This year, murders have spiked in major cities across America and according to FBI director James B. Comey the additional scrutiny and criticism of police officers that has come in the wake of highly publicized incidents of police brutality may be the main reason for the recent increase in violent crime.
"I don't know whether that explains it entirely, but I do have a strong sense that some part of the explanation is a chill wind that has blown through American law enforcement over the last year," says Comey.
But Mr. Comey said that he had been told by many police leaders that officers who would normally stop to question suspicious people are opting to stay in their patrol cars for fear of having their encounters become worldwide video sensations. That hesitancy has led to missed opportunities to apprehend suspects, he said, and has decreased the police presence on the streets of the country's most violent cities.
The officers told Comey that youths surround them when they get out of their vehicles, taunting them and making videos of the spectacle with their cell phones.
"In today's YouTube world, there are officers reluctant to get out of their cars and do the work that controls violent crime," he said. "Our officers are answering 911 calls, but avoiding the informal contact that keeps bad guys from standing around, especially with guns."
Related Stories
James Comey has been asked by President Trump to stay on as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Comey is three years into a ten-year term.
News at NYT (which broke the story), USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, and The Hill.
Here's the bulk of our extensive past coverage of FBI Director Comey's career (oldest first):
2014:
FBI Director Concerned about Encryption on Smartphones
F.B.I. Director Calls "Dark" Devices a Hindrance to Crime Solving
To FBI Director Comey: You Reap What You Sow!
2015:
F.B.I. Has No Doubt that North Korea Attacked Sony, says Director
FBI Chief Links Video Scrutiny of Police to Rise in Violent Crime
2016:
Apple Ordered by Judge to Help Decrypt San Bernadino Shooter's phone
FBI Unable to Decrypt California Terrorists' Cell Phone
FBI vs. Apple Encryption Fight Continues
New York Judge Sides with Apple Rather than FBI in Dispute over a Locked iPhone
Apple Lawyer and FBI Director Appear Before Congress
FBI Error Locked San Bernardino Attacker's iPhone
FBI's iPhone Hack Only Works on 5C and Older
Washington Post: The FBI Paid "Gray Hat(s)", Not Cellebrite, for iPhone Unlock
FBI Director Blames 'Viral Video Effect' for Spike in Violent Crime
FBI Recommends No Prosecution for Clinton
FBI Chief Calls for National Talk Over Encryption vs. Safety
(Score: 5, Touché) by BsAtHome on Sunday October 25 2015, @11:31AM
This is, apart from causality strained conjecture, a nice inside in "do as I say, not as I do" behaviour.
The police have been telling us that "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear". Apparently, the fact that /they/ are no longer hidden, makes it clear that /they/ have fear of what might be revealed and try to put the genie back in the bottle.
After too many stories of abuse, and now with a lot of irrefutable documentation, it is a hard time to get back the trust that they lost. Ain't it a bitch... No one likes a bully. Get your act together and get over it.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Sunday October 25 2015, @11:35AM
Take a look at those numbers. The "increase in crime" cites crime rates that amount to nothing more than noise, contained within the signal. There is no "increase in crime".
Oh, my - some cops feel inhibited by the fact that they might be recorded? THEN THOSE ARE THE VERY COPS WHO SHOULD BE MUSTERED OUT OF THE POLICE FORCE!! A public servant should never feel inhibited in performing his duties, just because his EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING AT HIM!
I've said it before - probably 85% of cops really are good people, and good cops. The remaining 15% rank from OK people who are less than perfectly reliable, all the way up to evil sons of bitches who should have been drowned when they were puppies. The good cops may vaguely resent surveillance, just as you and I resent the NSA snooping in our lives. The worst cops are going to be those who have something to hide.
It's time for the good cops to stop sheltering the bad cops, the mediocre cops, the incompetent cops, and the random evil son of a bitch.
What this all boils down to is, one of our top "Law and Order" enforcement officers prefers that he and his agents be able to operate in secrecy, without any public scrutiny. And, Comey happens to be part of the problem. That secretiveness undermines any trust that people have in law enforcement.
I say, "Bring on the cameras!" He specifically mentions youth in bad neighborhoods. Well, I hope that each and every young person in those bad neighborhoods have a camera. Personally, I rather enjoy the idiots who convict themselves by posting their videos to Youtube. If, at the same time, they manage to convict the bad cops, that's icing on the cake. Go to prison, and take a bad cop with you? That's a winning proposition in my books! One criminal off the streets, and one bad cop that I'll never have to deal with - win-win!
