comes into play;)

bobb- There you go again- jumpin to conclusions. I just talked to clerk of courts for criminal court and he said that things were running normal and there is no backlog of criminal cases at all. Check for yourself- Clerk of Courts, Eldred Mielke... 743-2350 You are AGAIN caught with your pants down. I don't believe nuthin you say here and I am warning everybody else- If this bobb feller is ever on jury duty, call for a mistrial!

Historically, crime rates statistically drop in an equal proportion to the population of young men 18-25.

...and not commiting crimes because they can't get off the couch.

Sorry Theodore, could not help myself given the story line. Seriously, crime rates are dropping because we are aging as a society, per capita incarceration rates in the U.S. are high (its those darn plea bargains), and the kids nowdays are too fat to out run the cops.

Uh, because less crimes are being committed?

Right on, Ted! This is B.S.

The question is, if we don't like it, who do we call? How do we protest?

It's a tax and government expenditure issue, right? So our elected officials should have some input, right? What's a taxpayer to do? That should be your next article.

I bet none of our elected officials or their staffs have a clue on what to do if we had a massive uprising on this one little issue alone. We taxpayers and voters are disenfrancised on a host of even bigger issues. The bureacracies are out of control! You should report on that.

Try investigating this one little issue and see where it gets you. I'm hoping you can discover a way through and not a bureacratic roadblock.

Criminals steal to sell, no one has money to buy, even at below cost. Don't worry, it will pick up soon.

Kids get scholarships for doing well, but it only lasts so long.
If that dollar amount is the magic number to control the crime, then take it from the money not needed to represent and service fewer inmates.