The quiet return of proactive policing?
Violent crime is on the rise. Not everywhere and not evenly: The problem is concentrated in particular neighborhoods of particular cities, and many categories of crime show declines even as gun offenses and murder have surged. But there's anxiety on the streets that hasn't been felt in years or decades. Just last weekend, Chicago saw 56 shooting victims, nine murders, including a 3-year-old boy, and the public beating of an alderman.
Progressive journalists and pundits have mostly downplayed the trend. A recent report by the Biden-allied Third Way thinktank rejected "a narrative of lawlessness, chaos, and surging crime" on the grounds that "the spike in murder is unique to murder." It's hard to understand why this is supposed to be comforting. A poisoned meal is still deadly, even it's perfectly healthy apart from the arsenic.
There are signs that the public agrees, and wants to see the return of more proactive policing. In Harlem, some activists called for the reinstatement of a plainclothes unit that was disbanded in response to protests in 2020. In the D.C. suburb of Prince George's County in Maryland, officials recently announced the formation of a new taskforce on guns. This week, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a budget proposal that includes about $200 million in new spending on police.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
These measures aren't a return to the tactics or politics of the 1990s, when Republicans and moderate Democrats (including Joe Biden) cooperated on tough criminal justice policies. But they suggest that approval for reduced police presence and relaxed enforcement is wearing thin. "I think crime has a pretty elastic salience — when it goes up, particularly violent crime, people worry and respond rapidly by becoming more supportive of law enforcement," Manhattan Institute fellow Charles Fain Lehman told me. "While people are increasingly concerned about crime and may be on the margins less willing to endorse 'police reform,' I think that they have always been generally pretty sympathetic to techniques to keep their communities safe."
That sympathy may be polarized, though. A recent poll found that Black voters overwhelmingly opposed reducing the size of the Minneapolis police force and that a majority opposed a pending ballot measure to replace MPD with a new department of public safety. White voters, by contrast, strongly favored the proposal (although they opposed a smaller force). It's another example of a recurring pattern, in which the Americans who suffer most from crime demand more stringent enforcement than those who are more isolated from its effects. Sometimes, the silent majority is Black.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Samuel Goldman is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate professor of political science at George Washington University, where he is executive director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and director of the Politics & Values Program. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard and was a postdoctoral fellow in Religion, Ethics, & Politics at Princeton University. His books include God's Country: Christian Zionism in America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018) and After Nationalism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). In addition to academic research, Goldman's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.
-
Democrats blame 'President Musk' for looming shutdown
Speed Read The House of Representatives rejected a spending package that would've funding the government into 2025
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - December 20, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - founding fathers, old news, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Parker Palm Springs review: decadence in the California desert
The Week Recommends This over-the-top hotel is a mid-century modern gem
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Is the United States becoming an oligarchy?
Talking Points How much power do billionaires like Elon Musk really have?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What is Mitch McConnell's legacy?
Talking Point Moving on after a record-setting run as Senate GOP leader
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Who will win the coming US-China trade war?
Talking Points Trump's election makes a tariff battle likely
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
The political latitude of Musk's cost-cutting task force
Talking Points A $2 trillion goal. And big obstacles in the way.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Should Sonia Sotomayor retire from the Supreme Court?
Talking Points Democrats worry about repeating the history of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published