By police forces and the criminal justice system diverting their attention to more serious crimes such as gun trafficking and sexual assaults, it allows for better and more effective policing in a community. Also, with laying off of the stop and frisk, it can help build a better relationship between the community and the police in that community. As said in the article, Instead of misdemeanor marijuana cases, they will be able to better focus on what needs to be taken care of. Sparks456
I totally agree with you. This will help stop violence that is not needed. From doing this who knows exactly how many police and public’s lives this may save. From slowing down on the stop and frisk it lessens the tensions between possible criminals and police officers. Less arguments and confrontations means happier everyone! Taggswag456
Very well put! I think we should focus more on the serious crimes, and not so much on the "conventional" crimes. If we focus more on the life-threatening crimes, i believe we will succeed in law enforcement and become much more effective! BenRoethlisberger123
I completely agree with you. Gun trafficking and sexual assaults happen a lot. I think by putting some more attention to sexual assaults it will make that form of crime go down. Cutting down on stop and frisk will build better trust in the community, but I do think they still need to happen. For the right reasons though. If someone is about to be arrested then the officer should definitely search the person. dance456
I agree that the police should focus more on the serious crime as mentioned above. By focusing on the more serious crimes people wont commit as many of them. But that doesn't mean they should let all small misdemeanors go. Most crimes are misdemeanors and affect more people everyday than gun violence does. If the police officers start letting misdemeanors go everywhere than soon everyone will start doing them and crime will be on the rise again.
With releasing over a million warrants this will do a lot of the police department and the community of New York City. This helps give “criminals” a fresh start and not have to worry about going to jail over a minor crime. Also, at the same time it shows that the NYPD doesn’t hold grudges. Doing this will defiantly help release tension between both sides. Releasing warrants gives the public a reason not to hate police officers at a time when it is needed. All over the news people watch how cops are doing badly so by doing this it may help people who have it out for the police think again. This is a very smart strategy to in cooperate to help give both sides of it a second chance. Taggswag456
Yes, hopefully this will be a way to reconcile for some of the wrong actions we have taken in the past. I'm a huge believer about giving someone a second chance, and hopefully they will muse it wisely! Let's hope they turn from their ways, and use this as a gift to turn their lives around! BenRoethlisberger123
I totally agree with releasing these warrants on all of the criminals for drug or misdemeanor cases. We need to focus more on protecting the people from gun violence and other assaults, like it stated in the article. As long as no one is getting hurt from the drugs, our main focus needs to be on protecting society as a whole. When we start to focus on enforcing drug laws, we lose focus on murder cases or other serious crimes. It ties cops down from dealing with the more important calls, and should take second place to any other time of felony! BenRoethlisberger123
I like your main focus, I also agree that police agencies need to redirect their focus onto more important crimes that can harm society. There are so many different types of crime out their for some agencies to handle. I believe that we need to divide up the roles of police. Federal police such as the FBI should focus more on murders and local police can focus more on street crimes such as drug deals.-Eclipse456
I agree completely with what you said. We need to focus on crimes where people are getting hurt and killed. We need to prioritize calls and focus on the big time offences. I also agree when you said that we not completely forget about drug crimes, but have the FBI focus on the big time offences. Broncos456
I think this was a generous gesture of the DA. I found myself getting arrested for some dumb ticket that was so petty but now i have a picture for arrest. But i think this may cause people to hang out in parks later or walk their dogs without a chain and believe just because its a lot of low offense tickets they can get away with it. I think they should pay attention to the drugs as well as the crime against person their is a high correlation between the two.MotherOF4123
I think this was a generous gesture of the DA. I found myself getting arrested for some dumb ticket that was so petty but now i have a picture for arrest. But i think this may cause people to hang out in parks later or walk their dogs without a chain and believe just because its a lot of low offense tickets they can get away with it. I think they should pay attention to the drugs as well as the crime against person their is a high correlation between the two.MotherOF4123
I believe this is a great idea! Why must the state waste time and money on petty misdemeanor crimes when they can have their attention on REAL issues. This will also be a major stress reliever as the people involved with a "warrant" can now relax and not worry about going to jail, court fees, financially, etc. This also can be the first building block of a better connection with citizens and their department. Also many other departments can learn from this and possibly use this tactic as well if it is indeed effective. There are so many law-abiding citizens that would have to "suffer" if this doesn’t pass through. Petty crimes just need a slap in the hand. Not a 200$ ticket which just grows no trust and builds hate for authority for walking a dog without a leash. Warnings should be given for those. Not fees and jail time.
I agree with you. I don't know why the state has to waste money on little things such as misdemeanor crimes. Some of that money that is being taken out of are checks goes to the government and who knows what they are spending our hard earned money on. Little crimes such as stealing a candy bar should not be fined $200 some odd dollars. You shouldn't put them in jail either because then where do you put the people that belong in jail? bodybuilder456
I also agree with what you are saying. Everyone knows that New York has a homeless problem. In the article it tells me that the minor offenses is littering, walking a dog without a leash, or in the park after dark. Everything a homeless would do. They could have a homeless dog but don't have a leash to put them on. They carry junk all day long in shopping carts which could fall out of the cart and the cops see it. The park I would think that a homeless person would go to the park and find a place to sleep and to get away from the chaos of the big city.
