Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez had an interesting take recently on the problems with assaults and intimidating incidents on the American Tobacco Trail in the Bull City. Said he: “When it’s starting to get dark it’s not a time to be on any trail in the United States.” That is a disappointing statement, both because it exaggerates the risk of using many trails in this country and because it sounds like an excuse. And not a good one.

After another incident Wednesday night, when a woman was assaulted but the attacker was scared away by a bicyclist, it’s time for Lopez and Durham officials to fix this problem, period. Yes, police patrols have been increased. And perhaps the trail can’t be made perfectly safe. But there have been too many incidents, which are giving the trail a bad image and Durham a black eye.

Despite his department’s stepped-up enforcement measures, Lopez didn’t help matters by in effect suggesting that people should just avoid the trail at dusk. The chief surely doesn’t think there is a point at which the community should surrender to thugs.