More Police Officers Mean Less Crime Analysis

1. Introduction

American voters support the interest of hiring more police officers. Both black and white voters want the extra staffing. Blacks, however, want more police officers than any other group. This is because they want to benefit from extra police staff-ing in high-crime areas.

People want more safety. Increasingly, people are feeling unsafe. Especially public spaces are being targeted now to try to drop the crime rate. The hiring of more police officers is a popular idea to solve the problem of feeling unsafe or the high crime rates. Also, positive side effects like the decrease of prison inmates is wanted. However the hiring of more police officers is not necessarily improving the safety.

2. Desired effects

The desired effects of an increase in the number of police officers are very diverse. However, two of the most relevant ones are selected here without regard to statis-tical desirability.

2.1. Increase in security

Hiring more police officers is an effective approach to better criminal justice. At least if you believe the two ex-presidents Bush and Obama. With higher police staffings the crimes aren’t primarily going down but the desired effect of an in-crease in security is met. Just the presence of more police is deterring the crimes and is reducing the needs to arrest somebody.

In the year 2009 random cities got grants for more employed police officers by the American government. With that, an interesting observation could be made: “The data shows that compared to cities that missed out, those that made the cut ended up with police staffing levels that were 3.2 percent higher and crime levels that were 3.5 percent lower.” (Yglesias, 2019) This shows that more police really leads to less crime and it’s also prove for an understaffing of US-American police.

Until this day, stop and frisk tactics, where young blacks and Latinos are randomly stopped without any reason, are used in the US. The outcome of such tactics is low and is not helping to reduce the crime rate. Such stop and frisk tactics are often used by tired officers which obviously is a result of understaffing. With more officers such random police controls wouldn’t take place this often anymore and would also improve the security of young people of colour.

Summarised, more police does mean that the public feels more safe and pro-tected. In addition to that cities who got a grant for more employments of police managed to lower the crime levels. But not only criminality from non-civil serv-ants is being reduced. Also the in-humane treatment of people of colour by police officers is being reduced by employing more of them.

2.2. Fewer prisoners

In the USA, the government spends much more money on prisons than they spend on police. In comparison to the UK, where the spending on police is twice as high as on corrections, in the USA there is a higher spending on prisons than on police. If money, which is used to run prisons, would be invested in more police officers, the effect of less crime would be four times as low.

Summarised, employing more police officers would mean fewer prisoners. The question, if it would not be worthwhile to have a quarter fewer inmates and em-ploy 100,000 more policemen, has really to be asked.

3. Real outcome

Despite the fact that theoretically more policemen mean less crime, in practice this is not quite true. There are several evidences that this is not the case. There even is study, which suggests, that there can be a decrease of crime despite fewer police officers.

3.1. Decrease of crime rate despite fewer employed police officers

In 1997, the United States had 242 police officers for every 100,000 residents, reflecting a significant police presence. However, it is essential to note that the correlation between the number of employed police officers and crime reduction is more nuanced than one might expect. While a larger police force can have a positive impact on certain aspects of public safety, it does not always guarantee a substantial decrease in crime rates.

Several studies and real-world examples challenge the conventional belief that more police officers directly translate to lower crime rates. In some cases, cities have experienced a decrease in crime despite having fewer police officers on duty. This phenomenon suggests that factors beyond sheer police numbers play a vital role in shaping crime dynamics. Community engagement, crime prevention strategies, socioeconomic conditions, and the effectiveness of law enforcement practices all contribute to crime outcomes.

Furthermore, it is crucial to consider the quality of policing alongside the quantity of officers. Focusing on improved training, community-oriented policing, and evidence-based approaches may yield more significant results in crime reduction than simply increasing the size of the police force. Policymakers must recognize that addressing the complexities of crime rates requires a comprehensive and multifaceted approach, where the number of police officers is just one element in a broader strategy for public safety and crime prevention.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the idea of hiring more police officers to improve security and reduce the crime rate is widely supported by American voters. However, the desired effects of this increase in police staffing may not always align with the real outcomes.

While it is evident that an increase in police presence can create a sense of security and deter criminal activity, the relationship between more police officers and a significant reduction in crime is not as straightforward as it may seem. Empirical evidence suggests that the mere presence of additional police officers is not always sufficient to achieve a substantial decrease in crime rates.

Moreover, it is important to consider alternative approaches to crime reduction, such as community policing, investment in social programs, and addressing the root causes of criminal behavior. Allocating resources toward such initiatives may have a more lasting impact on crime prevention and community well-being.

Furthermore, the issue of mass incarceration in the United States cannot be ignored. While the desire to reduce the prison population is commendable, simply reallocating funds from corrections to police may not be the most effective solution. A more comprehensive approach that addresses systemic issues within the criminal justice system, such as sentencing reform and rehabilitation programs, may be necessary to achieve meaningful reductions in the number of inmates.

In light of these considerations, it is clear that the relationship between police staffing and crime reduction is complex and multifaceted. While an increase in police officers can contribute to a sense of security and some reduction in crime, it is not a panacea for all the challenges faced by the criminal justice system. Policymakers must carefully weigh the potential benefits of increased police staffing against other strategies aimed at achieving safer communities and a fairer criminal justice system.

References:

1. Yglesias, M. (2019, July 1). More police officers mean less crime. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/07/01/more-police-officers-mean-less-crime/