Thomas H Wicke Ph D

Crime, Chaos and the Good Life Thomas H Wicke Ph D

Crime may be the most reliable and inevitable feature of community. Criminal behavior exists in and afflicts every nation, state and town. This book contains the accounts of law, deviance and police actions in Lovell, Wyoming and surrounding communities as originally reported in the Lovell Chronicle. Citizens consistently rate fear of becoming a victim to criminal acts as one of their highest concerns. While the consequences of crime are profound and have lasting effects, social deviance also has a lighter side. Contrary to the movies, criminal masterminds more often reveal themselves as masterfully inept and intellectually challenged. Sometimes criminal efforts are an embarrassment, sometimes crime is ridiculous, sometimes it is absurd. Sometimes, with the passage of time, we can laugh about things where we were the victim or the perpetrator. Rather than a heavy and depressing account, readers will enjoy what are often lighthearted and comical exploits. The character of a community is revealed, to a degree, by the severity of crime and deviance occurring in that community. From the reports of crime and chaos contained within this book, Lovell is likely a place where citizens enjoy the good life.