mekka okereke Apr 7, 2023

Question asked on the bad site:
If a big problem in Chicago is "too many illegal guns," then why don't police arrest more people for possession? Why if a cop stops someone with an illegal gun, do they just take the gun away, and not charge the person with a crime?

Answer:
First, read this thread for background.

https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/109786171967593536

Then understand that:
* Arresting folks for this illegal gun possession makes illegal gun possession go up😢
* But there is a proven strategy for reducing guns👍🏿

mekka okereke :verified: (@[email protected])

If you were a cop in Chicago, 5 years away from your pension, and the mayor's office told you to hit your arrest quota or be fired, would you do the right thing and not contribute to systemic racism? Or would you just say,, "This is kinda messed up!" And over-arrest innocent Black folk? Trick question. Because it doesn't matter what you as an individual would do. You're only one person. Most Chicago cops are just making the arrests that the system incentivizes them to. Yes, even the Black cops.

Hachyderm.io
Show threadGeoff Hing

@mekkaokereke

This report also has some interesting examples of policing strategies where they recovered guns without making arrests. https://nnscommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Gun-violence-discretion-white-paper_final-1.pdf

Apr 7, 2023 at 9:20pmWeb
Show threadmekka okereke Apr 7, 2023

@geoffhing Cool!

John Jay College does good work in this area. Bonus: The paper has 3 citations of David Kennedy, who knows a lot about this stuff.

The paper also describes why gun buyback programs feel cathartic, but don't really work: they don't address either of the 2 dynamics that lead people to carry illegal firearms in the first place.

Will read more deeply this weekend. Thanks!