Eric Lichtblau reports for the NYT:
The director of the F.B.I. reignited the factious debate over a so-called "Ferguson effect" on Wednesday, saying that he believed less aggressive policing was driving an alarming spike in murders in many cities.How much truth can an official in the truth-intolerant Obama Administration speak before he gets fired? We may be close to finding out.
James Comey, the director, said that while he could offer no statistical proof, he believed after speaking with a number of police officials that a "viral video effect" -- with officers wary of confronting suspects for fear of ending up on a video -- "could well be at the heart" of a spike in violent crime in some cities.
"There's a perception that police are less likely to do the marginal additional policing that suppresses crime -- the getting out of your car at 2 in the morning and saying to a group of guys, 'Hey, what are you doing here?'" he told reporters.
The concept of proactive policing is, for the time being, dead. The victim of many events that have transpired over the last decade or so. But, I suspect, as crime continues its precipitous rise, the pendulum will swing once again (as it did in a crime ridden NYC in the 60s and 70s to a much safer metropolis in the 80s, 90s and 00s).
The question is how much innocent blood has to be spilled before the public outcry for safer streets ushers in the return of active policing?
Joe and Bill where are you when we need you most?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZo2hhvvlpw