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FBI Director Blames 'Viral Video Effect' for Spike in Violent Crime

posted by CoolHand on Friday May 13 2016, @07:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the it-was-lolcats dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

The head of the FBI believes that a spike in violent crime in many cities may be due to officers' fears of showing up on Internet videos confronting suspects.

FBI Director James Comey told reporters Wednesday that a "viral video effect" is leading to less aggressive policing that "could well be at the heart" of an alarming increase in murders in many cities, according to an account recorded by the New York Times.

"There's a perception that police are less likely to do the marginal additional policing that suppresses crime -- the getting out of your car at 2 in the morning and saying to a group of guys, 'Hey, what are you doing here?'" he told reporters.

Comey's remarks came after he was briefed on rising crime rates in more than 40 cities during the first quarter of 2016. The director did not reveal specific statistics, and the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

James Comey, welcome to the panopticon you dragged the rest of us into. It's rather a double-edged sword, isn't it?

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  • (Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Friday May 13 2016, @05:43PM

    by GungnirSniper (1671) on Friday May 13 2016, @05:43PM (#345750) Journal

    You mean like the rah-rah column in The Boston Herald supporting the pummeling of a fleeing suspect [bostonherald.com]?

    Granted, maybe the police went a little overboard at the end. But the sad fact is, how else was this Richard Simone bird ever going to get what one of his acquaintances described yesterday as “the ass-whoopin’ he’s been needing for 45 years.”

    He led the cops on a high-speed, two-state chase from Holden, Mass., to Nashua, N.H., during the evening rush hour.

    And then, as Richard Simone of Worcester climbed out of his ’06 Silverado onto his hands and knees, he was … apprehended. Too bad there were news helicopters hovering overhead.

    Now, Gov. Maggie Hassan has “serious concerns.” Gov. Charlie Baker finds the video “incredibly disturbing.” The Washington Post is shocked by the “sudden burst of violence.”

    I don't know why if this guy was a suspect for days in chases why he wasn't on the receiving end of an overnight SWAT raid, like minor drug dealers are?

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday May 13 2016, @09:06PM

    by Thexalon (636) on Friday May 13 2016, @09:06PM (#345840)

    he wasn't on the receiving end of an overnight SWAT raid, like minor drug dealers are?

    Overnight raid, sure, but why does SWAT need to be involved?

    --
    "Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin