We are willing to pay for and want good police work. But a meer police presence does little to stop theft. Anchorage has a large police presence that is doing very little to address theft. Police work in Anchorage is mostly for revenue generation, ticketing and fining of folks on their way to and from work. I however don't blame cops for not dealing with theft because there are no real penalties for theft. So not only is there no government revenue in addressing theft but cops are  ineffective in stopping theft because there are no real penalties. Theft is the problem. We must deal with theft or continue to live in this cesspool.