[jdmartin]

A lot of the time it's scare tactics that are used by department heads to reduce/eliminate cuts in their departments; other times it's scare tactics used by the councils/mayors to get the citizens/state/feds/someone else to pony up more money before the crime wave hits. This is used in most departments at a city level, just police & fire get the most mileage out of it. Not that those cuts won't happen necessarily, just that the reality on the ground usually ends up being less than that.

[DJSNOLA]

I think the point here is that as th economy worsens, crime will rise. No doubt a shrinking police force will exacerbate this!

[neocone]

The Far West had generally a lone Sheriff and a couple of volunteers in frontier towns and those were safer than "developed" cities on the East Coast... for a reason.

Hanging for horse theft also helped a lot.

2nd Amendment 2nd Amendment 2nd Amendment 2nd Amendment 2nd Amendment

"When seconds count... Police is always minutes away!"

[vision-master]

Yeah, I want to protect myself. No police needed. Goodbye traffic cops.........

[Serial_Worrier]

Surely $1T Porkapoolza will fully fund all police departments?

[Newfie]

Yeah, well I DO live in Philly.

Andy my son is a prison guard in NJ.

As he said, "When I loose my job you should run."

Philly, like all major cities, has good and bad sections. The good sections, like where I live, are no more dangerous than any normal suburb. So far.

I grew up on a rural area where the bad guys were next door and the cops were corrupt. I actually feel as safe or safer in center city.

We will see how this develops. I'm sure Philly will not be the only or the worst

[Ferretlover]

Maybe the police will just set up an internet site, and expect the locals to call the police for the actual arrest. The local news just said that there were 8,000 felony warrants issued in Hennepin Co, [MN] last year; they are setting up a website with Wanted people, etc., on it.
If Philadelphia is dumping police due to economic circumstances, can the fire dept. be far behind? How many PA legislature staff are being laid off?

[ReverseEngineer]

Maybe the police will just set up an internet site, and expect the locals to call the police for the actual arrest?

In an effort to reduce the size of the Nanny State, Neocons are favoring a Self-Policing scheme, where criminals will Police themselves. After committing a crime, the perp will walk to the Jail and request Housing, and if refused will return out to the community to commit a bigger crime until the Prison Guards left on payroll agree to take him in.

This in mind, I suppose you guys read that a Federal Judge ordered CA State prisons to RELEASE 1/3 of all inmates by next year due to dangerous overcrowding conditions. So even if there were Police to make arrests, there is no place to house the Perps. CA ordered to release Prisoners

Police are a waste of money with no money for more prisons. They won't last long here.

Reverse Engineer

[Newfie]

Maybe the police will just set up an internet site, and expect the locals to call the police for the actual arrest. The local news just said that there were 8,000 felony warrants issued in Hennepin Co, [MN] last year; they are setting up a website with Wanted people, etc., on it.
If Philadelphia is dumping police due to economic circumstances, can the fire dept. be far behind? How many PA legislature staff are being laid off?

The Mayor has asked all City departments to prepare plans to cut by 10%, 20% and 30%. ALL departments. Fire, emergency, trash, police, libraries, ALL.

10% = 900 police layoff
20% = 1,800 layoff
30% = anarchy

I seriously doubt that other large cities are in significantly better shape. For example St. Louis is thinking of selling some of its bus fleet. Now THAT is forward thinking!

[SILENTTODD]

We don't need no stinking badges!

[careinke]

If you legalized drugs, you would reduce the crime rate by over 50%. Then you need less police, less jails and less courts.

[yesplease]

If you legalized drugs, you would reduce the crime rate by over 50%. Then you need less police, less jails and less courts.

And increased revenue from taxation. But hey, we need cheap labor, and how else are we going to get it?

[DJSNOLA]

You know I really think drug legalization will come about because of this. Not actual laws being revoked or anything, just a general lack of concern about drug crimes. Does anyone care if your neighbor smokes pot, when the murder and theft rate skyrockets?People will just ignore the law because there are graver concerns out there. Just my two cents!

[nobodypanic]

it's been my experience that when faced with a general lack of control, people will exert more control over those things which they can control, even if trivial, in an attempt to feel in control. so be prepared for the possibility of the exact opposite, i.e., they let the murder and theft rates go to hell while clamping down on minor infractions.

[jdmartin]

it's been my experience that when faced with a general lack of control, people will exert more control over those things which they can control, even if trivial, in an attempt to feel in control. so be prepared for the possibility of the exact opposite, i.e., they let the murder and theft rates go to hell while clamping down on minor infractions.

[gooburz]

The cut will most probably have adverse effects in areas of West Philadelphia. For the other regions, I'm not quite sure.

[Newfie]

The cut will most probably have adverse effects in areas of West Philadelphia. For the other regions, I'm not quite sure.

Yes, West Philly, Kensington, South Philly, etc. These areas are already in sad shape. A couple of years ago they instituted a "sweep" program. Sortta sounded like the "surge" of Iraq.

Camden, NJ must be in worst shape yet.

This should actually go over on the jittery doom-meter thread, at least for us locals.