[leetcrew]

> But isn't it strange that every patrol cop in the neighborhood never fails to make sure to check that the corner sausage cart vendor and ice cream van have every single permit in order? And how there's always time to stop someone for a non-functional tail light? And to stop random dudes for pat-downs?

it's not that surprising. I'm sure malice is part of the explanation, but it's also just easier. the ice cream van either has the permit or they don't. they're not going to run away. in 30 minutes, the officer gets to add another citation to the monthly tally. it's a nearly certain outcome that takes little effort.

the stolen car or bike is already gone by the time the officer shows up to the scene (if they bother to). it takes an indeterminate amount of time to track down the stolen item, and even more to gather enough evidence to actually charge someone. it sucks, but most people who are evaluated on metrics try to avoid spending a lot of time on tasks where they might come out empty-handed. it's a hard organizational problem to incentivize this sort of work.