Guest Editorial
AUGUST 15, 2012 | BY JOHN TRAYNOR
Sobering Blue reality
Most liberals, like many Arizona Republic editors, routinely criticize Sheriff Joe Arpaio for his lawful efforts to enforce immigration regulations and his tough stance on crime in general; no surprise there. But surprise of all surprises came when it was reported that the NYC Police Department had employed a policy of ‘Stop and Frisk’ for years, subsequent to the terrorist attack and destruction of the WTC, with nary a whimper from the liberal left. It was apparently okay when the NYC Liberals felt threatened.
The NY Times article on the practice noted that the number of people subjected to the policy had dropped by 34 percent in the 2nd quarter of 2012. The startling fact is that in the 1st quarter, there were over 203,500 stops. The drop to 133,934 stops in the 2nd quarter reflects media attention to the procedure, stimulated primarily by civil rights groups, which resulted in a 25 percent drop from the same quarter in 2011. The Times stated that PD officials estimated that about half of all stops result in frisking. These statistics make Arpaio’s numbers look anemic especially considering that his department covers an area of 9,224 square miles of a border state, an area roughly 20 times larger than NYC. Civil rights groups have reacted because just over 85 percent of all stops involve Blacks and Hispanics. A comparative analysis of NYC crime statistics might shed some light on the noted emphasis. But that would be profiling, right? Any serious crime prevention program that would focus significant resources on the other 15 percent would seem absurd, at least to an evil results-oriented conservative.
The jaundiced media, especially liberal outlets like ‘Rolling Stone’ (is that really journalism?) like to make statements similar to this R.S. gem: “And so here we are in the triple-digit heat, entering the sheriff's Tent City, where thousands of inmates he and deputies have picked up live in the open, biding their time for misdemeanors ranging from drunk driving to street-level drug dealing.” Sorry liberals, aren’t those crimes in NYC, as they are most everywhere else? Arizona has the toughest DUI laws in the nation, and they are enforced. Street level drug dealing may be overlooked in some blue states but I suspect most frown upon the practice. Besides, I seriously doubt Sheriff Joe has personally “picked up” anyone is years. Is living in a tent really living in the open?
On Friday, when asked about the decline in stops, NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stated that “he did not believe the decline in street stops was in any way connected to the criticism the tactic had attracted.” He also said that “the department had not instructed officers to back away from conducting street stops when appropriate.” Really? In NYC parlance, gimme a break.
So, getting back to Stop and Frisk. I took the liberty of examining the ‘Crime and Enforcement Activity in New York City’ report for 2011 which was authored by or for Mr. Kelly. Talk about eye-opening. The statistics are both overwhelming and frightening. Although I reviewed all categories, I will essentially skip the Misdemeanor and other non-violent offense categories in this summary. The NYC report includes these groups for reporting purposes (I assume other groups are not statistically relevant): American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Black, White, and Hispanic; I’ve combined American Indian and Asian/Pacific Islanders into Other.
Suspect Data |
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Murder & |
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Misdemeanor |
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Non-Negligent |
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Firearms |
Dangerous |
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Felony |
Grand |
Criminal |
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Manslaughter |
Rape |
Shootings |
Arrests |
Drug Arrests |
Robbery |
Assault |
Larceny |
Mischief |
Black |
56.3% |
48.8% |
72.5% |
72.5% |
46.4% |
70.6% |
56.3% |
63.6% |
49.8% |
White |
5.5% |
11.2% |
2.5% |
4.4% |
11.6% |
3.9% |
8.9% |
9.9% |
16.2% |
Hispanic |
35.0% |
34.5% |
23.9% |
22.1% |
40.3% |
24.0% |
30.1% |
24.0% |
30.8% |
Other |
3.2% |
5.4% |
1.1% |
1.0% |
1.7% |
1.5% |
4.7% |
2.4% |
3.2% |
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Complaints |
344 |
1,004 |
900 |
3,446 |
21,240 |
24,567 |
10,761 |
14,560 |
11,267 |
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Victim Data |
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Murder & |
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Misdemeanor |
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Non-Negligent |
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Firearms |
Dangerous |
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Felony |
Grand |
Criminal |
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Manslaughter |
Rape |
Shootings |
Arrests |
Drug Arrests |
Robbery |
Assault |
Larceny |
Mischief |
Black |
61.8% |
36.8% |
74.3% |
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31.7% |
47.8% |
24.1% |
36.3% |
White |
8.4% |
17.8% |
2.6% |
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18.5% |
12.8% |
43.1% |
30.3% |
Hispanic |
26.3% |
39.6% |
21.7% |
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36.1% |
33.4% |
20.2% |
24.7% |
Other |
3.5% |
5.7% |
1.5% |
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13.7% |
6.1% |
12.5% |
8.6% |
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Complaints |
489 |
1,224 |
1,821 |
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21,907 |
18,758 |
38,546 |
42,721 |
Violent Crime Suspects vs. Stop Question & Frisk
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Suspects |
Stops |
Black |
66.1% |
53.0% |
White |
5.5% |
9.3% |
Hispanic |
25.9% |
33.7% |
Other |
2.5% |
4.0% |
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Complaints |
36,787 |
694,660 |
