Source: Reason
by Katherine Mangu-Ward
“The presence of federal law enforcement can drive crime down, at least in the short term. In neighborhoods
where the Guard and federal police have flooded in, carjackings, assaults, and homicides dropped. Polls show that many citizens, tired of theft and violence, welcome the uniforms. To dismiss that desire for order as illegitimate is unserious. People want to be safe, or at least feel safer. And it’s popular. An August Associated Press-NORC poll found that 81 percent of respondents view crime as a ‘major problem’ in America’s large cities, while 66 percent view it as a ‘major problem’ nationwide. A full 82 percent of Republicans, and 55 percent of respondents overall, consider it ‘completely or somewhat acceptable’ for the military and National Guard to assist local police. But a military occupation of American cities is neither constitutionally sound nor fiscally viable.” (for publication 11/25)