It is usually believed that the more police officers you have in a community, the more they present a deterrent to crime, and thus crime rates should drop.  Ergo, one would think that if a community has a larger percentage of the population as cops, their crime rate should be low.  

But when we review the 100 largest American cities with a rate of over 40 officers per 10,000 population (i.e. 1 cop per 250 people or less) we have the following list of 7 crime-troubled cities:

Baltimore (46.3), Chicago (44.2), New Orleans (40.8), New York City (41.8), Newark (46.7), Philadelphia (43.2) and Washington DC (65.6).  

A majority of these are in the current top 25 of the murder capitals of America, most are known for having high crime rates historically, despite having expansive police forces.  One could say that the crime rate may be a lot higher if all those extra police weren't there, but we have two local examples that run counter-intuitively to that line of thinking.  Significant cuts in the police force coincided with significant cuts in crime.  

Back in 2013, John Barnes offered an article in Mlive that surely frosted police unions across the state which was titled Fewer cops, less crime: MLive investigation finds Michigan safer ev....  It illustrated the overall idea thusly:

"[Grand Rapids] lost one in seven officers since 2003 -- 17 percent. At the same time, violent crime dropped 33 percent. Property crime dropped an almost identical amount. The city lost just 5 percent of its residents."  

While the article proposes theories on what was going on, the trend seems to be continuing across Michigan while police agencies try to make a case for increasing their staff, as the Mason County Sheriff was able to do this August, without being able to make a factual claim about cutting crime rates.

Just this last week, the Ludington Police Department (LPD) informed the public, after noticing it at the last city council meeting, that this weird correlation existed here in Ludington.  They report that a recent shortage of manpower seems to have resulted in a dramatic drop in the arrest and apprehension numbers for the department.  Fewer police equal fewer arrest situations?:

According to Barnett, fewer officers equal fewer arrests because they no longer have as much time to execute warrants and investigate cases.  I have a different theory based on the recent retirement of full-time officer David Krause for 'family matters'.  

If you recall, David Krause was the officer who stopped me for riding my bicycle without coming to a complete stop at an unlawfully placed stop sign back in 2008.  He was the foolish guy who asked me for a driver's license on that stop, and wrote me a ticket for the infraction, even though I went through the intersection the safest way I knew how and didn't inconvenience anybody.  

David Krause continued as LPD's SSCENT officer a few years later, unethically entrapping medical marijuana patients by posing as a hard-lucked tourist without his 'medicine' and buying it off them for the amount they bought it for (see more here).  After arresting those entrapped, Krause would try to make deals with the merciful victims of his dragnets in order to catch other medical marijuana patients the same way.  

Krause was using his powers as a police officer to set up otherwise law-abiding patients using medical marijuana, counting on their mercy to others in order to effectuate an arrest.  He was creating crimes, creating arrests and apprehensions.  

If the LPD has too few personnel around to do their normal jobs, why was Krause able to use all of those police resources in manufacturing crimes and criminals?  Having too many police officers around trying to justify their continued employment is as bad as having too few.  That's my theory.  

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I agree with your theory which makes a lot of sense. When most of law enforement's time is spent on traffic control such as seat belt violations it only makes sense that the police have to much personnel spending time on duties that cost more to maintain and lack common sense in their enforcement.

I don't understand Chief Barnett's stance on these issues. If you are doing a good job, and putting away the bad guys that need it, then crime stats. should be dropping, not staying steady or increasing. That's something he should be proud of, and get credit for. It appears that instead of that stance, he is trying to keep up the numbers with the same or more arrests. Of course that makes more money for the court system, and keeps pay high and the raises coming regularly. Is that more important? I think not, but, that's the mindset that seems to playout here, and I believe he needs to rethink this. Personally, I and many others believe that for the size of this county and city, there are far far too many officers in the streets, and their budget is way over the proper size. And there are also way too many criminal types here during the summer months that get away with anything they do in the big city, and being given warnings only, not tickets and jail time.

well, Aquaman, you shouldn't be silent!  Shay is gone!  Shay is gone!  And city council seems more transparent under a much less vindictive Steve Brock.

True, Aquaman, and first thing a good city/council should do is get the $50 million budget debt in order and get the fat out of the police dept. by combining sheriff resources. If it weren't for their having little to do, and ticketing a bicycle rider ten years ago, we probably wouldn't have the Ludington Torch.

Crime has been dropping nationally and regionally for many years. I believe the credit is more of a demographic anomaly than a staffing issue.

Locally the population of the city has been stagnating or decreasing while the local enforcement community wants to increase the number of officers and their related costs that go with them.

We should be clamoring for a smaller police force. 

The need is for less not more.

Especially in light of the future unfunded pension liability of the Ludington PD.

Popular perceptions in Mason County seem to think otherwise according to the August vote on whether the sheriff would add about 5 more people to county law enforcement.  It's a shame a person can't feel safe to come out against such measures without reasonably worrying about retaliation of one form or another to themselves, their family and their friends.  When media hammers for more law enforcement at every turn, it's hard to make otherwise sensible people look at the facts behind the matter and come to similar conclusions as yours, shinblind.

I agree shinblind. Another example of big city idea takeover from out-of-towners who had no blood in the game. Came into a little city native of big-city concepts and set themselves up big-paying cushy jobs wirh huge pensions and benefits on backs and the taxes of the local hardworking people earning way more than the locals and then split when it comes time for retirement if they get figured out. Why the city council is so ignorant of these devices is just unreal. And they ask for wage/job studies now, expecting more. Of course there are a few locals happy to ride the yacht too.

I hear the big crime in Ludinton is the little mopeds. Money making tickets are being given for not having the proper endorsement on your license.

I have to say that I must credit the limited resources of the LPD in doing something I had not thought possible.  I recently had a property crime committed against me, effectively petty larceny, where the perpetrator was unknown.  I was informed on the morning of September 11th by LPD Officer Wells that the perp had been caught.  What they needed from me was a statement about how much the property I lost was worth (roughly $60).  I will be more explicit later on, when I have more of the details of the full affair.

I agree. Kim Cole is set to do the same thing. He will be targeting groups like the Torch with his new officers which won't be on Road Patrol, but will become online entrapment artists. Most of the misguided police work involves doing HITS for the Old Boys Club and the elite around town who consistently use "OUR" Police Force at their whims to target people illegally, that they do not agree with, or who are bringing light to their darkness. This group of people elicit Police to do their dirty work, and Police have no problem violating Rights to do so. This group has sickened our society. They don't work for the People, they work for themselves and for their friends agendas. This is why Ludington can do without Police. Because OUR Police force is targeting their own People, unjustly,illegally, and without remorse,accountability or transparency. Absolutely Rogue! We have all watched the countless facts presented to the City Council about corruption,theft, and illegal acts. Yet, the Chief has never stood up and did his job to investigate, inform the Public, or be accountable and transparent. Their crimes don't exist. 

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