Besides which - cops haven't "controlled" violent crime. Not in recent years, not ever. Cops REACT TO violent crime, that is, they clean up the mess. Make chalk drawings on the pavement, call the coroner, call the ambulance, take names and statements. The idea that police "control" anything is preposterous.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by https on Sunday October 25 2015, @02:42PM
It's been said before, but clearly it still requires repeating: a bad cop isn't going to beat the snot out of you unless certain of their partner's support - and their captain's. Your guess of 85%, well, you are kidding yourself.
Offended and laughing about it.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday October 25 2015, @03:23PM
Possibly. And, it's possible that you overestimate the number of police beatings. I realize the media is on top of every case of police brutality, like flies on shit. But, it's possible that you don't realize that the media tends to inflate and exaggerate stuff like that.
I've mentioned before that each and every incident needs to be weighed on it's own merits. I can point to two cases in Ohio, in which the cops are very obviously wrong. Outright murder of "black males with guns". Other cases are less clear cut. There are instances in which I support the cops involved, but the media has taken the opposite position. Michael Brown leads the list of those cases.
If you are taking the word of the media in all cases, then you are being very seriously misled. From the media's perspective, every cop in the nation wakes up in the morning, thinking, "Oh God, I hope I get to kill a nigga today!" That view is at least as warped as the attitude in TFA, which can be summarized as "The Blacks are out to get us! We need better weapons, better surveillance, and we need to take the Negroe's phones from them!"
As usual, reality lies somewhere in between extreme views.
Most cops are good people. The bad thing about all those good people is, they are indoctrinated into a system that promotes a sense of brotherhood, that strongly resembles gang mentality.
Yes, indoctrination works on good people, every bit as well as it works on bad people. The system is flawed.
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Sunday October 25 2015, @06:02PM
Possibly. And, it's possible that you overestimate the number of police beatings.
Why limit the discussion to beatings? Not every abuse of someone's rights leads to them being beaten or killed. For instance, there was stop-and-frisk, which was a violation of the fourth amendment. A number of cops use Stingrays; another violation of the fourth amendment. Many police also have a hand in enforcing drug laws, which violate the fundamental right to control your own body. Then we have DUI checkpoints, asset forfeiture, etc. Furthermore, if a 'good' cop defends or lies for a bad cop, then I would not deem them a good cop in the first place.
When you take into account all of these abuses, including beatings and murders by cops, it is reasonable to conclude that most cops are bad. Since 'Just doing my job!' isn't a valid excuse, I can't forgive them for any of this.
Yes, indoctrination works on good people, every bit as well as it works on bad people. The system is flawed.
If you're too cowardly to stand up to injustices committed by your fellow cops, and so unprincipled as to be 'indoctrinated', then you cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called a "good cop" or a "good person".
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday October 25 2015, @07:21PM
I really believe that you don't understand "the system".
Let's take stop and frisk. It's unconstitutional. That need not even be debated - the consitution guarantees your security in your person, your home, and your possessions. Your security has been impinged upon constantly and repeatedly ever since the advent of the automobile. The states have insisted that driving is a privilege, not a right, and they have made that privilege contingent upon some imaginary implied consent to a form of search. This has been an ongoing process for over a hundred years now. All of us have been conditioned and indoctrinated to believe that we surrender some of our right to privacy by operating a vehicle. We, the motoring public have been so conditioned, and they, law enforcement, has also been conditioned. And, mostly, "the system" works.
It's unconstitutional, but it mostly works.
You and I, as motorists, know full well that if we fail to yeild to a cop, we're going to get burned, either with a ticket, or possibly even being gunned down by that cop. We know it, the cops know it, and the courts support the fact - all despite the fact that the whole damned thing is unconstitutional. A significant portion of most jurisdiction's revenue streams rely upon the fact that we have all been so conditioned.
Yes, YOU have been indoctrinated, and conditioned.
Have you ever attempted to see all of this from a cop's point of view? I have. My sister felt a need to make life better for those around her. She really felt that she had the ability, and felt driven to do what she could do, by chasing after bad guys and putting them in prison. She applied for, was accepted, and was trained as a state police woman. And, she DID do some good. She caught some low life scum who enjoyed beating on their wives and children. She caught some common thieves. She caught some bigger thieves. She caught murderers. She caught rapists. I can't remember how many years she served in patrol cars, before she got promoted to driving desks instead. She was involved in so much crap, most people wouldn't believe it if I could recount it all.
For all the good she did - she was also indoctrinated. It was necessary to work within the system, or not work at all. That's life. Sometimes, you've got to go along just to get along. I can't know ALL of the bullshit she had to put up with, but I can compare it to my experience in the military. Sometimes, it's best just not to notice something. You can't buck the system, and still do your job. To some extent, you take the good with the bad, and make the best of things.
