![]() Such a strategy is particularly prudent given how officer numbers have been depleted because of the coronavirus outbreak. In fact, in Boston, the rates of serious crimes remain nearly identical, dipping by just 1% over the same time This sharp drop-off has not been accompanied by an increase in reports of crimes. The Boston Globe reported that arrests for January through April 2020 were down almost 60% compared to the same period in 2019. This has coincided with a significant decrease in arrests in U.S. “If we see large groups, we’ll go and talk to them, educate them about it and try and get compliance,” explained Chief Terence Monahan of the New York Police Department. Even when it comes to the policing of new social distancing orders, officers in departments across the U.S. Police in New York City, Nashville, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Chicago have reportedly scaled back significantly on routine enforcement operations. Taking a close look at how policing is done during the coronavirus pandemic can shed light on both of these issues: how policing adapts in times of crisis and what happens when police take a more hands-off approach to enforcement. And as the author of a book on policing in marginalized communities, I also know that when officers “over-police,” especially communities of color, they can undermine trust and increase tensions. So I know firsthand how rapidly shifting priorities can determine the way law enforcement carries out its mandate. My career on the force began with the large-scale unrest that accompanied Boston’s school desegregation andīusing crisis of the 1970s and ended with the massive redeployment of police resources for the city’s hosting of the 2004 Democratic I was a Boston police officer for 27 years before becoming an academic. But then, of course, there are the exceptions. To date, most appear to be exercising judgment and restraint in taking action against those occupying public spaces during the current pandemic. ![]() The United States has about 18,000 law enforcement agencies, with close to 800,000 police officers. Social distancing orders in place across the U.S. have added to the long list of low-level offenses that police are charged with enforcing as a routine part of their job. Here’s why we should consider this approach even after the pandemic. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, a less invasive model of policing is being employed.
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