This idea of policing seems smart and better for society. Fining individuals of $50-$100 for minor offenses is a much wiser thing to do rather than just throwing people in jail over little things. You'd almost think that that is their goal, like they have a little chart up at the police station stating how many arrest they need to make a day. But reading this article, they agree and is quoted, "we're telling officers that they can't arrest their way out of every problem" and that is the truth. If you think about it, there are so many arrests over the smallest things that could have been easily avoided and the fact that police are reenforcing that you can't arrest your way out of every problem will change a lot. Also community policing will put a stop to those who are in it for the wrong reasons. I believe some cops are out here for the wrong reasons, so the rules that the officers are given can also put a stop to those who are in it just to cause any type of harm whether it is petty or serious. Kt002
I also like where this is going. Changing policing strategies and rules to not be so excessive against minor crimes is a great idea. But it also makes me wonder if those people committing those small crimes will see there is little punishment and just become excessive repeat offenders, or even lead themselves to more violent or extreme crimes. Either way, a small fine seems reasonable for small crimes, especially when no harm is done. - AJC002
I agree to that this is a super smarter way for policing to go and if this takes off and spreads to other departments this will be a great thing. Due to all the good it will bring I know it won't be an immediate effect but over time it will have a huge effect on how things change in the criminal justice world and how easier and smarter things will become. JE002
There is deffinetely a lot of hate going on from the distrust of cops in today's world. As this trust breaks apart, many officials are trying to find new ways to bring everyone back together. Creating a situation that prevents cops from just arresting every offended is very likely to help things out a bit. But I think it has some draw backs.
If these people know they won't be arrested for these minor crimes, it seems to me that many people would be more likely to commit these minor crimes. Sure, they are minor, but we still don't want people committing them. Also, those offenders who commit these crimes might see it as a weakness in cops, giving them the courage to commit further crimes, resulting in an increased serious-crime rate. Almost a counter effect to the purpose.
Overall, I think these new pushes will help, but I also see where they might fail. - AJC002
Wow, I didn't even think about that. Of course there are going to be more people doing minor crimes just because they know they will only get a small fine being the outcome rather than something serious like being locked up. I feel like a lot of people are going to take advantage of that. Some may get tired of paying, and some might not so is this 100% going to help out? I think not. It may cause a little more order and less minor crime but you also have to think about the ones who don't care. A little fine is not going to mean anything to them. Kt002
I did not think of the increase of minor crimes. But, maybe these people committing the small crimes will take away from the population doing the major crimes. But, they will still be issued tickets that they have to pay. I'm not really sure what the solution is, we will just have to see what the future holds. oasis_002
Sure it may seem like an easy way to get away with committing this smaller crimes, it really does make sense. What we could do to prevent that is raising the fine on these infractions in order to really make the person consider if what they are gonna do is worth it. Some people before these crimes were decriminalized may not have cared about getting a little bit of jail time or maybe a little fine, but I know no one would want to get drunk in public if they knew they were gonna lose a huge chunk of money. zmw002
I have to agree with you on this. I feel like police use their discretion already, but taking away their ability to arrest people is a bad idea in my opinion. It really does almost make law enforcement look weak. I feel like it may give offenders more courage to instigate things with police officers if they feel 'untouchable" .-OKC002
I agree with the article in entirety. “Broken windows” policing was for the seventies. We are now looking at a time to reform the criminal justice system. This reform is in the way of community oriented policing. C.O.P. can rebuild the bridge between pedestrians and law enforcement. It can rebuild trust, faith, and fidelity. I really like how the article states, “You can’t arrest your way out of everything”. In the past officers looked for reasons to arrest or ticket the citizens. This was obviously not effective in maintaining relations. Law enforcement is looking upwards with C.O.P. it could be the start of something new. Instead of giving misdemeanors for disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway, and public drunkenness, an officer can simply write a ticket. Discretion is key to the amount of the ticket. Writing tickets for these petty crimes keep 10,00 cases out of the courts for a year. Which will allow more important, violating cases to be dealt with. oasis_002