The system. It's one hell of a lot bigger than any individual, or any small group of individuals. If you buck the system, the entire system turns on you, and crushes you.
Is it right? Well, not only "NO", but "FUCK NO!"
There are times when right and wrong don't matter though.
Keep in mind as you consider all of this: YOU HAVE BEEN INDOCTRINATED no less than cops who graduate from any cop academy.
Key to changing how the cops interact with citizens, is making the cops understand that they have been indoctrinated, then altering the emphasis of their indoctrination. Just as important, is that we understand how we have also been indoctrinated.
I've thrown a lot of stuff out in this post - I suppose I should offer at least one citation to support that whole indoctrination thing. How about that moronic "21 feet" rule. Let me find that . . .
http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/2014/09/revisiting-the-21-foot-rule.aspx [policemag.com]
Please note that the article itself is an instructional, aimed at altering the indoctrination I mention.
"During the past 30 years since the 21-Foot Rule has become informal doctrine within the law enforcement community, I have heard it misstated, misrepresented, and bastardized by use-of-force, firearms, and police practices experts from all sides. I actually reviewed an officer-involved shooting case where an officer with a carbine shot and killed a suspect armed with a knife from a distance of more than 150 feet and attempted to use the "Tueller Drill" as his defense."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anal Pumpernickel on Sunday October 25 2015, @07:43PM
All of us have been conditioned and indoctrinated to believe that we surrender some of our right to privacy by operating a vehicle.
Then their conditioning wasn't very effective, because I do not believe that nonsense. I do not believe that the government has a legitimate authority to force you to surrender your rights in exchange for being able to engage in some completely innocuous activity (such as driving or getting on an airplane). What they are doing now is just exerting force to keep their unjust policies in place.
Yes, YOU have been indoctrinated, and conditioned.
Indoctrinated into thinking or doing... what? If they're trying to indoctrinate and condition me, they should have picked better things to indoctrinate and condition me with. Because unlike most thug officers, I recognize that what is happening is bad and I actually try to stop it to the best of my ability.
Have you ever attempted to see all of this from a cop's point of view? I have. My sister felt a need to make life better for those around her. She really felt that she had the ability, and felt driven to do what she could do, by chasing after bad guys and putting them in prison. She applied for, was accepted, and was trained as a state police woman. And, she DID do some good. She caught some low life scum who enjoyed beating on their wives and children. She caught some common thieves. She caught some bigger thieves. She caught murderers. She caught rapists. I can't remember how many years she served in patrol cars, before she got promoted to driving desks instead. She was involved in so much crap, most people wouldn't believe it if I could recount it all.
For all the good she did - she was also indoctrinated. It was necessary to work within the system, or not work at all. That's life. Sometimes, you've got to go along just to get along. I can't know ALL of the bullshit she had to put up with, but I can compare it to my experience in the military. Sometimes, it's best just not to notice something. You can't buck the system, and still do your job. To some extent, you take the good with the bad, and make the best of things.
Catching 'bad guys' isn't worth it if it means you're also using your position of authority to abuse people's rights, ignore the constitution, and/or defend those who do such things. If you're a cop who refuses to enforce unconstitutional laws, stands up to those who abuse people's rights, and just generally think for yourself, then I say you are a good person. Otherwise, you aren't. I don't care how "indoctrinated" you are; if you're violating the constitution and people's fundamental liberties, you are mere scum. Overcome your so-called "indoctrination" or get out.
I think the same about all those working for the NSA who do not plan on pulling an Edward Snowden, and I also think the same about TSA thugs.
Keep in mind as you consider all of this: YOU HAVE BEEN INDOCTRINATED no less than cops who graduate from any cop academy.
I think you're incorrect, or you're using one of the definitions of "indoctrination" that I do not find very useful, as there are better terms when you mean something else. I guess "brainwashed" is more in line with what I'm thinking.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 26 2015, @03:31PM
Speaking as a US military veteran, I think you are giving yourself a bit too much credit. Seeing what the enemy, in this case criminals can do, makes it easy to dehumanize them. I doubt it is a conspiracy for the government to infringe on rights, but more likely misguided attempts to destroy the $bogeyman. I agree that this does not excuse violating the constitution or violence. I think it is most likely a culture and training issue.
Whether you can resist indoctrination or not, a lot of people won't even realize they are being indoctrinated.