I agree with what you are saying. We could save a lot of time and money by getting rid of misdemeanor warrants and focusing on the more serious crimes. Also with this it will bring a lot of relief to the people who made a little mistake that didn't really effect anyone. This could also help the relationships between citizens and police departments. dragons456
I would have to agree with this too. I think the state shouldn’t waste money on little crimes like littering, walking the dog without a leash, or being in the park after dark. I don’t think that jail time and fees are necessary either. Yeah, those things might be a law, but just warn them of that. Don’t over-do it. CSI 123 & 789
The only thing that I got out of this article was, let's focus on what's happening with the serious crimes instead of whats happening with the little crimes that people are doing. It's just not fair to let someone go to jail for 6 years for doing something little as stealing a candy bar from a convenient store and then turn around and put someone in jail for the same amount of time for doing something as big as killing someone. bodybuilder456
That is a lot of open warrants for minor offenses. It was so much that the police force has a trouble relationship with the community. They put in a program called "begin again". Where people can meet with the judge and clear the warrant and their cases closed. I think that the polices need to change some of there tactics. They could of just gave warnings instead wright them up a ticket. I say a ticket because people are given a certain amount of time to pay the ticket. If they don't pay the ticket in that certain amount of time the police can make an arrest. I say this because my older brother didn't pay his ticket on time and the cops had a warrant for his arrest and in New York their is a lot of people homeless. A good majority of 1.2 million people could be homeless people. That can't pay the ticket. You notice that the article talks about being in the park after dark and littering. That is all the things that a homeless person would do. They would go to the park to find a place to sleep or have garbage on the ground because it could of fallen out of their cart or the pocket. I am glad that Thompson made this program to wipe there clean of their warrants. Phenom789
Yes right a ticket or some sort probably not even that, a lot of this stuff is uncalled for and their putting the wrong ppl in jail taking up space for the actual criminals, it's bad to have ppl in jail for some so ignorant l. These cops provoke a lot of stuff that isn't a threat, now the government has to come up with something that will protect these citizens l, I believe these programs will work at least the society will still have the good walking the streets LifeImagine789
All these warrants that are open are very ridiculous in my opinion. Yes, I understand that the people who committed these crimes deserve some sort of justice but I don't think that they need to have a warrant out for their arrest and to be brought to the police station where they will stay for maybe one night and pay some fines. Like if they need or want money that bad why don't they just start fining people more instead of arresting them. That way it will keep the jail population down, earn money, open up room in overcrowded jails and prisons we have today, and still fight crime at the same time. I don't understand why a person would stay the night in jail for littering and I also don't understand why its okay for a person to be able to get a felony from littering either. 36chambers123
I agree that removing the warrants is a good thing and that arresting somebody over these petty crimes is overkill, but fines can be just as big as an issue. A lot of these "criminal" with these minor offenses are poor. Paying these fines might not be an option and if they cannot pay they end up in the same situation. If you do not pay a fine, you can go to jail and it can even be a worse punishment on top of it. I did not see anywhere where it said littering would give you a felony, but that would be ridiculous.
I think you made a very valid point. Releasing their warrants and giving them a second chance is a great way to decrease the prison population. The begin again procedure will help citizens in more than one way, which you correctly stated. Fining could either help or hurt the situation at hand. It could either create a bigger population for the county jail, or decrease the amount of warrants. KayaJ456
This is poor use of the "community policing" system on the law enforcement agencies behalf. Community policing allows police to interact with the civilians of society and form a bond between the two. As it even states in the article, Brooklyn District Attorneys offices says they want to "wipe the slate clean" in an effort to reset the troubled relationship between law enforcement and communities. I agree with the Attorneys office decision to carry this out. I think that police need to stop focusing on the common pity crimes, and face their attention to the more violent crime being committed in the community. Police need to get more involved in the community and become more familiar as to where crime is being committed. If police get more involved with the citizens, they are more likely to receive "tips" from individuals and it will make their job that much easier. Police do need to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh in order to make a difference in society. -Eclipse456
I love how this article, unlike others, states relevant and important information. I found it shocking that there are so many warrants out for petty crimes now a days. Yes, it is a law, but that's insane. Can you imagine having 1.2 million warrants out for non violent or drug related crimes? On another note, the Begin Again program, in my opinion, is very interesting. I wish I could have read more about the outcome of the program. Imagine all of the work that had to be put towards all of those warrants. I'm glad that they have cleared at least some of them. Even though I do agree with the program, there are a lot of flaws to it as well. There are a lot of factors that should weigh whether or not they should be able to get to"begin again". In some neighborhoods, I feel as if it may be unnecessary to enable this program due to what the community is like. Since they are wanting to only focus on more serious crimes, such as gun related offenses, I wonder what they think the outcome will be. If they are focusing more on violent crimes and not drug crimes, then how will this be effective? Most drug crimes and violent crimes are correlated and associated with the same offenders. So, how will this be effective. KayaJ456
I wholeheartedly agree with your beginning statement. It is a surprise to find out that petty crimes are being issued warrants for arrest when they don't have nearly as great of an effect on the community as other, more major and important crimes. Later in your comment, you mention how violent and drug crime-related offenders often overlap, so shifting our attention from petty crimes to serious drug offenders and violent offenders would reduce the amount of both types of crime.
Removing these warrants for minor offenses could be a very good thing. Many people do not like minor offenses such as out after dark at a park or small amounts of marijuana use. The reason is that these offenses are minor and do not harm or effect anyone but the person doing it. If I do something that has no effect on another individual or the area around me, why would it be a crime. Now some however minor, are understandable, but removing the warrants will show good faith from the police force to the people.
I think releasing misdemeanor warrant's is a good idea and would do a lot for the city of New York. It would give people who made a little mistake a second chance. They are focusing too much on the little crimes instead of the more serious crimes due to the amount of misdemeanor warrants. With releasing misdemeanor warrants it could put more focus on the more serious crimes and help get dangerous people off the streets instead of someone who made a little mistake. It could also build the relationships between the citizens of New York and the NYPD. They will realize that cops and people in the justice system and good people and not out to get them so the NYPD will gain relationships with the citizens. dragons456
It's wrong to make up warrants and it's wrong to put the wrong ppl in jail especially for some so little. these cops take up too much time on some so little and irrelevant something that is nowhere near to a threat on society, if anything that's part of society and they wanna take that away come on now that's a little bit too low of standards, I'm concerned for those thats being raped not the ones who out late or walking theit dog and their not opposing any type of threat. The society needs to get together to omit this and move on and the first thing they can start off with is the programs to help or nation a betterms setting. LifeImagine789
I agree that sometimes cops do waste time on non violent people and could potentially miss the crimes that are more serious. They should be more worried about when the next gang fight may occur or when the next shooting may happen. No one should issue a warrant for someone who committed a smaller less violent crime. -Barcelona789
I truly agree with the NYPD on the new "Bridging the Divide" campaign. This is a good idea in many cases. Get rid of the warrants that are pretty much drawn out, and having the amount of open warrants that New York has is insane. In doing this new plan they can focus on the sexual assault cases and drug and gun trafficking. These are the major crimes we should really be worried about. A kid with half a blunt isn't as much a threat to society as a guy selling over 150 guns plus, to illegal people illegally. In turn, this new plan should help the police do there job better and not have to worry and waste their time with these overkill warrants. This plan is also going to help with the bonds between the people and the police that have been so badly frayed for so long. Ludwig123
When you talk about the fact of bridge the divide campaign is good and the amount of warrants out in NYC is insane I agree whole hardly. But I also think that we should help people that need help drug problems because those can lead to other more violent offenses. Jfl123
With in this article they are talking about a few different things that are going on and seem to be effective for community relations in New York City. The first thing is the begin again program that brings together judges, lawyers and prosecutors to help clear warrants. When you do this it will automatically help the police force better do there job finding and even prosecuting violent offenders. When we talk about stop and frisk I think of over used but also think in instances it is a great tool to have. I also think it needs to be done correctly by having question in there to. I think it is need to continue to have events like begin again and bridge the divide that helps community policing continue to take steps forward. The article said the next topic for the bridge the divide is on psychology of policing and that I believe is not just how cops think but also how departments can make efforts toward how the city they services sees them. Jfl123
The practice that is presented in this article would help eradicate all of the useless warrants that have been administered within the past years. It is ridiculous to discover that there are open warrants for offenses as minor as walking your dog without a leash. Ridding the streets of these useless warrants will help focus crime on more serious crime such as burglary, gun violence, and violent assaults. "Bridging the Divide" would surely reduce crime rates, and eventually save money since it will no longer be spent on sending minor offenders through the system. This campaign again would help promote community policing throughout the city, helping citizens respect police officers.