The best way to strengthen the relationship between the police and the community is to have the officers more engaged with the community. You can not always have officers with an 'arrest first, ask questions later' mentality. Just like the article goes on to state "You can't arrest your way out of everything" you can't just go and arrest people for even the most minor offences. I feel that if someone knew that they were to be arrested for something very minor anyway that might prompt them to have a 'well if I'm going to jail anyway I might as well really give them a reason to arrest me' mentality. I like the idea of now having misdemeanors such as being drunk in public or disorderly conduct basically being dropped down to something that is no different than a traffic ticket. However I can see where this may not be very effective because if the punishment really isn't all that bad, then that might not exactly stop people. CAE002
I agree with this. I think if we actually started putting police in the neighborhoods that are really at risk then I think it would be a totally different story. I think that once the community sees that they are really trying to change things then that's when the police will start gaining the public trust again. Ciaccio002
So basically in Philadelphia all of the minor crimes have been decriminalized so that means you can no longer get jail time over committing them and you can only get fined, depending on the discretion of the cop. I like the sound of this, because some of these "small crimes" are a little silly. For example, in my home town of Manito a lot of people like to get super expensive audio systems installed into their vehicles and then listen to their music so loud that you can actually feel the music. While I agree these kids should not be doing this, especially in town, they really shouldn't have to worry about getting jail time for disturbing the peace. A fine sounds much more reasonable in my opinion and I'm sure it'll reduce crime rates immensely in Philly, and gradually every other city will see this and follow in their footsteps. zmw002
I agree with you. I love the idea of cops using their own discretion when dealing with these minor crimes instead of arresting them on site. I also liked your example of the radios being too loud in your home town, small crimes like that shouldn't have any threat of jail time with them, but the fines that now go along with these crimes seem to fit much better. I feel that after other cities see whats going on in Philadelphia they will follow suit. JAG002
I also agree. Discretion is a positive thing in the police force. I don't think it's necessary to toss everyone in jail for a silly minor crime. If it's a simple minor crime, I think a fine will suffice. gh_blackhawks002
I am glad that they are fixing the relationship between the policing and the community.How they just can not go arresting people and be done with it.But they should of not had a problem with it in the first place. What I mean by that is if the people do there training right they know what to do in different situation. I like how they changed it in Philadelphia they have dropped the being drunk in public or disorderly conduct being a low fine. In stead of just arresting them and it having it be a misdemeanor for something so small that can easily be dealt with. Like in our previous blog how it shows lesser crime rates are up because of the lesser punishment. So dose that mean since they changed that law will people be doing that crime a lot more. Just because they can not be arrested on that low of a crime. Adelle02
I really like the idea of officers assessing fines now for minor offenses because it will help with overcrowding issues in jails and prisons. This new and smarter way is also a good way to bring is some kind of money for our government. I mean no one is going to like the idea that they will get charged money for the people who get caught but honestly it's a smart and easier way for society and for our officers. No matter what we will do no one will like it but I find this a major step for our criminal justice system for policing smarter. Looking at what they have done it seems like something we should have been doing from the start because with this it will solve so many problems it seems almost like common sense. It's a great idea and I am excited to see how things will turn out with this new approach that a lot of cities and departments are taking. JE002
I think policing is a smarter way to go about things. I think throwing someone in jail automatically with no questions asked is insane. I think fines are the best option around this. $50 to $100 isn't a lot if you think about how much it actually costs a person if they are arrested and put in jail. But then again we live in a damned if you do, damned if you don't kinda society anymore. Where the cops are criticized no matter which approach that they take when handling situations it's always seems to be wrong. I am eager to see if this does well once it is put into place. Ciaccio002
