… or does this sound like the police are allowing crime to happen as a punishment for their perceived slight? Here’s a similar story from NPR. A few excerpts:
“Police in Chicago made 30 percent fewer arrests in the early part of this year compared to last year. Street stops are down more than 80 percent so far this year.”
“2016 is shaping up to be one of deadliest in Chicago since the 1990s.”
“The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President, Dean Angelo, tells Fox News his officers are afraid of being called racist, lawsuits or internet videos that might appear to incriminate them.”
“…no one wants to be on that next video.”
“It’s the above and beyond type of activity that officers were engaged in that we may not see at that same level ever again.”
I really don’t like the sound of these statements. They seem like thinly veiled actions by the Chicago police designed to drive the city towards self destruction in retaliation for new policies on officer accountability in the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald shooting. It also leads me to believe that civilian authorities need to have greater control over bureaucracies that wield police power, rather than allowing the police to regulate themselves (the fox guarding the hen house?). It is also a strong argument for allowing civilian use of firearms for self-defense. After all, it seems we can’t count on the police.