Want to reduce crime? Think marriage!

Tracy police's Irene Rose, resident crime prevention officer, has this advice for keeping streets safe: think marriage.

Police can't do it alone, she said. If folks want to be safe, they have to pitch in and not expect the cops to do it all for them.

“We can’t do it without them. … To really prevent crime, the community has to be part of it.”

In other words: if you want help, help yourself by not withdrawing from the neighborhood you want to protect.

One way to do this is to get out and use parks, sidewalks and porches. If regular people are using public space, bad guys won't.

“I think of criminals as I do cockroaches," Rose explained — they don't like people, and they don't like the light.

Who would have thought keeping thieves out of your glove box would be like getting hitched to the boys (and girls) in blue?