I defiantly agree with this being a very smart decision, people get sent into jail for some of the most unfound reasons. Setting a fine is the best way to go instead of having something small and dumb on your record. Plus, it will free up some space in the jails! Ky002
like i said in my response, i agree also with you. throwing someone in jail for something so little doesn't make any sense whatsoever. fining them is a more efficient way. Sometimes i get the feeling fining people will be just like getting pulled over to get a ticket. i heard of something like each police department has to meet a quota about how many tickets they give out each month? is that whats its going to happen when police start enforcing these tickets? aaap_cougs002
like i said in my response, i agree also with you. throwing someone in jail for something so little doesn't make any sense whatsoever. fining them is a more efficient way. Sometimes i get the feeling fining people will be just like getting pulled over to get a ticket. i heard of something like each police department has to meet a quota about how many tickets they give out each month? is that whats its going to happen when police start enforcing these tickets? aaap_cougs002
I really enjoyed reading this article. I like the idea of only having fines for some misdemeanor offenses as apposed to arresting the individual and having the arrest of their record. The option of just having fines for small offenses will drastically reduce the stress on the already over worked jail and court systems. I also like that they are stressing the use of officer discretion when dealing with these issues, the police cheif even says that officers "can't arrest their way out of problems." This would also help cut down on the relationship between the police and the public because the public wouldn't be under the impression that they are being arrested every time there is an issue with the police. I hope that more cities move to enact this type of policing. JAG002
I though that this article was very interesting. I actually think this is a great idea. This eliminates a lot of cases for the criminal justice system, as well as bring in a lot of money for the community. I mean we can't just decriminalize everything, but I think it is very beneficial to decriminalize things such as minor disorderly conduct, including public drunkenness. This is no serious crime, so why waste time sending them to jail? A decent sized fine is still a punishment. This would also benefit our mass incarceration problem. One thing that I think would be advantageous if it were to be decriminalized, is marijuana. Not legalized, just decriminalized, bringing in money from fines. I am quite interested to see if this goes anywhere in the near future and if we will see any changes similar to the ones that we see in Philadelphia. gh_blackhawks002
This whole idea of policing seems to me is the best decision when it comes to certain limits. Fining people for the smaller, less disturbing offenses, is what we should have always been doing. It makes more room in the prisons and or jails for the criminals with actual offenses, and not "criminals" who are in there for something small. Marijuana is an example, people get sent and thrown into jail for drug charges all for something that grows out of the ground of the earth. Why waste your time and theirs? Not saying they should be violating the law, but instead of jail time I think the fines are an excellent idea. I think this will promote a better relationship with the community and the law. Ky002
I like some of these new ideas, but I also feel weary about them. On one hand, making drunken and disorderly offenses a fineable offense seems very reasonable to me. Being in a large city like Philadelphia, with its many bars and many drunk people, I’m sure police officers have quite a few drunk people to deal with in public. Now does this mean that they have to arrest every one of them in the first place? They really don’t have to. Police are able to use their own discretion on calls like these. Law enforcement officers aren’t gonna want to waste an hour of paperwork, and hours of processing an arrest just over somebody being drunk in public. So now instead of just a slap on the wrist and sending them home, they can really give these people something to think about. But, when it comes to dealing with protesters, I think arrests are the way to go. Protests can get violent quickly, and a small fine isn’t really gonna do the job when it comes to breaking these up. If a person is willing to put themselves in front of cars, and block off a highway, I think it will take a little more than a small fine to get them to move. However, we need to try less popular options to restore trust in the law enforcement from the community. Even if it means letting protesters off easier, it is vital to restore the trust law enforcement lost from the communities they protect.-OKC002
I find this article interesting because of what Philadelphia expects from its city. This article also opened up my eyes on how law enforcement can renew them making it safer and more connected with the people living in those areas. I believe giving away tickets instead of light misdemeanors is a better way to enforce the law. It also has it benefits by helping to avoid over crowding in jails. It’s a better policing system and seems to be smart. Also, by helping regain that trust between the law enforcement and the counties or communities they serve to protect. Since there is a lot of hate towards the law enforcement. aaap_cougs002