I think the program called “Begin Again” is a great idea. It is a great idea because it does help the police keep focus on the more major crimes like gun violence. If the cops had to worry about writing loitering tickets, or walking your dog without a leash all the time they wouldn't have time to patrol the neighbor hoods that are dangerous. Even though those little “crimes” generate revenue for the city it kind of wastes money for the city because the police department may have to hire more police officers to focus on the little crimes like walking your dog without a leash. If you the person doesn't pay the fine for that crime then they could potentially have a warrant for their arrest and be put in jail, why would we waste jail space on a non violent person when they just wanted to walk their dog? -Barcelona789
I agree completely. I said that we should not have to put people like that into a place with violent criminals who have problems. Jail is suppose to be for rehabilitation. Not a place to put someone just because they made a minor mistake. Plenty of people do these mistakes they just don't get caught. Cowboy123
I agree with this article when they say that cops should use their resources on more serious crimes. Its ridiculous to hear that their are open warrants for people just simply "walking their dog without a leash" by arresting that person on such small offense its waisting so much more time and money that could be used catching the "big fish". The "begin again" program is so important. The begin again program is showing more signs of community policing which a lot of departments are lacking. The more time we waist on little warrants the more time the more serious crimes are happening right in front of our eyes. -dicaprio456
1.2 million open warrants for minor offenses such as littering, walking a dog without a leash or being in the park after dark is just too much for how small these things are. I don’t think it is appropriate that a person should be spending a night in jail or weekend. There are bigger issues out there that need the police’s attention more than those. For example, mentioned in the article that gun violence and sexual assaults would be more serious crimes. Because policing with the community has become a downfall, they are now trying to help make programs to rekindle the relationship between police and communities. With the help of closing 1,300 warrants, that is a start to help increase the relationship between the two. CSI 123 & 789.
It certainly is a big number for such small things but these laws were made for a reason, at some point somebody probably had abused there freedom too much that they local government had to make these laws. What gets me more than the amount of warrants is the amount of people who are unable to follow such simple laws. Police officers don't male the laws the are under oath to enforce the law so when they see these little things they are kinda required to do something to these people. -Acerunner789
Looking at this concern from a moral point of view, I think this is very strict. Think of it this way, when someone is arrested for assault or domestic violence they go to the jail. Well in this case if someone litters they also will go to jail. I think it is a little harsh to put all them in the same place. I think we need to focus more on violent crimes and let the petty ones go. Even the crime failure to appear with fee with a little harsh. Some people honestly can't afford to pay there fines on time. They should just offer community service in a situation like that. There are far more worst people out there then we think and the ones that usually commit minor crimes tend not to be so bad. Cowboy123
I honestly think that they should slow down on how many warrants they hand out to minor offenses. 1.2 million is way too many warrants. Especially for walking a dog off a leash. The only time I think that it is a problem is if the owner knows their dog will get into trouble or attack someone. It really makes a community not trust the police. The focus really should be on more serious offenses. For example, Sexual assaults are serious offenses. They should have a lot of focus. Same with gun trafficking. Gun violence is also a very serious problem that needs a lot of focus. I do think that stop and frisk needs to be cut down a little bit. The only time it should be used is if an officer is going to make an arrest. What I do not like though is how officers try to keep themselves and others safe and yet they are told it is wrong. Stop and frisk should be used during an arrest to keep the officer safe. dance456
I agree with your point of view on this subject. Warrants for minor offences should be toned down. If someone knowingly commits a crime then they should be arrested or have warrants issued against them for not appearing in court. Like you said if they walk a dangerous dog off a leash, then of course they should be arrested or fined. Very well written. Silverado123
I agree. There have been 4 murders due to gun violence just in Peoria alone in the past 2 months. I had to hear of my family member being shot and killed over something that didnt warrant his death. Not to mention the Oregon shooting that just occurred also. How about those kids and teachers at Sandy Hook? Gun violence is a serious issue in America. People in this day and age are so quick to pick up a gun and it's truly alarming. Its something we really need to get a handle on and I believe this move is the first step. 90sMusic123 & 90sMusic789
I read this article a few days ago, and I thought it was a great example of how the authorities can reconcile with the people of this country. People who got ticketed for walking their dogs without a leash, being in central park to late, or for other minor violations should not be arrested and face jail time for petty offenses. It could ruin their future. For instance if someone who got arrested for theses warrants wanted to apply for a FOID, they would certainly be denied. They may also lose jobs as they would be sent to jail or may be limited in future employment due to background checks. Further more they may feel stigmatized by the authorities. It is in the best interest of the NYPD to make sure all of these warrants are rolled back. This would help relieve pressure on the court system to take care of more pressing matters, and help relations with their civilians as well as the press. Silverado123
I like how you mentioned the FOID card. I'd hate to know that I got arrested for litering to find out I loose all my rights over something petty. I think this fresh start, can be very beneficial if the old habits don't return and put the police back in the same state they were already in. Palmdaddy456
I found this to be a great idea, because this allows those who have been charged for petty theft a chance to restart. The program will definitely make the PR in the area go up since those who have negative opinions on cops either grew up on that or developed it through confrontation. The too will benefit since the cases that are reviewed can be on crimes that are affecting society the most. Palmdaddy456
I found this to be a great idea, because this allows those who have been charged for petty theft a chance to restart. The program will definitely make the PR in the community go up since those who have negative opinions on cops either grew up on that or developed it through confrontation. This too will benefit the courts since the cases that are reviewed can be on crimes that are affecting society the most opposed to those that are petty. Palmdaddy456
Looking at this article, I think its about time the criminal justice system starts focusing on the bigger more important crimes. Locking up people for j-walking and dogs with no leashes, is absolutely ridiculous. Not to mention the increased percentage of people it adds to the prison population. Constantly booking people for such petty offenses takes not only extra time, but thats more money that OUR taxes have to pay to keep them housed. Its unneccesary and there are bigger issues that society faces. 90sMusic123 & 90sMusic789
This should slow down the amount of people being taken in every night. 1.2 million is way too many warrants. Especially for walking a dog off a leash. Cops will have more time to focus on more serious crimes. This will make the relationship with NYPD and the community better. Now days it is very important that cops and the community have a tight relationship. The only down fall in something like this the money that these warrants generate. If no one pays these the warrants the city will have to raise its taxes. In the end it will make the community view police in a positive way and possibly this will spread to other major cities. Bassfishing123
It is a good idea that they get rid of all of those warrants and for a little bit if will make room for other things the cops could do. But they would just end up pulling someone over doing normal patrolling and could end up with a new case with a warrant. After so many cops doing this it will add back up and now you are in the same place. wreked123
1.2 million warrants out for infractions is a waste of the department's time. Time and effort that could be spent in other areas, such as gun control and sexual assault cases. If the department put as much effort into these bigger cases as they do these infractions we could cut the more serious crimes by a good deal. The stop and frisk policy is necessary. If the people expect us to completely abolish this policy they're insane. There is no way, as officers of the law, that we can ensure our own safety in certain situations without knowing if the possible offender is carrying something that may put us or others in harms way. Leilani456
I read this in the paper and I thought it was a good start to trying to repair a relationship with the community. Releasing 1.3 million warrants is good for all the low level offenders who got caught with a gram of weed or sped to fast and didn't show up to court. But they would also need to change the laws to make it to were you don't have 1.3 million new people who get caught doing some minor act and end up in the same position. wreked123
These warrants are accumulative over years and years. If it was reset then people might get out of certain situations and it will put them at ease and not feel LABELED as an outcast. This is good, maybe they should do this every ten years for petty warrants? Sounds like a good idea but there needs to be tests in the system and Im sure there are loop holes that need addressed. Bassfishing123
This article just shows how needed the practice of community policing is. It will allow for stronger bonds between the citizens and law enforcement officers. Out main focus needs to be centered on gun violence and keeping people safe and out of harms way. In other words, we need to stop being to critical and focused in on drug use and the production of small time dealers who are not putting peoples lives in danger. Also mentioned in the article was sexual assaults. We need to focus on preventing and stopping those. Sexual Assaults are terrible crimes and need to be put to an end. Instead of declaring a war on drugs, we need to act on gun violence and more life-threatening cases. Broncos456
I understand how it seems like clearing warrants for small petty crimes would help the relationship between the justice system and the public but I don’t see how it would change anything. Just because this one time people are getting a break doesn’t mean they will always get this break if they go and do something else the laws have not changed so they could easily go back and commit the same crime and they would receive the same punishment. Also it does not help the relationship because the people would still see the officer who gave them the fine as the officer who gave them the fine they just don’t have to pay the fine and will not receive punishment making it so they might go and think they could just go and commit the crime again and not have to receive punishment because they will think the courts will just drop it again. -Acerunner789
Aceruuner, think of it from patrolman's POV. If you need to get a case closed in your district, but no one is talking, weigh out your reasons. One, because of bad experiences with justice system and law enforcement? Or two, maybe they're just raised that way to hate the police. But say if the community is not cooperating because of bad experiences with the justice system? How can those experiences be changed? Less targeting for petty crimes to reduce open warrants, so in the future, if ever needed to turn to the community, they'll know that you didn't arrest or target them and they'll give what you want, all day. Sometimes giving a little respect and changing the game on how policing is done goes a long way. ThinBlue94789
I believe this is a great idea and a good start to many if they want to have the community back on their side. By having close to 1.2 million open warrants open is uncalled for and maybe someone should look into "why are so many being issued for petty crimes"? They also have to look at the fact as "how is this fixing the community? There's a new style of policing being done now and days, and by issuing out a warrant or arresting a citizen on a littering warrant, isn't going to have the community on their side for anything. Having the community on your side now and days is a key role in policing. Having citizens willingly giving information is the goal to community policing. But it's not going to be achieved by having almost 1.2 million open warrants out targeting the community, they aren’t the suspects. ThinBlue94789
In my opinion, I think that we should go through the system and find poor laws that were committed and do away with the warrants that people have for committing them. Like someone stated earlier, they need to be focused on the possession of carrying illegal firearms, drug trafficking, murder, and crime. Not someone walking their dog without a leash and littering. I mean yes, they are crimes but not anything serious that can actually harm an individual. These police seem to be too focused on making money, compared to making their city a better and safer place to be in. -Ibanez123
I think that the warrants being released is a very good thing. It will allow the prisons to become not as overflowed as they are now. By doing this it allows our police officers to focus on the more serious crimes for the people who do deserve to go to prison. Why should somebody who was smoking a little bit of the devils lettuce go to prison for almost the same amount of time as someone who murder somebody? Im glad that America is finally realizing that the smaller crimes aren't as important to put somebody in prison as the more serious offenses.
By police forces and the criminal justice system diverting their attention to more serious crimes such as gun trafficking and sexual assaults, it allows for better and more effective policing in a community. Also, with laying off of the stop and frisk, it can help build a better relationship between the community and the police in that community. As said in the article, Instead of misdemeanor marijuana cases, they will be able to better focus on what needs to be taken care of. Sparks456
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. This will help stop violence that is not needed. From doing this who knows exactly how many police and public’s lives this may save. From slowing down on the stop and frisk it lessens the tensions between possible criminals and police officers. Less arguments and confrontations means happier everyone! Taggswag456
DeleteVery well put! I think we should focus more on the serious crimes, and not so much on the "conventional" crimes. If we focus more on the life-threatening crimes, i believe we will succeed in law enforcement and become much more effective!
DeleteBenRoethlisberger123
I completely agree with you. Gun trafficking and sexual assaults happen a lot. I think by putting some more attention to sexual assaults it will make that form of crime go down. Cutting down on stop and frisk will build better trust in the community, but I do think they still need to happen. For the right reasons though. If someone is about to be arrested then the officer should definitely search the person.
Deletedance456
I agree that the police should focus more on the serious crime as mentioned above. By focusing on the more serious crimes people wont commit as many of them. But that doesn't mean they should let all small misdemeanors go. Most crimes are misdemeanors and affect more people everyday than gun violence does. If the police officers start letting misdemeanors go everywhere than soon everyone will start doing them and crime will be on the rise again.
DeleteGodFieri456
With releasing over a million warrants this will do a lot of the police department and the community of New York City. This helps give “criminals” a fresh start and not have to worry about going to jail over a minor crime. Also, at the same time it shows that the NYPD doesn’t hold grudges. Doing this will defiantly help release tension between both sides. Releasing warrants gives the public a reason not to hate police officers at a time when it is needed. All over the news people watch how cops are doing badly so by doing this it may help people who have it out for the police think again. This is a very smart strategy to in cooperate to help give both sides of it a second chance. Taggswag456
ReplyDeleteYes, hopefully this will be a way to reconcile for some of the wrong actions we have taken in the past. I'm a huge believer about giving someone a second chance, and hopefully they will muse it wisely! Let's hope they turn from their ways, and use this as a gift to turn their lives around!
DeleteBenRoethlisberger123
I totally agree with releasing these warrants on all of the criminals for drug or misdemeanor cases. We need to focus more on protecting the people from gun violence and other assaults, like it stated in the article. As long as no one is getting hurt from the drugs, our main focus needs to be on protecting society as a whole. When we start to focus on enforcing drug laws, we lose focus on murder cases or other serious crimes. It ties cops down from dealing with the more important calls, and should take second place to any other time of felony!
ReplyDeleteBenRoethlisberger123
I like your main focus, I also agree that police agencies need to redirect their focus onto more important crimes that can harm society. There are so many different types of crime out their for some agencies to handle. I believe that we need to divide up the roles of police. Federal police such as the FBI should focus more on murders and local police can focus more on street crimes such as drug deals.-Eclipse456
DeleteI agree completely with what you said. We need to focus on crimes where people are getting hurt and killed. We need to prioritize calls and focus on the big time offences. I also agree when you said that we not completely forget about drug crimes, but have the FBI focus on the big time offences. Broncos456
DeleteI think this was a generous gesture of the DA. I found myself getting
ReplyDeletearrested for some dumb ticket that was so petty but now i have a picture for arrest. But i think this may cause people to hang out in parks later or walk their dogs without a chain and believe just because its a lot of low offense tickets they can get away with it. I think they should pay attention to the drugs as well as the crime against person their is a high correlation between the two.MotherOF4123
I think this was a generous gesture of the DA. I found myself getting
ReplyDeletearrested for some dumb ticket that was so petty but now i have a picture for arrest. But i think this may cause people to hang out in parks later or walk their dogs without a chain and believe just because its a lot of low offense tickets they can get away with it. I think they should pay attention to the drugs as well as the crime against person their is a high correlation between the two.MotherOF4123
I believe this is a great idea! Why must the state waste time and money on petty misdemeanor crimes when they can have their attention on REAL issues. This will also be a major stress reliever as the people involved with a "warrant" can now relax and not worry about going to jail, court fees, financially, etc. This also can be the first building block of a better connection with citizens and their department. Also many other departments can learn from this and possibly use this tactic as well if it is indeed effective. There are so many law-abiding citizens that would have to "suffer" if this doesn’t pass through. Petty crimes just need a slap in the hand. Not a 200$ ticket which just grows no trust and builds hate for authority for walking a dog without a leash. Warnings should be given for those. Not fees and jail time.
ReplyDeleterugby123
I agree with you. I don't know why the state has to waste money on little things such as misdemeanor crimes. Some of that money that is being taken out of are checks goes to the government and who knows what they are spending our hard earned money on. Little crimes such as stealing a candy bar should not be fined $200 some odd dollars. You shouldn't put them in jail either because then where do you put the people that belong in jail? bodybuilder456
DeleteI also agree with what you are saying. Everyone knows that New York has a homeless problem. In the article it tells me that the minor offenses is littering, walking a dog without a leash, or in the park after dark. Everything a homeless would do. They could have a homeless dog but don't have a leash to put them on. They carry junk all day long in shopping carts which could fall out of the cart and the cops see it. The park I would think that a homeless person would go to the park and find a place to sleep and to get away from the chaos of the big city.
DeleteI agree with what you are saying. We could save a lot of time and money by getting rid of misdemeanor warrants and focusing on the more serious crimes. Also with this it will bring a lot of relief to the people who made a little mistake that didn't really effect anyone. This could also help the relationships between citizens and police departments. dragons456
DeleteI would have to agree with this too. I think the state shouldn’t waste money on little crimes like littering, walking the dog without a leash, or being in the park after dark. I don’t think that jail time and fees are necessary either. Yeah, those things might be a law, but just warn them of that. Don’t over-do it. CSI 123 & 789
DeleteThe only thing that I got out of this article was, let's focus on what's happening with the serious crimes instead of whats happening with the little crimes that people are doing. It's just not fair to let someone go to jail for 6 years for doing something little as stealing a candy bar from a convenient store and then turn around and put someone in jail for the same amount of time for doing something as big as killing someone. bodybuilder456
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of open warrants for minor offenses. It was so much that the police force has a trouble relationship with the community. They put in a program called "begin again". Where people can meet with the judge and clear the warrant and their cases closed. I think that the polices need to change some of there tactics. They could of just gave warnings instead wright them up a ticket. I say a ticket because people are given a certain amount of time to pay the ticket. If they don't pay the ticket in that certain amount of time the police can make an arrest. I say this because my older brother didn't pay his ticket on time and the cops had a warrant for his arrest and in New York their is a lot of people homeless. A good majority of 1.2 million people could be homeless people. That can't pay the ticket. You notice that the article talks about being in the park after dark and littering. That is all the things that a homeless person would do. They would go to the park to find a place to sleep or have garbage on the ground because it could of fallen out of their cart or the pocket. I am glad that Thompson made this program to wipe there clean of their warrants. Phenom789
ReplyDeleteYes right a ticket or some sort probably not even that, a lot of this stuff is uncalled for and their putting the wrong ppl in jail taking up space for the actual criminals, it's bad to have ppl in jail for some so ignorant l. These cops provoke a lot of stuff that isn't a threat, now the government has to come up with something that will protect these citizens l, I believe these programs will work at least the society will still have the good walking the streets LifeImagine789
DeleteAll these warrants that are open are very ridiculous in my opinion. Yes, I understand that the people who committed these crimes deserve some sort of justice but I don't think that they need to have a warrant out for their arrest and to be brought to the police station where they will stay for maybe one night and pay some fines. Like if they need or want money that bad why don't they just start fining people more instead of arresting them. That way it will keep the jail population down, earn money, open up room in overcrowded jails and prisons we have today, and still fight crime at the same time. I don't understand why a person would stay the night in jail for littering and I also don't understand why its okay for a person to be able to get a felony from littering either.
ReplyDelete36chambers123
I agree that removing the warrants is a good thing and that arresting somebody over these petty crimes is overkill, but fines can be just as big as an issue. A lot of these "criminal" with these minor offenses are poor. Paying these fines might not be an option and if they cannot pay they end up in the same situation. If you do not pay a fine, you can go to jail and it can even be a worse punishment on top of it. I did not see anywhere where it said littering would give you a felony, but that would be ridiculous.
DeleteEarthquake 456
I think you made a very valid point. Releasing their warrants and giving them a second chance is a great way to decrease the prison population. The begin again procedure will help citizens in more than one way, which you correctly stated. Fining could either help or hurt the situation at hand. It could either create a bigger population for the county jail, or decrease the amount of warrants. KayaJ456
DeleteThis is poor use of the "community policing" system on the law enforcement agencies behalf. Community policing allows police to interact with the civilians of society and form a bond between the two. As it even states in the article, Brooklyn District Attorneys offices says they want to "wipe the slate clean" in an effort to reset the troubled relationship between law enforcement and communities. I agree with the Attorneys office decision to carry this out. I think that police need to stop focusing on the common pity crimes, and face their attention to the more violent crime being committed in the community. Police need to get more involved in the community and become more familiar as to where crime is being committed. If police get more involved with the citizens, they are more likely to receive "tips" from individuals and it will make their job that much easier. Police do need to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh in order to make a difference in society. -Eclipse456
ReplyDeleteI love how this article, unlike others, states relevant and important information. I found it shocking that there are so many warrants out for petty crimes now a days. Yes, it is a law, but that's insane. Can you imagine having 1.2 million warrants out for non violent or drug related crimes? On another note, the Begin Again program, in my opinion, is very interesting. I wish I could have read more about the outcome of the program. Imagine all of the work that had to be put towards all of those warrants. I'm glad that they have cleared at least some of them. Even though I do agree with the program, there are a lot of flaws to it as well. There are a lot of factors that should weigh whether or not they should be able to get to"begin again". In some neighborhoods, I feel as if it may be unnecessary to enable this program due to what the community is like. Since they are wanting to only focus on more serious crimes, such as gun related offenses, I wonder what they think the outcome will be. If they are focusing more on violent crimes and not drug crimes, then how will this be effective? Most drug crimes and violent crimes are correlated and associated with the same offenders. So, how will this be effective. KayaJ456
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with your beginning statement. It is a surprise to find out that petty crimes are being issued warrants for arrest when they don't have nearly as great of an effect on the community as other, more major and important crimes. Later in your comment, you mention how violent and drug crime-related offenders often overlap, so shifting our attention from petty crimes to serious drug offenders and violent offenders would reduce the amount of both types of crime.
DeleteOldHollywood456
Removing these warrants for minor offenses could be a very good thing. Many people do not like minor offenses such as out after dark at a park or small amounts of marijuana use. The reason is that these offenses are minor and do not harm or effect anyone but the person doing it. If I do something that has no effect on another individual or the area around me, why would it be a crime. Now some however minor, are understandable, but removing the warrants will show good faith from the police force to the people.
ReplyDeleteEarthquake 456
I think releasing misdemeanor warrant's is a good idea and would do a lot for the city of New York. It would give people who made a little mistake a second chance. They are focusing too much on the little crimes instead of the more serious crimes due to the amount of misdemeanor warrants. With releasing misdemeanor warrants it could put more focus on the more serious crimes and help get dangerous people off the streets instead of someone who made a little mistake. It could also build the relationships between the citizens of New York and the NYPD. They will realize that cops and people in the justice system and good people and not out to get them so the NYPD will gain relationships with the citizens. dragons456
ReplyDeleteIt's wrong to make up warrants and it's wrong to put the wrong ppl in jail especially for some so little. these cops take up too much time on some so little and irrelevant something that is nowhere near to a threat on society, if anything that's part of society and they wanna take that away come on now that's a little bit too low of standards, I'm concerned for those thats being raped not the ones who out late or walking theit dog and their not opposing any type of threat. The society needs to get together to omit this and move on and the first thing they can start off with is the programs to help or nation a betterms setting. LifeImagine789
ReplyDeleteI agree that sometimes cops do waste time on non violent people and could potentially miss the crimes that are more serious. They should be more worried about when the next gang fight may occur or when the next shooting may happen. No one should issue a warrant for someone who committed a smaller less violent crime. -Barcelona789
DeleteI truly agree with the NYPD on the new "Bridging the Divide" campaign. This is a good idea in many cases. Get rid of the warrants that are pretty much drawn out, and having the amount of open warrants that New York has is insane. In doing this new plan they can focus on the sexual assault cases and drug and gun trafficking. These are the major crimes we should really be worried about. A kid with half a blunt isn't as much a threat to society as a guy selling over 150 guns plus, to illegal people illegally. In turn, this new plan should help the police do there job better and not have to worry and waste their time with these overkill warrants. This plan is also going to help with the bonds between the people and the police that have been so badly frayed for so long. Ludwig123
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk about the fact of bridge the divide campaign is good and the amount of warrants out in NYC is insane I agree whole hardly. But I also think that we should help people that need help drug problems because those can lead to other more violent offenses.
