(PLN) – This is not that complicated. If the goal is to lower the crime rate and save lives. We have the formula. It’s weird to suggest that no one knows how to accomplish this.
In 1990 New York City had 2262 murders.
In 2022 New York City had 438 murders.(1)
That is an 80% decrease in the number of murders in our nation’s largest city. This was not random. It was an intentional implementation of policy and law – guided by strong leaders who allowed police officers to enforce the law in a colorblind, constitutional, and aggressive manner.
The answer to this problem is entirely research and evidence based.
For these purposes I will focus on the crime of homicide. As the unlawful killing of humans is typically a thing that nearly everyone can agree is bad.
3 Things
- Figure out who is committing the homicides.
- Put a lot of police officers in the areas where these people are.
- Enforce the law.
That’s it. That is the answer. If government leaders took this issue seriously and implemented these three things – thousands of lives would be saved and communities would be safer.
The Numbers (2019)
In 2019 there were 13,927 homicides.(2)
offenders
Approximately, 91% of the offenders were male.
Approximately, 29% of the offenders were white.
Approximately, 39% of the offenders were black.
Approximately, 70% of offenders were 40-years-old or younger.
*Based on this data we know that men who are 40-years-old and under commit the majority of homicides.
1. Who is committing the homicides?
Let’s look at the data from 2021 in New York City.(3)
According to the U.S. Census Bureau New York City is:
31.9% white
23.4% black
28.9% hispanic
Given those numbers, if things were equitable, those population percentages would correlate to equal victim and offender percentages.
However, when it comes to victims of homicides:
5.9% are white
67% are black
23.7% are hispanic
Therefore, black people are victims of homicides approximately three times more than their percentage of the population would indicate.
However, when it comes to offenders of homicides:
4.8% are white
63.9% are black
28.5% are hispanic
Therefore, black people are committing homicides approximately three times more than their percentage of the population would indicate.
*Young black males are disproportionately the offenders (and victims) of homicide in New York City.
I am not providing an analysis or opinion as to why this is what the data indicates. That is an important discussion and the topic of a different article. The purpose here was only to figure out who was committing the homicides.
2. Strong and Visible Police Presence
Two things are objectively true:
- The mere presence of police officers in an area somewhat reduces crime in the community.
- Pro-active policing in an area significantly reduces the crime in that community.
If you do not believe me – there are three options:
- I could summarize every study and make this an 86 page essay.
- You could just take my word for it.(4)
- You can check out the research studies for yourself (link to studies).
a. Thank you Peter Moskos (Follow this guy everywhere).
Though it should be common sense – the more police officers that are visible in an area – the less likely that criminals will commit crime in that area. The mere presence of police officers is a deterrent to criminals.
Therefore, if we know who is committing the crime and where it is occurring – it is essential that those areas, communities, businesses, etc… are saturated with heavy police presence.
3. Enforce the Law
Enforce the law with pro-active policing techniques. Police should utilize targeted and intentional tac-plans that are driven by data and evaluated for effectiveness.
How aggressively or passively that police officers enforce the law and attempt to make communities safer is often determined by the politicians that control and manage police departments. For example, a police officer who is employed with an agency that is under the hammer of a DOJ consent decree – would not/should not have the mentality of a “crime fighter”. That type of officer in that type of culture will not make it to retirement unscathed.
Police officers in general want to enforce the law, take bad guys to jail, and make communities safer. Politicians should foster an environment or hire Courageous Leaders who have the ability to create such a culture (Courageous Police Leadership with Travis Yates).
Think about the contrast. In the 1990’s New York City (led by Mayor Giuliani and Chief Bratton) encouraged and rewarded police officers to arrest offenders for “quality of life” crimes and as a result crime plummeted in the city. Recently, politicians all over California have publicly stated that they specifically will not enforce “quality of life” crimes and crime skyrocketed throughout the state. In which environment would you want your family to reside or your child to work as a police officer?
Final Thoughts
- Figure out who is committing the homicides.
- Put a lot of police officers in the areas where these people are.
- Enforce the law.
This is not that complicated.
If politicians and/or police leaders are not doing these very basic things – reasonable people must wonder why and demand action.
This article originally appeared at the Police Law News Substack