This idea of policing seems smart and better for society. Fining individuals of $50-$100 for minor offenses is a much wiser thing to do rather than just throwing people in jail over little things. You'd almost think that that is their goal, like they have a little chart up at the police station stating how many arrest they need to make a day. But reading this article, they agree and is quoted, "we're telling officers that they can't arrest their way out of every problem" and that is the truth. If you think about it, there are so many arrests over the smallest things that could have been easily avoided and the fact that police are reenforcing that you can't arrest your way out of every problem will change a lot. Also community policing will put a stop to those who are in it for the wrong reasons. I believe some cops are out here for the wrong reasons, so the rules that the officers are given can also put a stop to those who are in it just to cause any type of harm whether it is petty or serious. Kt002
ReplyDeleteI also like where this is going. Changing policing strategies and rules to not be so excessive against minor crimes is a great idea. But it also makes me wonder if those people committing those small crimes will see there is little punishment and just become excessive repeat offenders, or even lead themselves to more violent or extreme crimes. Either way, a small fine seems reasonable for small crimes, especially when no harm is done. - AJC002
DeleteI agree to that this is a super smarter way for policing to go and if this takes off and spreads to other departments this will be a great thing. Due to all the good it will bring I know it won't be an immediate effect but over time it will have a huge effect on how things change in the criminal justice world and how easier and smarter things will become. JE002
DeleteThere is deffinetely a lot of hate going on from the distrust of cops in today's world. As this trust breaks apart, many officials are trying to find new ways to bring everyone back together. Creating a situation that prevents cops from just arresting every offended is very likely to help things out a bit. But I think it has some draw backs.
ReplyDeleteIf these people know they won't be arrested for these minor crimes, it seems to me that many people would be more likely to commit these minor crimes. Sure, they are minor, but we still don't want people committing them.
Also, those offenders who commit these crimes might see it as a weakness in cops, giving them the courage to commit further crimes, resulting in an increased serious-crime rate. Almost a counter effect to the purpose.
Overall, I think these new pushes will help, but I also see where they might fail. - AJC002
Wow, I didn't even think about that. Of course there are going to be more people doing minor crimes just because they know they will only get a small fine being the outcome rather than something serious like being locked up. I feel like a lot of people are going to take advantage of that. Some may get tired of paying, and some might not so is this 100% going to help out? I think not. It may cause a little more order and less minor crime but you also have to think about the ones who don't care. A little fine is not going to mean anything to them. Kt002
DeleteI did not think of the increase of minor crimes. But, maybe these people committing the small crimes will take away from the population doing the major crimes. But, they will still be issued tickets that they have to pay. I'm not really sure what the solution is, we will just have to see what the future holds. oasis_002
DeleteSure it may seem like an easy way to get away with committing this smaller crimes, it really does make sense. What we could do to prevent that is raising the fine on these infractions in order to really make the person consider if what they are gonna do is worth it. Some people before these crimes were decriminalized may not have cared about getting a little bit of jail time or maybe a little fine, but I know no one would want to get drunk in public if they knew they were gonna lose a huge chunk of money. zmw002
DeleteI have to agree with you on this. I feel like police use their discretion already, but taking away their ability to arrest people is a bad idea in my opinion. It really does almost make law enforcement look weak. I feel like it may give offenders more courage to instigate things with police officers if they feel 'untouchable" .-OKC002
DeleteI agree with the article in entirety. “Broken windows” policing was for the seventies. We are now looking at a time to reform the criminal justice system. This reform is in the way of community oriented policing.
ReplyDeleteC.O.P. can rebuild the bridge between pedestrians and law enforcement. It can rebuild trust, faith, and fidelity. I really like how the article states, “You can’t arrest your way out of everything”. In the past officers looked for reasons to arrest or ticket the citizens. This was obviously not effective in maintaining relations.
