More Police Presence Isn't Accomplishing the Goal of a Safer Society

As published in the New Orleans Times Picayune, May 6, 2024: https://www.nola.com/opinions/letters-if-goal-is-a-safer-society-policing-isnt-answer/article_b85b1b02-f845-11ee-a604-076bc14982f4.html

The fundamental premise that lower crime requires a stronger police presence is faulty. Law enforcement officers respond only after crimes have occurred. Generally, police forces are not tasked with prevention of crime; rather they enforce laws.

Crime prevention requires an empowered citizenry working in cooperation with formal societal controls to realize a common agenda. All too often, however, the police are more akin to an occupying force rather than an ally in the process of prevention. Rather than "get tough on crime" policies and further militarization of the police, we must learn community strategies to assist residents in defining their dreams for a safe neighborhood, and then help them to attain them.

When the legal structure undergirds a community rather than marginalizing it, crime prevention can occur. Tactics such as those advocated by the "get tough on crime" proponents have resulted in Louisiana becoming the most incarcerated state in the country but without any substantive reduction in violent crime. Harsher laws, more police presence, a system of retributive justice and mass incarceration have not accomplished the goals for which they were established. Perhaps it is time to explore more novel ideas and forward-looking strategies.