LETTER: We need change in approach to crime in Flathead

It seems very sad that a Facebook crime page needs to be created in order that those who have been robbed might be able to recover some of their items. Whatever happened to the ability of stores being robbed, stopping the robbery?

It used to be a store employee could run down a suspect and hold him until the police came. Now if we try, the thief sues us for assault and we will likely get fired for our effort. That is where our justice system has taken us. The criminal is now the victim.  

The amount of blatant theft I see is unbelievable because this community of Flathead Valley thieves know there is nothing we can do about it. So they come and steal from us with freedom while we are handcuffed.

Montana needs tougher theft laws. Protecting shop owners from frivolous lawsuits by criminals would be an excellent start. And the Flathead Valley needs a larger jail so those thieves aren’t released due to lack of space. —Francis Johnson, Kalispell