Law enforcement is looking upwards with C.O.P. it could be the start of something new. Instead of giving misdemeanors for disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway, and public drunkenness, an officer can simply write a ticket. Discretion is key to the amount of the ticket. Writing tickets for these petty crimes keep 10,00 cases out of the courts for a year. Which will allow more important, violating cases to be dealt with.
oasis_002
The best way to strengthen the relationship between the police and the community is to have the officers more engaged with the community. You can not always have officers with an 'arrest first, ask questions later' mentality. Just like the article goes on to state "You can't arrest your way out of everything" you can't just go and arrest people for even the most minor offences. I feel that if someone knew that they were to be arrested for something very minor anyway that might prompt them to have a 'well if I'm going to jail anyway I might as well really give them a reason to arrest me' mentality. I like the idea of now having misdemeanors such as being drunk in public or disorderly conduct basically being dropped down to something that is no different than a traffic ticket. However I can see where this may not be very effective because if the punishment really isn't all that bad, then that might not exactly stop people. CAE002
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. I think if we actually started putting police in the neighborhoods that are really at risk then I think it would be a totally different story. I think that once the community sees that they are really trying to change things then that's when the police will start gaining the public trust again. Ciaccio002
DeleteSo basically in Philadelphia all of the minor crimes have been decriminalized so that means you can no longer get jail time over committing them and you can only get fined, depending on the discretion of the cop. I like the sound of this, because some of these "small crimes" are a little silly. For example, in my home town of Manito a lot of people like to get super expensive audio systems installed into their vehicles and then listen to their music so loud that you can actually feel the music. While I agree these kids should not be doing this, especially in town, they really shouldn't have to worry about getting jail time for disturbing the peace. A fine sounds much more reasonable in my opinion and I'm sure it'll reduce crime rates immensely in Philly, and gradually every other city will see this and follow in their footsteps. zmw002
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I love the idea of cops using their own discretion when dealing with these minor crimes instead of arresting them on site. I also liked your example of the radios being too loud in your home town, small crimes like that shouldn't have any threat of jail time with them, but the fines that now go along with these crimes seem to fit much better. I feel that after other cities see whats going on in Philadelphia they will follow suit. JAG002
DeleteI also agree. Discretion is a positive thing in the police force. I don't think it's necessary to toss everyone in jail for a silly minor crime. If it's a simple minor crime, I think a fine will suffice.
Deletegh_blackhawks002
I am glad that they are fixing the relationship between the policing and the community.How they just can not go arresting people and be done with it.But they should of not had a problem with it in the first place. What I mean by that is if the people do there training right they know what to do in different situation. I like how they changed it in Philadelphia they have dropped the being drunk in public or disorderly conduct being a low fine. In stead of just arresting them and it having it be a misdemeanor for something so small that can easily be dealt with. Like in our previous blog how it shows lesser crime rates are up because of the lesser punishment. So dose that mean since they changed that law will people be doing that crime a lot more. Just because they can not be arrested on that low of a crime. Adelle02
ReplyDeleteAdelle002 I mean
DeleteI really like the idea of officers assessing fines now for minor offenses because it will help with overcrowding issues in jails and prisons. This new and smarter way is also a good way to bring is some kind of money for our government. I mean no one is going to like the idea that they will get charged money for the people who get caught but honestly it's a smart and easier way for society and for our officers. No matter what we will do no one will like it but I find this a major step for our criminal justice system for policing smarter. Looking at what they have done it seems like something we should have been doing from the start because with this it will solve so many problems it seems almost like common sense. It's a great idea and I am excited to see how things will turn out with this new approach that a lot of cities and departments are taking. JE002
ReplyDeleteI think policing is a smarter way to go about things. I think throwing someone in jail automatically with no questions asked is insane. I think fines are the best option around this. $50 to $100 isn't a lot if you think about how much it actually costs a person if they are arrested and put in jail. But then again we live in a damned if you do, damned if you don't kinda society anymore. Where the cops are criticized no matter which approach that they take when handling situations it's always seems to be wrong. I am eager to see if this does well once it is put into place. Ciaccio002
