wundernine

Police have very little time to actually patrol in these zones. We spend a significant amount of our shift going from call to call, largely due to staffing. Reduced number of officers equals reduced patrol and investigative capacity, which ultimately yields an increase in both person and property crimes. Even being able to drive around is a functional deterrent but we don’t have that luxury any longer.

It’s not as bad as what you see in Flint Town - yet - but the continual reductions in staffing are making it a more likely reality. The whole community interaction approach to policing is an admirable goal, but it’s untenable in most larger agencies because we simply don’t have the time. When it comes down to it, I’m going code to assaults and robberies, not doing coffee-with-a-cop. Unfortunately I don’t see that changing any time soon, and my area hasn’t been hard hit with the defund-the-police malarkey.

Edit: regarding the notion of saturation in high-crime areas - it’s a matter of zone priority. Believe it or not, police are incredibly data-driven when it comes to preservation of life. We allocate resources where they can have the most impact. If you’re in Chicago, it doesn’t make much sense to run an anti-violent crime task force in Hyde Park when the homicides are largely concentrated in Austin and Englewood. I’d recommend heyjackass.com for a good visual of how well Chicago is doing. Good thing they have strict gun control laws.

Unfortunately, from a prosecutorial standpoint (at least where I am), adjudicating drug cases with compulsory treatment is exceedingly rare, and unfortunately those who may benefit from it most are least likely to have any follow-through, as the providers in my area start at their door, and don't allocate for transportation which is an added hurdle.

The other end of it (again, where I am) is prosecutors - both municipal and state - are reticent to prosecute drug-related cases unless it's a direct tie to trafficking - i.e., an arrest where a search yielded 10oz of meth wasn't worth their time.

Then again, every stolen auto related arrest I've made in the past year has gone nowhere as well. But again, I can only do what I can do - once I wrap up my reports and send them off, it's out of my hands. But at the end of the day, it tends to be the police that take the brunt of the ire for why things don't happen - and that's okay.