West point police explain how revenge violence is a problem
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) Revenge and retaliation violence continues to be a problem for law enforcement, and the retaliation is not just always guns.
“The biggest thing when you are looking at a retaliation crime, is that you are looking at a crime, you do not necessarily know that it is a retaliation crime right off the bat, said John Lay, Investigation Sergeant at West Point Police Department. “You think more times than not that one shooting leads to another shooting, that leads to another shooting, that leads to another shooting, but there are also other retaliation crimes.”
The Bureau of Justice reported that the violent victimization rate per 1,000 people aged 12 or older in the United States was 22.5% just one year ago. Investigation Sergeant John Lay with the West Point Police Department said revenge crimes are nothing new.
“If you look historically at a feud, which all that is is retaliation back and forth, said Lay. “All the way back and forth to the Hatfield and McCoy’s in the 1880’s. So, Retaliation crimes have been a part of, I do not want to say the non-American justice system, but to an extent, it is exactly that.
The justice systems can sometimes take two to three years to prosecute a criminal, and sometimes it can be longer. When it comes to retaliation, some suspects would rather take matters into their own hands, than wait for the legal system to play out. Lay said it’s a trend he would like to see quickly come to an end.
“I think it is a combination of a lot of it. Frustration in the justice systems, part of that frustration in the justice system also comes from the fact that you have people that will not talk because of street code,” said Lay. “You have the problem with street code is that ‘I want my vengeance’, and that vengeance comes with anger, so they are all tied together.”
The West Point Police Department is urging anyone who has any information about any crime, to contact the Golden Triangle Crimestoppers, or your local authorities.