DeleteJfl123
With in this article they are talking about a few different things that are going on and seem to be effective for community relations in New York City. The first thing is the begin again program that brings together judges, lawyers and prosecutors to help clear warrants. When you do this it will automatically help the police force better do there job finding and even prosecuting violent offenders. When we talk about stop and frisk I think of over used but also think in instances it is a great tool to have. I also think it needs to be done correctly by having question in there to. I think it is need to continue to have events like begin again and bridge the divide that helps community policing continue to take steps forward. The article said the next topic for the bridge the divide is on psychology of policing and that I believe is not just how cops think but also how departments can make efforts toward how the city they services sees them.
ReplyDeleteJfl123
The practice that is presented in this article would help eradicate all of the useless warrants that have been administered within the past years. It is ridiculous to discover that there are open warrants for offenses as minor as walking your dog without a leash. Ridding the streets of these useless warrants will help focus crime on more serious crime such as burglary, gun violence, and violent assaults. "Bridging the Divide" would surely reduce crime rates, and eventually save money since it will no longer be spent on sending minor offenders through the system. This campaign again would help promote community policing throughout the city, helping citizens respect police officers.
ReplyDeleteOldHollywood456
I think the program called “Begin Again” is a great idea. It is a great idea because it does help the police keep focus on the more major crimes like gun violence. If the cops had to worry about writing loitering tickets, or walking your dog without a leash all the time they wouldn't have time to patrol the neighbor hoods that are dangerous. Even though those little “crimes” generate revenue for the city it kind of wastes money for the city because the police department may have to hire more police officers to focus on the little crimes like walking your dog without a leash. If you the person doesn't pay the fine for that crime then they could potentially have a warrant for their arrest and be put in jail, why would we waste jail space on a non violent person when they just wanted to walk their dog? -Barcelona789
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. I said that we should not have to put people like that into a place with violent criminals who have problems. Jail is suppose to be for rehabilitation. Not a place to put someone just because they made a minor mistake. Plenty of people do these mistakes they just don't get caught. Cowboy123
DeleteI agree with this article when they say that cops should use their resources on more serious crimes. Its ridiculous to hear that their are open warrants for people just simply "walking their dog without a leash" by arresting that person on such small offense its waisting so much more time and money that could be used catching the "big fish". The "begin again" program is so important. The begin again program is showing more signs of community policing which a lot of departments are lacking. The more time we waist on little warrants the more time the more serious crimes are happening right in front of our eyes. -dicaprio456
ReplyDelete1.2 million open warrants for minor offenses such as littering, walking a dog without a leash or being in the park after dark is just too much for how small these things are. I don’t think it is appropriate that a person should be spending a night in jail or weekend. There are bigger issues out there that need the police’s attention more than those. For example, mentioned in the article that gun violence and sexual assaults would be more serious crimes. Because policing with the community has become a downfall, they are now trying to help make programs to rekindle the relationship between police and communities. With the help of closing 1,300 warrants, that is a start to help increase the relationship between the two. CSI 123 & 789.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is a big number for such small things but these laws were made for a reason, at some point somebody probably had abused there freedom too much that they local government had to make these laws. What gets me more than the amount of warrants is the amount of people who are unable to follow such simple laws. Police officers don't male the laws the are under oath to enforce the law so when they see these little things they are kinda required to do something to these people. -Acerunner789
DeleteLooking at this concern from a moral point of view, I think this is very strict. Think of it this way, when someone is arrested for assault or domestic violence they go to the jail. Well in this case if someone litters they also will go to jail. I think it is a little harsh to put all them in the same place. I think we need to focus more on violent crimes and let the petty ones go. Even the crime failure to appear with fee with a little harsh. Some people honestly can't afford to pay there fines on time. They should just offer community service in a situation like that. There are far more worst people out there then we think and the ones that usually commit minor crimes tend not to be so bad. Cowboy123
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that they should slow down on how many warrants they hand out to minor offenses. 1.2 million is way too many warrants. Especially for walking a dog off a leash. The only time I think that it is a problem is if the owner knows their dog will get into trouble or attack someone. It really makes a community not trust the police. The focus really should be on more serious offenses. For example, Sexual assaults are serious offenses. They should have a lot of focus. Same with gun trafficking. Gun violence is also a very serious problem that needs a lot of focus. I do think that stop and frisk needs to be cut down a little bit. The only time it should be used is if an officer is going to make an arrest. What I do not like though is how officers try to keep themselves and others safe and yet they are told it is wrong. Stop and frisk should be used during an arrest to keep the officer safe.
ReplyDeletedance456
I agree with your point of view on this subject. Warrants for minor offences should be toned down. If someone knowingly commits a crime then they should be arrested or have warrants issued against them for not appearing in court. Like you said if they walk a dangerous dog off a leash, then of course they should be arrested or fined. Very well written.
DeleteSilverado123
I agree. There have been 4 murders due to gun violence just in Peoria alone in the past 2 months. I had to hear of my family member being shot and killed over something that didnt warrant his death. Not to mention the Oregon shooting that just occurred also. How about those kids and teachers at Sandy Hook? Gun violence is a serious issue in America. People in this day and age are so quick to pick up a gun and it's truly alarming. Its something we really need to get a handle on and I believe this move is the first step.
Delete90sMusic123 & 90sMusic789
I read this article a few days ago, and I thought it was a great example of how the authorities can reconcile with the people of this country. People who got ticketed for walking their dogs without a leash, being in central park to late, or for other minor violations should not be arrested and face jail time for petty offenses. It could ruin their future. For instance if someone who got arrested for theses warrants wanted to apply for a FOID, they would certainly be denied. They may also lose jobs as they would be sent to jail or may be limited in future employment due to background checks. Further more they may feel stigmatized by the authorities. It is in the best interest of the NYPD to make sure all of these warrants are rolled back. This would help relieve pressure on the court system to take care of more pressing matters, and help relations with their civilians as well as the press.
