This might help a bit to the extent a large group of folks wandering around, might tend to stop criminal activity within their view of sight, in the way a street with a lot of pedestrians might be safer than an empty street. On the other hand, there is a risk that these prayer folks might get hurt. Policing is very high skilled job (or should be), but other than being more sets of eyes, wandering around praying for folks is not "policing."
that's a kind assessment, Torie comma and not entirely inaccurate period however comma this ignores the fact that local police departments have engaged in helping organize Community block watch and neighborhood watch programs for decades. This is absolutely nothing new. My guess is that if, and only if there are a handful of Bevin partisans who want to organize these prayer watches, they will be minimal and number and, more importantly, will fade out within a couple months when the novelty and issue dies down.
Let me add an additional observation. The communities most in need of additional neighborhood watch patrols are those least supportive of Governor Bevin. I can see all too easily where a number of Bevan zealots organize to conduct prayer Patrol in bad neighborhoods that they have absolutely nothing to do with. This is not exactly Community organizing or self defense against Crime. Little good will come of that scenario, we're a bunch of Republican religious right organizers do prayer Patrols in inner-city Lewisville, Lexington, or Covington.
As previously noted, this is simply Governor Tea Party abdicating responsibility for doing anything about crime levels and the government's responsibility to combat it. This is really no different than that idiot Congressman Walberg saying we shouldn't worry about global warming because God will find a solution for us.
Yes, I understand it is symbolic (with a political angle that is not particularly pleasant, and clearly imprudent, and might lead to its own tragedies for the reasons you suggest), and mostly jive, and will fade rapidly if it happens at all. So I agree with you. I try to be kind these days. I don't always succeed. But I try.
