Address the growing crime problems in rural California
Although current statistics show a decline of criminal activity in the state, the rate of criminal activity in rural California continues to grow. Crimes against agriculture, violence against family members and manufacture of dangerous drugs are all issues of growing concern to our Grange members who live in the rural counties. In the heavily farmed counties, agricultural crime in the form of commodity theft , cattle theft, chemical theft metals, and farm equipment is much more common than regularly recognized. Violence against adults and children, the result of unemployment, alcohol abuse and drug abuse continues to plague rural California. The manufacture of drugs such as methamphetamine poisons the soil, and lays waste to otherwise useful land for years to come. In some cases property owners were never aware that remote sections of their land was being used for this purpose, but were held legally liable for the costly cleanup. Farm equipment is being stolen, and transported out of the state to be sold elsewhere around the continent. Commodities worth millions of dollars are regularly stolen and sold to "entrepreneurs", as are agricultural chemicals. Livestock of many forms, usually is distributed to the larger urban areas, leaving little for the needs of the rural law enforcement sector to staff special units that can bring cases to the court system for adjudication.
Action Plan:
1. We support the efforts of the United State Justice Department Grants Program that is aimed at the development of pilot programs, joining recognized non-profit organizations and the many local departments that individually provide services to victims of violent crimes.
2. We will support changes in Federal Block Grant programs that will target rural law enforcement agencies.