ReplyDeleteSilverado123
I like how you mentioned the FOID card. I'd hate to know that I got arrested for litering to find out I loose all my rights over something petty. I think this fresh start, can be very beneficial if the old habits don't return and put the police back in the same state they were already in.
DeletePalmdaddy456
I found this to be a great idea, because this allows those who have been charged for petty theft a chance to restart. The program will definitely make the PR in the area go up since those who have negative opinions on cops either grew up on that or developed it through confrontation.
ReplyDeleteThe too will benefit since the cases that are reviewed can be on crimes that are affecting society the most.
Palmdaddy456
***EDITED***
DeleteI found this to be a great idea, because this allows those who have been charged for petty theft a chance to restart. The program will definitely make the PR in the community go up since those who have negative opinions on cops either grew up on that or developed it through confrontation.
This too will benefit the courts since the cases that are reviewed can be on crimes that are affecting society the most opposed to those that are petty.
Palmdaddy456
Looking at this article, I think its about time the criminal justice system starts focusing on the bigger more important crimes. Locking up people for j-walking and dogs with no leashes, is absolutely ridiculous. Not to mention the increased percentage of people it adds to the prison population. Constantly booking people for such petty offenses takes not only extra time, but thats more money that OUR taxes have to pay to keep them housed. Its unneccesary and there are bigger issues that society faces.
ReplyDelete90sMusic123 & 90sMusic789
This should slow down the amount of people being taken in every night. 1.2 million is way too many warrants. Especially for walking a dog off a leash. Cops will have more time to focus on more serious crimes. This will make the relationship with NYPD and the community better. Now days it is very important that cops and the community have a tight relationship. The only down fall in something like this the money that these warrants generate. If no one pays these the warrants the city will have to raise its taxes. In the end it will make the community view police in a positive way and possibly this will spread to other major cities.
ReplyDeleteBassfishing123
It is a good idea that they get rid of all of those warrants and for a little bit if will make room for other things the cops could do. But they would just end up pulling someone over doing normal patrolling and could end up with a new case with a warrant. After so many cops doing this it will add back up and now you are in the same place.
Deletewreked123
1.2 million warrants out for infractions is a waste of the department's time. Time and effort that could be spent in other areas, such as gun control and sexual assault cases. If the department put as much effort into these bigger cases as they do these infractions we could cut the more serious crimes by a good deal. The stop and frisk policy is necessary. If the people expect us to completely abolish this policy they're insane. There is no way, as officers of the law, that we can ensure our own safety in certain situations without knowing if the possible offender is carrying something that may put us or others in harms way.
ReplyDeleteLeilani456
I read this in the paper and I thought it was a good start to trying to repair a relationship with the community. Releasing 1.3 million warrants is good for all the low level offenders who got caught with a gram of weed or sped to fast and didn't show up to court. But they would also need to change the laws to make it to were you don't have 1.3 million new people who get caught doing some minor act and end up in the same position.
ReplyDeletewreked123
These warrants are accumulative over years and years. If it was reset then people might get out of certain situations and it will put them at ease and not feel LABELED as an outcast. This is good, maybe they should do this every ten years for petty warrants? Sounds like a good idea but there needs to be tests in the system and Im sure there are loop holes that need addressed.
DeleteBassfishing123
This article just shows how needed the practice of community policing is. It will allow for stronger bonds between the citizens and law enforcement officers. Out main focus needs to be centered on gun violence and keeping people safe and out of harms way. In other words, we need to stop being to critical and focused in on drug use and the production of small time dealers who are not putting peoples lives in danger. Also mentioned in the article was sexual assaults. We need to focus on preventing and stopping those. Sexual Assaults are terrible crimes and need to be put to an end. Instead of declaring a war on drugs, we need to act on gun violence and more life-threatening cases. Broncos456
ReplyDeleteI understand how it seems like clearing warrants for small petty crimes would help the relationship between the justice system and the public but I don’t see how it would change anything. Just because this one time people are getting a break doesn’t mean they will always get this break if they go and do something else the laws have not changed so they could easily go back and commit the same crime and they would receive the same punishment. Also it does not help the relationship because the people would still see the officer who gave them the fine as the officer who gave them the fine they just don’t have to pay the fine and will not receive punishment making it so they might go and think they could just go and commit the crime again and not have to receive punishment because they will think the courts will just drop it again. -Acerunner789
ReplyDeleteAceruuner, think of it from patrolman's POV. If you need to get a case closed in your district, but no one is talking, weigh out your reasons. One, because of bad experiences with justice system and law enforcement? Or two, maybe they're just raised that way to hate the police. But say if the community is not cooperating because of bad experiences with the justice system? How can those experiences be changed? Less targeting for petty crimes to reduce open warrants, so in the future, if ever needed to turn to the community, they'll know that you didn't arrest or target them and they'll give what you want, all day. Sometimes giving a little respect and changing the game on how policing is done goes a long way. ThinBlue94789
DeleteI believe this is a great idea and a good start to many if they want to have the community back on their side. By having close to 1.2 million open warrants open is uncalled for and maybe someone should look into "why are so many being issued for petty crimes"? They also have to look at the fact as "how is this fixing the community? There's a new style of policing being done now and days, and by issuing out a warrant or arresting a citizen on a littering warrant, isn't going to have the community on their side for anything. Having the community on your side now and days is a key role in policing. Having citizens willingly giving information is the goal to community policing. But it's not going to be achieved by having almost 1.2 million open warrants out targeting the community, they aren’t the suspects. ThinBlue94789
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that we should go through the system and find poor laws that were committed and do away with the warrants that people have for committing them. Like someone stated earlier, they need to be focused on the possession of carrying illegal firearms, drug trafficking, murder, and crime. Not someone walking their dog without a leash and littering. I mean yes, they are crimes but not anything serious that can actually harm an individual. These police seem to be too focused on making money, compared to making their city a better and safer place to be in.
ReplyDelete-Ibanez123
I think that the warrants being released is a very good thing. It will allow the prisons to become not as overflowed as they are now. By doing this it allows our police officers to focus on the more serious crimes for the people who do deserve to go to prison. Why should somebody who was smoking a little bit of the devils lettuce go to prison for almost the same amount of time as someone who murder somebody? Im glad that America is finally realizing that the smaller crimes aren't as important to put somebody in prison as the more serious offenses.
ReplyDeleteGodFieri456