| Title | FBI Chief Links Video Scrutiny of Police to Rise in Violent Crime | |
| Date | Sunday October 25 2015, @11:00AM | |
| Author | takyon | |
| Topic | ||
| from the photography-is-not-a-crime dept. | ||
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."
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