The second month of 2000, the second murder of the year. Montezuma County is shocked, for good reason, but although the statistic is alarming, it doesn’t mean the southwest corner of the state is a hotbed of crime.

In a recent letter the editor, a woman from Superior (up by Boulder) wrote, apparently in response to letters critical of an assistant district attorney, "It seems to me that the Cortez area is plagued with crime and poverty and people who do not want to obey the law." It’s easy to see how she formed that impression: The Journal’s letters column recently has included several letters by family members of people accused of relatively minor crimes, seemingly objecting to the fact that the plea-bargain process didn’t go according to their preferences. That’s the way it usually goes; it’s overly optimistic to expect most people to enjoy accepting the consequences of their actions. We doubt northern Colorado prosecutors get much more cooperation.

Are we plagued with crime and poverty? It’s true that our per capita income here is considerably lower than that of Boulder County residents, but our cost of living is lower too and most of us don’t live in dire poverty. It’s difficult to argue that we don’t have too much crime, but the fact of the matter is that we don’t have as much as many people believe.

Most of Montezuma County’s crime is property crime, including theft and vandalism. It’s unacceptable, of course, but it’s not as though we live in a land of murder and mayhem.

Murder is another story; we do seem to have more than our share, but look closely. Most murders here (and indeed, everywhere) are committed by people who know their victims. They aren’t random crimes; local residents aren’t at great risk of dying in drive-by shootings. Other violent crimes follow a similar pattern; they’re committed among domestic partners or acquaintances. We can walk our dogs at dusk without fearing that we’ll be accosted by perfect strangers wielding knives. Middle-class citizens sitting around the television at 8 p.m., watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," are quite safe from invasion.

Certain conditions do make crime more likely. Poverty is one; substance abuse, though, is by far the greatest. A significant number of Montezuma County residents do have problems with alcohol and drugs, and they’re at greater risk for being involved violent crimes, both as victims and as perpetrators. Those risks can be reduced.

For that matter, anyone’s risk of becoming a victim of violent crime can be reduced by taking certain precautions. Choosing one’s friends carefully is an important one, as is avoiding circumstances likely to lead to crime. That doesn’t mean the crimes are the fault of the victims; it only means that the danger can be reduced.