[kailuowang]

Only a couple of decades ago, Manhattan has many shitty areas before the ramp up the police force. The real effect of this "protest" won't really show that quickly. Stopping hassling the "usual" targets may not be the only thing they do.

I don't think we should just sit back and let the situation fold out on its own. Whatever the intention is, if the police force is putting public safety in risk, it's critical to not let that happen.

[lmg643]

I agree. This article from the NYT seems very premature. I think this is part of the current media backlash which is trying to shame the cops for pointing the finger at DeBlasio. "See! You end stop and frisk and crime didn't go up. It is wrong to demonize the administration."

Reducing patrols and arrests isn't going to spike crime immediately, but if this condition persists for another three months, we might be able to comment. The theory is, people have to notice that enforcement is down/stays down, and therefore it is "safe" to try and commit crimes again.

Interesting side note - the drop in parking tickets etc - is a way for the police to starve the city government of revenue. Apparently $550 million or so per year, so there's that element to consider as well. The city could respond with more cameras / automated tickets, so maybe that winds up backfiring. We'll see.

[BashiBazouk]

It will be interesting to see how this balances out. Fewer arrests, fewer court cases and fewer people sent to jail. All of which, especially the jail, are expensive...