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Comments
Treehouse
Chief Scales having declared that “Traffic will not be their primary focus", but that instead the focus of the "Crime Response Unit" will be "chronic neighborhood issues" and "livability issues" is it worth mentioning at all that the initial assignment as described by this report consisted of "targeted traffic enforcement"?
Mr. Daquilante and editors, isn't that something that deserves a follow up question to Chief Scales?
Rotwang
"Targeted traffic enforcement," for anyone who's watched COPS, often helps to solve chronic neighborhood issues.
Don Dix
If the unit is effective and has a positive impact, does it really matter where any specific attention is focused? The goal of law enforcement is the reduction or elimination of all crime, right?
Treehouse
Rotwang and Don Dix, I think both of your comments are helpful and may indeed explain. However, I think Chief Scales would be in a better position to answer than all of us. Shame that the NR did not see fit to ask the one person most uniquely positioned and qualified to clear that up.
sbagwell
Nothing to clear up, Treehouse.
1) The entire story is based on an interview with the chief, so the "did not see fit" remark is utterly without foundation.
2) The chief said traffice would not be a "primary" focus. He did not say it would be abandoned entirely in favor of other areas of endeavor.
3) Random traffic patrol, a major element of traditional policing most places, is vastly different that targeted enforcement based on specific community complaints. That is responsive community policing at its best. Targeting resources is much more efficient that simply spreading them around randomly.
I see no inconsisencies in how the chief described the endeavor or how we conveyed his remarks.
Traffic will get attention based on specific complaints, but will not be a primary area of focus for the team overall. Seems pretty clear to me.
Steve
Bill B
Good response Mr. Bagwell