Inner cities, underpolicing and Iraq

[mindstalk]

http://www.law.upenn.edu/blogs/dskeel/archives/2008/03/race_and_crimestuntz.html

Article argues that inner cities get too much drug enforcement policing and not nearly enough violent crime policing -- clearance rate for violent crimes there being much lower than in white suburbs. Makes brief analogy to the "boots on the ground" and surge policies in Iraq; brings up lack of local control of police and prosecutors.

Comments bring up other factors, like "no snitch" culture in the neighborhoods; cause and effect between police ineffectiveness and local distrust of police might be entangled.

Comments

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

I agree. Aggressively enforcing the drug laws and not pursuing violent offenders makes the police the enemy, and encourages the no-snitching culture.

[montyy0.livejournal.com]

a similar phenomenon delayed catching the Green River Killer for a very long time: he victimized primarily prostitutes, who were unwilling or afraid to cooperate with police investigating, because of their adversarial relationship with the police.

Although some proactive approaches to reducing self-damaging, victimless, and nuisance crimes is understandable, when it reaches the level where "normal people" see the police as a threat rather than public servants, it seems to impede the investigation of more serious crimes quite a bit.