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Story that doesn't quite fit the mold
From the LA Times, a story on "Sheriff traces guns' crooked paths to Compton's streets" -- actually, to the FFLs who first sold them. And the gun end of the story ends there, since there's no indication the FFLs were doing something wrong. More interesting is the note at the end: The sheriff created a task force on gangs that made 1,622 arrests and worked closely with probation and parole officers assigned to Compton.
Gang-related killings fell by 50%. It would probably have been lower, except that midway thru the year someone reassigned all the task force personnel, and gang killings went up again.
Comments
Of course, the obvious seems to escape these guys that if you devote time, effort, money and manpower to a certain aspect of crime, then there will be a corresponding decrease in that kind of crime. Once that special attention is removed, then that particular kind of crime will increase.
Naturally, cops would much rather have more "power" over law abiding citizens that would serve to make their jobs "easier". There's one question that should be asked: in a "straw purchase", who is actually breaking the law - the gun buyer or the gun seller?
Posted by: Nimrod45 at January 24, 2007 11:24 AM
Yep - there is no substitute for concerted effort. We have so many idiotic laws today, which we should repeal, so that police can get to the business that matters. Needless to say, decriminalizing dope would free up plenty of resources, and take the profit margins away from the gangs, too.
Posted by: RKV at January 24, 2007 07:25 PM