The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe *Book
Violent crime has been rising sharply in many American cities after two decades of decline. Homicides jumped nearly 17 percent in 2015 in the largest 50 cities, the biggest one-year increase since 1993. The reason is what Heather Mac Donald first identified nationally as the “Ferguson effect”: Since the 2014 police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, officers have been backing off of proactive policing, and criminals are becoming emboldened. This book expands on Mac Donald’s groundbreaking and controversial reporting on the Ferguson effect and the criminal-justice system. It deconstructs the central narrative of the Black Lives Matter movement: that racist cops are the greatest threat to young black males. On the contrary, it is criminals and gangbangers who are responsible for the high black homicide death rate. The War on Cops exposes the truth about officer use of force and explodes the conceit of “mass incarceration.” A rigorous analysis of data shows that crime, not race, drives police actions and prison rates. The growth of proactive policing in the 1990s, along with lengthened sentences for violent crime, saved thousands of minority lives. In fact, Mac Donald argues, no government agency is more dedicated to the proposition that “black lives matter” than today’s data-driven, accountable police department. Mac Donald gives voice to the many residents of high-crime neighborhoods who want proactive policing. She warns that race-based attacks on the criminal-justice system, from the White House on down, are eroding the authority of law and putting lives at risk. This book is a call for a more honest and informed debate about policing, crime, and race. Read more
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Why Must Read The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe?
I agree with many of MacDonald's points. I enjoyed the book. It gave me quite a bit to think about. However, as an objective reader, I couldn't help but be disappointed in the lack of citations or support for almost any of her claims. She brings up statistics a lot, which is fine...but rarely cites the sources (other than sometimes mentioning a government agency). No specific report, no study name, no year of study, etc. I expect writers who are attempting to compel their readers to their line of thinking to not only provide a well thought out argument (which she has done), but to also provide objective data and the sources (which she does not - for the latter). This book could have been used as a tool to arm those with knowledge that could be shared in a discussion. Instead, they are talking points. Undoubtedly, if you were to discuss these issues with someone of the opposing view, they would ask "How do you know that?" You can't very well say "Well, it's in some book I read" or "It was in some study from some agency." The exact opposite of MacDonald might be Ann Coulter. Ann is far more provocative and wanting a fight, but she cites every, frickin' source (at least the couple of books I've read of hers do). There are sources for days. But I enjoyed that. While I may not agree with the findings of the source, I enjoyed having the sources available for me to verify. MacDonald just insists that you take her word for it. And while for the most part, I do, it isn't a strong position I can have because I have no idea if what was claimed is actually true or is what is fairly represented by the agency she claims provided some general statistic. As a result, I think this book is more for a) "the choir," b) those who might be on the fence (or are curious) and don't care enough to want to research. For those of us who like to dig deeper, understand the facts of the matter, come to our own conclusions, this just doesn't cut it. It's kind of like the difference between reading a book and reading a summary of the book. It's a surface level treatment without providing sources/verification of her premises.
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