Memphis Police Credited With Crime Reduction
The Memphis Police Department is taking credit for a fairly dramatic decrease in crime over the past year, stating their Blue CRUSH program has made it all possible. While community members overall are happy with the decrease, many wonder if the police are wholly responsible or if the drop is being exaggerated.
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Blue CRUSH (Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History) was launched citywide in 2006 and accompanied several organizational changes which occurred in 2005. Together, these two efforts are taking the credit for a reported 28.8% drop in the crime during the first 6 months of 2010. This is a huge drop.
CRUSH is a program that uses crime data as recent as the previous day to anticipate where crimes may be committed and sending police to those locales to both prevent their occurrence and apprehend criminals. Rather than having to wait for a month for the numbers to trickle down, a commander can review the stats from yesterday and send officers to the exact block where a problem seems to be centralized.
According to this article from the Commercial Appeal, communities are noticing the increase in police presence. While many also notice the drop in crime, some question if the 28.8% has been inflated or can otherwise be explained.
One member, a pastor, states he’s noticed a change but “I don’t see that large of a reduction, I just don’t know about those statistics.” He points to neighborhoods where citizens still can’t allow their children to play outside as an example that all is not good in the city.
There’s no doubt that an increased police presence does deter crime. You aren’t likely to make a drug deal on the corner if you know a patrol car could happen to drive by at any moment. However, the police can’t take credit for all 28.8%, if that statistic is even correct.
Crime is down across the country. A common misconception is that crime will rise with a failing economy. Crime actually fell during the Great Depression and it has fallen consistently across the country over the past few years as well. So to credit police work with the sudden drop in crime may be a little over reaching.
Everyone wants to live in a safe community. No child should have to be kept indoors when they are at home, for their own safety. But who wants to live in a neighborhood where the cops “roll eight deep” or are a necessary fixture?
If you have been arrested by the Blue CRUSH task force or are simply facing criminal charges in Memphis or anywhere in Tennessee, please contact our attorneys to discuss the details of your case.
