In gun debate, should we expect more of the police?

This old Lincoln usually is among a half-dozen or more cars parked in the driveway or in front of 311 Euclid Ave. in Hackensack, a home that neighbors suspect is being used illegally as a rooming house. Their complaints to the city Building Department have been ignored. For the past three days, the car has been parked a half-block away from 311 Euclid.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

When did we stop expecting the police to control crime, especially gun violence?

Today, The Record runs a long Page 1 discussion of failed gun-control efforts in New Jersey (A-1 and A-6), and an AP story on Trenton breaking its record for most homicides in a year (A-4) -- and not a single police chief is quoted in either.

Have we bought into the unspoken argument of gun-rights groups that citizens need to bear arms to protect themselves in the absence of effective law enforcement?

Christie veto

Governor Christie's veto of gun-control bills is another example of how he falls short when compared to leaders in New York and other states on a whole range of issues, including mass transit and a hike in the minimum wage (O-2).

Today's front-page story on the gun debate is one of three process pieces hand-picked by Editor Marty Gottlieb to put readers to sleep.

Silver Spoons

Really, who wants to read a profile of John Mara, the wealthy co-owner of the Giants, who, like Publisher Stephen A. Borg, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth (A-1)?

Who is responsible for the wrong photo in a full-page East Coast Toyota ad (A-10)? A Toyota Camry is shown instead of  "the all-new redesigned 2014 Corolla."

Cops off the hook again

The Road Warrior's statistics-filled column on a speeding and driving drunk crackdown demonstrates once again how the media ignore the lack of enforcement at other times (L-1).

Same goes for a ticket blitz targeting bicyclists, but not speeding drivers, on Route 9W (L-3).

The drought on local obituaries continues today, but head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes made room for more utility pole news (L-2).

More irrelevant coverage

Editors of the Business section kicked back on Friday, scheduling a wire-service piece on the national economy today (B-1), but nothing on the dismal New Jersey economy.

On the Opinion front, Columnist Mike Kelly continues to test readers' patience by comparing the number of people who turned out to hear President Obama last Wednesday and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a half-century ago.

His first column doing so was a total turn-off. Maybe, he should pay more attention to getting the editors to update his unflattering, "Shit-Eating Grin" column photo (O-1).

Eat this

On the Better Living cover, the fine-dining restaurant reviewer goes slumming at Sonic and other fast-food places to celebrate such crappy fare as "pretzel buns" (BL-1).

As if to balance The Corner Table column from Staff Writer Elisa Ung, section editors run an overlong profile of Pete Napolitano, also known as "Produce Pete," whose family business in Bergenfield closed in 2006 (BL-1).