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Police Department Looks to reduce Aggressive Policing on Minor Crimes

A Louisiana State University political science professor finds that proactive policing may be counter-productive as a deterrent to major crime. Christopher Sullivan studied a specific seven-week period when the New York Police Department halted aggressive policing against minor crimes and the data shows serious criminal activity dropped.

The public complaints of major crime declined by three to six percent during the halt on proactive policing. Sullivan says it’s possible aggressive policing, which usually targets low-income or minority individuals, may be counter-productive in deterring major crime.

Sullivan says further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of a reduction in proactive policing. But he says one theory is that when you arrest individuals on low-level crimes it could leads to greater mental and financial stress and therefore raising the likelihood a more serious crime may occur.