ReplyDeleteI defiantly agree with this being a very smart decision, people get sent into jail for some of the most unfound reasons. Setting a fine is the best way to go instead of having something small and dumb on your record. Plus, it will free up some space in the jails! Ky002
Deletelike i said in my response, i agree also with you. throwing someone in jail for something so little doesn't make any sense whatsoever. fining them is a more efficient way. Sometimes i get the feeling fining people will be just like getting pulled over to get a ticket. i heard of something like each police department has to meet a quota about how many tickets they give out each month? is that whats its going to happen when police start enforcing these tickets? aaap_cougs002
Deletelike i said in my response, i agree also with you. throwing someone in jail for something so little doesn't make any sense whatsoever. fining them is a more efficient way. Sometimes i get the feeling fining people will be just like getting pulled over to get a ticket. i heard of something like each police department has to meet a quota about how many tickets they give out each month? is that whats its going to happen when police start enforcing these tickets? aaap_cougs002
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this article. I like the idea of only having fines for some misdemeanor offenses as apposed to arresting the individual and having the arrest of their record. The option of just having fines for small offenses will drastically reduce the stress on the already over worked jail and court systems. I also like that they are stressing the use of officer discretion when dealing with these issues, the police cheif even says that officers "can't arrest their way out of problems." This would also help cut down on the relationship between the police and the public because the public wouldn't be under the impression that they are being arrested every time there is an issue with the police. I hope that more cities move to enact this type of policing. JAG002
ReplyDeleteI though that this article was very interesting. I actually think this is a great idea. This eliminates a lot of cases for the criminal justice system, as well as bring in a lot of money for the community. I mean we can't just decriminalize everything, but I think it is very beneficial to decriminalize things such as minor disorderly conduct, including public drunkenness. This is no serious crime, so why waste time sending them to jail? A decent sized fine is still a punishment. This would also benefit our mass incarceration problem. One thing that I think would be advantageous if it were to be decriminalized, is marijuana. Not legalized, just decriminalized, bringing in money from fines. I am quite interested to see if this goes anywhere in the near future and if we will see any changes similar to the ones that we see in Philadelphia.
ReplyDeletegh_blackhawks002
This whole idea of policing seems to me is the best decision when it comes to certain limits. Fining people for the smaller, less disturbing offenses, is what we should have always been doing. It makes more room in the prisons and or jails for the criminals with actual offenses, and not "criminals" who are in there for something small. Marijuana is an example, people get sent and thrown into jail for drug charges all for something that grows out of the ground of the earth. Why waste your time and theirs? Not saying they should be violating the law, but instead of jail time I think the fines are an excellent idea. I think this will promote a better relationship with the community and the law. Ky002
ReplyDeleteI like some of these new ideas, but I also feel weary about them. On one hand, making drunken and disorderly offenses a fineable offense seems very reasonable to me. Being in a large city like Philadelphia, with its many bars and many drunk people, I’m sure police officers have quite a few drunk people to deal with in public. Now does this mean that they have to arrest every one of them in the first place? They really don’t have to. Police are able to use their own discretion on calls like these. Law enforcement officers aren’t gonna want to waste an hour of paperwork, and hours of processing an arrest just over somebody being drunk in public. So now instead of just a slap on the wrist and sending them home, they can really give these people something to think about. But, when it comes to dealing with protesters, I think arrests are the way to go. Protests can get violent quickly, and a small fine isn’t really gonna do the job when it comes to breaking these up. If a person is willing to put themselves in front of cars, and block off a highway, I think it will take a little more than a small fine to get them to move. However, we need to try less popular options to restore trust in the law enforcement from the community. Even if it means letting protesters off easier, it is vital to restore the trust law enforcement lost from the communities they protect.-OKC002
ReplyDeleteI find this article interesting because of what Philadelphia expects from its city. This article also opened up my eyes on how law enforcement can renew them making it safer and more connected with the people living in those areas. I believe giving away tickets instead of light misdemeanors is a better way to enforce the law. It also has it benefits by helping to avoid over crowding in jails. It’s a better policing system and seems to be smart. Also, by helping regain that trust between the law enforcement and the counties or communities they serve to protect. Since there is a lot of hate towards the law enforcement. aaap_cougs002
ReplyDelete