Does Crime Pay?
Crime correspondent Anna Koslov recently interviewed three people whose contact with the world of crime is all in a day's work.
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Many of you have seen movies that show fictional characters who risk their lives to fight the enemies of justice. The adventures of these heroes are not real. However, there are real heroes who regularly deal with the world of crime just by showing up at their jobs.
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Willy J,41,works as a guard in a prison that is home to some of the worst criminals in the country. In his career he must have seen hundreds of law-breakers enter the walls of the prison . However, he hasn't seen many of them leave. Willy never assumes that the prisoners can be trusted. "Many of these guys know it will be a long time before they'll ever leave this place, so they spend their days thinking about how to get out. And I'm the person they see as standing in their way."
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So what does Willy think of his stressful job? First, he is quick to admit that a part of him does feel sorry for the prisoners."I can't believe they're all bad. They're still human beings," he says. But he also believes they should pay the price for their crimes."They knew what the result of committing their crime would be, "he adds."Now that the justice system has placed them here, it's my job to protect society by making sure they don't get out before they serve their time."
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Someone else whose job it is to protect society is Alberto T, a 28-year-old police officer who patrols the streets of a tough city neighborhood. this area also happens to be the neighborhood where he grew up."It's sad, "Alberto says."Sometimes I have to arrest people who I actually know. They had dreams like anyone else, but they gave into the lie that crime could help them achieve their goals."Alberto will tell you He fells that he must teach the young people there that it's never worth it to break the law.
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One person's contact with the world of crime is not as easy to spot. That person is Tina D, a 37-year-old private detective. Tina work on a variety of cases from helping people find lost loved ones to locating witnesses to crimes. Even though Tina's job does have its exciting moments, she points out that she, s not like the private detectives that are portrayed on TV."My job might seem glamorous ,but most of what I do involves a lot of paperwork, "she laughs.
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There will always be those around us who choose to break the law. Crime doesn't pay for them or for the innocent people who are the victims of their crimes. But then there are the courageous men and women whose job it is to keep us safe. It can't always be easy for them to put themselves in danger in order to fight crime.But if you ask them why they do it,they would probably just tell you that it's all in a day's work!