Hmmmm, no one was manning the new police substation when the Island Blues Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint recently. OK, someone did get an accurate description of the robbers and the vehicle according to a recent article. And they got an idea which way the vehicle was heading. It's even possible that the criminals passed right by police responding to the call.
How many vehicles matching that description could there possibly be on the island? Perhaps they got on the car ferry and left for St. Thomas?
In either case, the first thing that should have been done as soon as the distress call was made to police seems to be that the ferry should have been held and a road checkpoint setup to catch these thugs. Simple, basic stuff.
Failing that, the police should be easily able to check registration records for that vehicle type and color and come up with a fast match.
It seems that there should also be a video camera and recorder installed at the ferry dock to monitor traffic in a case such as this and perhaps a contingency plan to communicate with the ferry operator and St. Thomas police in the event that the ferry has already departed.
Video cameras with remote recording and silent wireless alarms at homes and businesses also would go a long way towards discouraging this type of crime. With limited police resources this can be a huge force multiplier.
Rob Pfriender
Long Island, N.Y.
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