Beloit Police Ask Residents To Volunteer To Have Their Homes Searched For Guns

[lostinblue 1,989]

Beloit Police Ask Residents To Volunteer To Have Their Homes Searched For Guns

Chief Of Police Says He Hopes Initiative Can Help Residents Begin Thinking Differently About Guns

Friday, December 5, 2014, 8:45pm

By Gilman Halsted

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Police in Beloit are launching a new effort to reduce gun violence in which they're asking city residents to volunteer to have police search their homes for guns.

Police Chief Norm Jacobs said he doesn't expect the phone to be ringing off the hook with requests for police to search their homes. He nevertheless hopes the program will encourage people to think about gun violence as an infectious disease like Ebola, and a home inspection like a vaccine to help build up the city's immune system.

"Gun violence is as serious as the Ebola virus is being represented in the media, and we should fight it using the tools that we've learned from our health providers,” he said.

Jacobs said he hopes some searches will result in the discovery of guns they didn't know were in their own homes. He said that there’s also a chance they’ll find guns linked to crimes.

“That's really what we're looking for,” he said. “Maybe we'll find a toy gun that's been altered by a youngster in the house — and we know the tragedies that can occur there on occasion.”

There have been seven gun homicides in Beloit this year. Four of the victims were teenagers or young men in their 20s — like Melisha Holloway's 20-year-old son Raymond, who was killed in April. Holloway said too many young men have given up on school.

“Pretty much all those kids and young men just need to be is educated,” said Holloway. “You have a lot of them that barely read at a fifth-grade level yet they're 25 year-old-men. But they know how to work a gun. There's something wrong with that picture."

This week, 20-year-old Jajuan Logan was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Holloway's murder.

http://www.wpr.org/beloit-police-ask-residents-volunteer-have-their-homes-searched-guns

[Teddy B 17,251]

Big mistake to allow police to search your home unless they have a warrant.

[TBoneTX 43,058]

That's an understatement.

[Karee 4,189]

I'm not getting this story. Can't people search their own homes?

[eieio 1,594]

I'm not getting this story. Can't people search their own homes?

No they are to stupid. They need the police to inspect their homes to make sure it is gun free. Next month the police will have a free public service to search homes for dead elephants. You never know what is in your home.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

It's a pathetic ploy to play upon the ignorant people of America. Gruber is right about stupid Americans. People surrender their rights thinking they are doing something good for themselves and others. It's another whacky notch in the belt of progs trying to erase the US Constitution. Is saying "US Constitution" as bad as saying Merry Christmas?

[VOL 425]

Very weird request by the Chief of Police.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Holloway said too many young men have given up on school. “Pretty much all those kids and young men just need to be is educated,” said Holloway. “You have a lot of them that barely read at a fifth-grade level yet they're 25 year-old-men.

That somehow got by the censors ....