When politicians attack the police, they encourage criminals

Staggering under a drumroll of criticism (some - but not all - of it justified, let it be said), police forces in major cities are "pulling in their horns", so to speak.  It may not be official policy, but cops are no longer willing to put themselves at excessive risk to safeguard cities whose administrations will "throw them to the wolves" at the slightest hint of a problem, treating them as useful scapegoats instead of valued contributors to keeping the peace.  I've heard from several of my law enforcement friends around the country that they, and their colleagues, are now encouraging each other to put their safety first, rather than that of the public, because no-one else is going to do that - certainly not their politically correct superior officers.  It's hard to blame them.

Sadly, those same politically correct superiors and city administrators are soft-pedaling crime and criminals.  For example, in New York:

City shootings piled up at a rate of one per hour on Saturday — with more gunplay on Sunday — as an NYPD chief warned that hundreds of gun-possession defendants have been allowed to prowl Gotham thanks to coronavirus-closed courts.

“We have over 1,000 people that have been indicted on a gun possession charge, where the cases are open, and they are walking around the streets of New York today,” Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael LiPetri told The Post.

That tally doesn’t include about 800 additional defendants who are charged with illegally packing heat but have yet to be formally indicted when the courts ground to a halt, LiPetri said.

There's more at the link.

Just look at the figures from the Fathers Day weekend.  In New York, "28 shootings in 72 hours".  In Chicago, "14 Dead, 88 Injured".  BizPacReview summarizes, "Deadly weekend in city after city, as full-on assault against police begins to bear wicked fruit".

Actions have consequences.  Whether you're an individual or a city or a political movement, if you attack police, denigrate their reputation, demoralize their officers and treat them like dirt, they're going to look after themselves first, rather than you.  It's human nature.  In such an environment, crime and criminals will flourish.  As the New York Post points out:

“This is what the politicians wanted — no bail, nobody in Rikers, cops not arresting anyone,” one angry law enforcement source said Friday.

“All those things equal people walking around on the street with guns, shooting each other.”

Again, more at the link.

As for officers themselves, the Second City Cop blog (based in Chicago) has a suggestion for Seattle police, who are likely to be sent in soon to clean up the CHOP protest zone in that city.

We would hope the [police] union would recommend its members don't make a single move without two pieces of paper in the hands of every single officer:

• A signed and notarized blanket Pardon from the governor
• A signed and notarized blanket Pardon from the president

This would cover State and Federal charges that are certain to be raised at some point by politicos looking to score points. We doubt that everyone is going to go peacefully, and we all know every single incident of lawful force is going to be recorded, edited and misinterpreted for maximum propaganda purposes against law enforcement.

Makes sense to me, from the cops' perspective.  They already know they're going to be scapegoated.  Why not take precautions against that happening again?

Faced with the inability of police to control this surge in crime and violence, how should we protect ourselves?  Step One is, of course, to stay away from the most crime-ridden areas;  but that's no longer guaranteed to work, because criminals don't necessarily confine themselves to their familiar stamping-grounds any longer.  No, we have to defend ourselves if and when the cops can't do so - and there's only one practical, effective way to do that.  Sadly, that'll contribute to the increase in violence - but we didn't ask for that increase in the first place, and I have no sympathy for those who've caused it.  As Jeff Cooper pointed out:

If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim.

Word.

Peter