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Cops are the biggest or second biggest line item in most municipalities. It is more likely a problem of misallocation where crime that is actually economically significant gets short shrift because cops stay busy with activities that don't have a positive effect.

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Or a DA that doesn't prosecute "low level" crimes. No point in making an arrest if all you are doing is giving the a ride across town.

A massive car theft ring isn't "lower level crime." That's the problem. Cops seem to have a difficult time identifying crime that scaled up in a way that matters.

I think part of the problem is that you can't properly contextualize the issue without badmouthing police.

Most police, like most people, are good and want to do good. The US (and likely many other countries) is being plagued by activist DAs who see letting crime slide as a form of restorative justice.

In many PDs, "most" is debatable. Do a quick experiment: in how many cases of police misconduct did the other cops in the PD with together to remove a miscreant among them, compared with the cases of cover-up, collusion, delay, denial, etc.? Do a search. What's the prevalent case?

Toronto cops are this weird combination of expensive and ineffective. Hell, you can literally murder a billionaire in his own home and the Toronto cops are stumped.

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