RON DAVIS -- Through My Eyes

Remember the story about the three little pigs? Each of the porkers

fashioned their homes out of different materials -- materials that

reflected their own priorities about safety and security. You can bet

your bacon that two of the little piggies began rethinking their

priorities as soon as the wolf started up their walkways. Of course, by

then, it was too late.

Events that test our safety are like wolves -- they appear suddenly and

with little warning. We’re either ready, or we’re not.

Each of the pigs made their own individual decisions about how to spend

their limited resources. For one pig, safety and security was of prime

importance. For the other two, they decided to spend less money on safety

and more on creature comforts.

In communities such as Huntington Beach, we, too, have to make continuing

tough decisions about the relative importance of public safety compared

to supporting other interests.

You probably didn’t know that when each of the pigs first noticed the

wolf, they immediately dialed 911. The attacks were so swift, by the time

the police and paramedics arrived, the wolf had left the scene. The very

next day, The Daily Snout, a local newspaper whose slogan is, “We have a

nose for news,” ran a front-page headline and story about the attack.

Even HBTV (Hog’s Breath Television) interrupted its popular comedy

“Swinefeld” to bring the startling news.

People seldom notice the hidden financial costs and benefits to a

community, depending upon its reputation for public safety. As an

example, in the case of the pigs, no reasonable pig wanted to continue

living in a hamlet (sorry for that) where they’re subject to constant

attack. The attack itself raised questions about public safety, which was

spread by the media to other communities.

Further attacks will only aggravate the problem. When communities gain a

reputation for a lack of safety, people move elsewhere. When they move,

they tend to sell their property at reduced prices -- safety being more

important than anything else.

Since people don’t want to move into a community perceived to be unsafe,

the number of houses on the market increases, which leads to more price

reductions. Decreased property values translate into decreased property

tax revenues. Safety concerns result in reduced retail sales, which means

more business failures, which in turn reduces sales tax revenue.

These all combine to create an ugly downward spiral, affecting all of our

pocketbooks, including the city’s, which is exceedingly expensive to

reverse.

The pigs’ decision to buy big-screen TVs, videocassette recorders and

high-end stereos rather than provide a safe environment was shortsighted.

In the context of our communities, great parks, first-class libraries and

other amenities are meaningless unless we can continue to safely enjoy

them.

Just before the attack, the pigs were comfortably watching the Hens

playing the Ducks in the NFC (National Farm Conference) playoffs, with

little concern about their safety. After all, their hamlet had been given

numerous awards as one of the safest communities. The pigs assumed that

because the community had been safe in the past, it would continue that

way, ignoring the advice of their investment fox that past results are no

guarantee of future performance.

Over the next couple of columns, I expect to hog a little space and

further discuss public safety. I intend to huff and puff and blow down

the door of misconception that a community is safe because it has a

reasonable ratio of cops to residents and because its response times are

acceptable. I plan to further explore the saga of the three pigs and some

of the subtleties of public safety while we learn if a wolf or wolves are

apprehended, and what was involved in the process. You might even learn

whether the pigs succeeded in convicting a wolf and sending him (forgive

me) to the pen.

In my final column on the subject, I’ll get to some specific information

concerning public safety in Huntington Beach, which I hope will allow you

to make a more informed judgment on the subject.

Like the pigs now say in the hamlet, ‘It’s better to be safe than sowry.’

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He can

be reached by e-mail at ronscolumn@worldnet.att.net.