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Monday October 26 2015, @05:20PM
I doubt it is a conspiracy for the government to infringe on rights
When did I say anything about a "conspiracy"? Never. It's a simple case of people abusing their powers; there is no mass conspiracy. This is precisely why they should have far less power and be more accountable when they abuse what powers they have.
Whether you can resist indoctrination or not, a lot of people won't even realize they are being indoctrinated.
I'm already getting tired of that word.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Hyperturtle on Sunday October 25 2015, @07:47PM
The saying is there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. He is using the statistics to repeat damned lies, and offers them as proof to speak new ones. People are paid big money to make the impossible sound plausible. He very likely didn't come up with these numbers himself. He has other things to do with his job. Being a talking head on TV repeating things is one of the drawbacks of his position, but those numbers are not likely ones he made up himself.
So yes, that indoctrination works well on good people, and works very well on bad people too. The system is flawed and there is vested interest to blame those doing the exposing, as opposed to fixing the problems with the exposed. See, the statistics say right here... a famous poet said something along the lines of sunlight being the best disinfectant. In this instance, you can actually see the evil little creepy things shrivel when exposed to sunlight. This is an effort to get that magnifying glass focused on something else, I think... it's laughable for him to claim that with a straight face, but the fact it made news means someone is going to believe it.
I don't remember if this guy commented about not having anything to hide, but it seems that whenever hidden things are found, it's an outrageous use of power they don't have and so it must be stopped.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday October 27 2015, @07:49AM
Sure, the national media plays up a handful of cases. But on the local level, local TV stations and newspapers accept police PR, and wild inaccuracies in favor of the police narrative go unchallenged. It's no surprise since investigative journalism is weak or obscure on the local level, and the local media depend on access to the police for a lot of news.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Sunday October 25 2015, @03:58PM
If you have 85 "good" cops who turn a blind eye to their 15 bad brothers, you have 100 bad cops.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 26 2015, @08:57AM
Even it all good cops are incompetent, 85% good cops should be enough to arrest the bad cops.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 26 2015, @06:55PM
"If, at the same time, they manage to convict the bad cops, that's icing on the cake. Go to prison, and take a bad cop with you?"
A bad cop is a criminal and if cameras reduce the crime rates among cops that's also a good thing because that's also a crime rate reduction.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Bill Evans on Sunday October 25 2015, @11:37AM
Director Comey, this is a rather poor attempt at a troll. If you want to look at a master of trolling, look no further than J. Edgar Hoover. I will remember his name forever, as will many who lived during his tenure. I had to look back at the article to remember yours.
This troll, on a scale from 1 to 10: about 2.5.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by _NSAKEY on Sunday October 25 2015, @11:42AM
Comey has a bad recent history of saying stupid things like this. Just look at how he's re-ignited the crypto wars.
On another note, I saw someone on Twitter say that cops getting filmed does increase violence, because of the cops who smash phones and beat their owners. Seems like a fair assessment.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Kell on Sunday October 25 2015, @12:28PM
That's why I carry a backup phone in my ankle holster.
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 25 2015, @12:31PM
What about your throwdown phone?
(Score: 3, Touché) by davester666 on Sunday October 25 2015, @07:02PM
It was taken at his last beating by the police.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 25 2015, @02:42PM
Lets just pull police service out of the bad neighborhoods completely. Let the hoods take care of each other. Since they don't need police protection, we can pull all welfare benefits too. Don't need that with all the drug money they make. Close the schools too, don't need an education to be a thug. Businesses will pull out, too many looters. Lets see how far they get then.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 25 2015, @03:16PM
> Lets just pull police service out of the bad neighborhoods completely.
Might be a good idea. By and large the cops focus on things like stop and frisk which gave them easy arrests while doing very little about serious violence because that's hard work and high risk for themselves.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 25 2015, @04:09PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 25 2015, @06:04PM
All of those things have already happened in parts of metro Detroit and Northern flint already. The only difference is it was police brutality, government corruption (but I repeat myself), and businesses pulling out that made all those things happen.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday October 25 2015, @04:13PM
at the bottom of the page on this talk about cops:
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 25 2015, @05:18PM
The recent proliferation of cameras have caused many abuses from authority to come to light. So of course the head of the FBI would decided its the cameras not the people caught on camera doing the wrong things that is the problem. They sit in isolation from the real world making more money and having more power than the majority. So of course they blame the cameras, not the people screwing up. The guy isn't even law enforcement, he is lawyer.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Monday October 26 2015, @02:03AM
So he's saying cops are reluctant to do their job because they fear the publicity it will cause when they carry out their policing?
The only conclusion I can draw from that is that it indirectly confirms that the cops can't conduct their work under scrutiny... because they are illegal.