Increase fight against homicide

This chilling statistic — 42 people were victims of homicide in Utah in 1999 — should remind everyone of one important truth. Despite all the economic and technological advances of modern life, nothing can compensate for taking the life of another.

Life revolves around individual circumstances, and for the families and extended families of those touched by homicide, no two stories are the same. Society can try to empathize with those who have lost loved ones this way, but the best reaction would be to take measures to reduce the number of future tragedies.

All of Utah's communities must make the prevention and punishment of crime a top priority. Nationwide statistics indicate that other states are putting greater numbers of criminals behind bars for longer periods of time than is Utah. Funding law enforcement and correction agencies adequately continues to be a challenge throughout the state. But it's a challenge that must be met.

The 42 homicides do not include shootings involving the police. Nor do they include the 12 victims from past crimes whose deaths were not classified as homicides at the time. Those range from 11-month-old Vivienne Smith, who died in 1998 to 93-year-old Judith V. Larsen, who died in 1996 — people whose deaths, upon further review, have become suspicious.

Many of the 42 homicides in 1999 involved domestic violence, revealing the dark side of too many relationships. Eleven of the victims were women who were killed by their boyfriends or husbands. Included in the overall total are the homicides from two highly publicized shootings at the Triad Center and The Family History Library. The perpetrators of both of those tragedies suffered from mental illnesses, further emphasis for the need to provide greater care and insurance coverage for the mentally ill. This should be a priority for the 2000 Legislature.

Murders have declined nationwide for several years now. So-called community-based policing, in which officers are placed in neighborhood stores and other easily accessible spots, has been credited for playing a part in that reduction. Police departments in Utah also have adopted this policy in recent years. Chances are, this and other programs have helped. So has the push to lock up more habitual criminals.

Nothing can be done to bring back those who are dead. But a lot can be done to reduce the number of homicides in the future. Lawmakers, law enforcement officers and communities must work together to bring that to pass.