A new report adds to a growing line of research showing that police departments don’t solve serious or violent crimes with any regularity, and in fact, spend very little time on crime control, in contrast to popular narratives.

To the surprise of no one, California cops spend most of their time harassing taxpayers via traffic stops instead of work on solving actual crimes.

  • Vinegar@kbin.social
    50·
    1 year ago

    Police spend most of their time on routine traffic stops, and routine traffic stops could be eliminated by transit and walkable infrastructure. It’s almost like it’s a racket…

  • grue@lemmy.ml
    32·
    1 year ago

    Yet another bad consequence of building our cities wrong. If we fixed the zoning code to make them walkable, we wouldn’t “need” traffic stops in the first place.

    It’s amazing how car dependency is an underlying causal factor in nearly every problem in the US, from climate change, to obesity, to the housing crisis, to apparently even police misconduct.

  • Hello_there@kbin.social
    10·
    1 year ago

    I’m actually in support of more traffic stops. If only they would target the BMWs as much as they target the beaters

      • Square Singer@feddit.de
        6·
        1 year ago

        I don’t live in the US. But I really wouldn’t want unpoliced roads. There are enough dangerous, angry morons on the streets who don’t care about the rules and endanger the people around them.

        I think it’s absolutely necessary to police traffic. The only other option would be to get rid of private powered vehicles, which would also be a good option.

  • KBTR1066@kbin.social
    5·
    1 year ago

    The breaking of traffic laws IS criminal. I live in Houston, which has by far the craziest drivers I’ve seen in the US, and every day I wish there was more effort by the police to do something about it.