lax law enforcement. THAT was easy.

The don't answer the phones or they tell the people that there isn't much they can do about it.

Is there another state or states that have had an increase?

so it is good news, bad news story

Wait, so if you reduce law enforcement budgets the number of people being pointlessly arrested drops? You don't say?

It's almost like cops on your payroll will generate enough arrests to justify having them around.

Also, back when newspapers were relevant, did you ever notice that there was exactly enough news every day to fill up the paper with no whitespace or extra pages needed?

This was all explained in Freakonomics.

Roe v. Wade 20 years earlier. Think about it.

Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere

Young people: More likely to commit crimes
Old people: Less likely to commit crimes
Illegal Mexicans have been leaving florida with the recession: So less of them in the mix

CokeBear: This was all explained in Freakonomics.

Roe v. Wade 20 years earlier. Think about it.

Except that Roe v Wade was just under 40 years ago, you might have a point.

It's ok, texas is still retarded and violent.

Florida is producing 33% fewer Fark.com stories than usual

Does that include this one?

"prescription drug abuse epidemic"? Uh yeah, that's a pressing Florida law enforcement problem.

So finally a Texas tag?

That we know of.

I'd like to see the breakdown on crime by type. My first thought was Is meth use down as well? Seems like some of our biggest crime peaks have been associated with crack, and now meth, use.

Roe v Wade.

Crime has not just been declining in Florida, but all over the country.

Roe v Wade has been the single biggest contributor to the declining crime rate in the US over the last 20 years. (new window)

Thanks, Supreme Court.

I'm guessing it is a math error
#hangingchads

Are there suddenly 33% less Cubans in Florida?

Historical note: The Cuban is the State Negro of Florida.

Goodfella: [i41.tinypic.com image 640x395]

Roe v Wade.

Crime has not just been declining in Florida, but all over the country.

Roe v Wade has been the single biggest contributor to the declining crime rate in the US over the last 20 years. (new window)

Thanks, Supreme Court.

Dubner and Levitt make a compelling argument with this in regards to the drop we saw in the 1990s, but since then states have fought to roll back roe v. Wade and the effects are lessened. I'd argue Occam's razor holds the key here: tighter law enforcement budgets mean fewer people to do the arresting. So that means victimless crimes are going to see a substantial drop when the cops can barely keep up with violent crime. I'd hypothesize that this drop in Florida has been wholly in non-violent crime while violent crime has remained constant or risen

It's because most of Florida is already in prison for such crimes as robbing stores and taking off your mask so the cashier can understand you better and sex with animals.

Rufus Lee King: Are there suddenly 33% less Cubans in Florida?

Historical note: The Cuban is the State Negro of Florida.

I thought it was the Puertorricans .

Don't forget that the constant push for lower crime rates has also led to the reclassifying of major crimes and failure to report lesser crimes.

TippySheraton: I'd like to see the breakdown on crime by type. My first thought was Is meth use down as well? Seems like some of our biggest crime peaks have been associated with crack, and now meth, use.

There isn't a big meth problem here. You can get real blow easy enough. The pill mills are a much bigger issue than meth.

I've seen a lot of good arguments here, but I'm going to toss my hat in. IT'S DRUGS, based entirely on stereotypes and the movie Scarface, Florida is a hot bed for running marijuana and cocaine into the USA. Well the cocaine use has drop heavily in the last decade (replaced with meth and ecstasy), and domestic marijuana has been raising to an all time high thanks to California and the other medical states and decriminalize states. So you take away the market, you take away the criminal elements.

Young Rory Calhoun: Goodfella: [i41.tinypic.com image 640x395]


I'd argue Occam's razor holds the key here: tighter law enforcement budgets mean fewer people to do the arresting. So that means victimless crimes are going to see a substantial drop when the cops can barely keep up with violent crime. I'd hypothesize that this drop in Florida has been wholly in non-violent crime while violent crime has remained constant or risen

Got to be careful with that Occam's razor, it's how I became in atheist (universe creates self, or universe is created by being who created himself)

"You can show people stats all day long," said Clearwater police Chief Tony Holloway, "but the next day they may see someone out there selling drugs. ...From their perception, they still see crime, so for them it can't be down."

I guess the difference between me and police Chief Holloway is that if I see someone selling drugs, I might be annoyed, but the word that doesn't pop into my head is "crime!" IMO, crime is something like car-jacking, burglary, rape and murder. I personally don't give two shiats about drug dealing until it negatively affects me.

/does not partake in illegal drugs

BarbadoSlim: Rufus Lee King: Are there suddenly 33% less Cubans in Florida?

Historical note: The Cuban is the State Negro of Florida.

I thought it was the Puertorricans .

This is la point I will need at least four hundred thousand dollars for a research study.

Well, if I remember correctly, a while back Florida decided to attempt to comply
more thoroughly with the 2nd amendment and relax some of the gun laws to
allow for more freedom. Basically whenever a state does this the violent crimes
go down, it's no big mystery. But I do expect a lot of derp and emotive arguments
to the contrary, some people still think they know better than our constitution and
would limit our right to protect ourselves due to their own agendas.

From reading the replies here, is the article claiming that crime has dropped or that arrests have dropped? Crime statistics is counting the number of criminal claims submitted to the police. If I assault you, that's a crime incident regardless of whether I was arrested or convicted.

So is crime rates dropping or arrest rates dropping?

Came to say what hillary said in the boobies. Many law enforcement departments just aren't reporting crimes, or are under-reporting them.

Then you have the other effects. An aging population is less apt to commit crimes. More people being home, either due to unemployment or telecommuting, results in fewer home invasions. More items come equipped with anti-theft and/or tracking devices. Easy access to porn results in fewer rapes. Easier access to abortion leads to fewer children born to parents who either don't want them or can't handle them, who would otherwise grow up with emotional issues or other disadvantages that might lead to crime. We tend to lock repeat criminals up for longer, especially when they trigger "three strikes" laws.

And one thing not mentioned yet in this thread or the article: it has been a number of years since leaded gasoline has been used for ground transportation in the US. That crap was known to cause a drop in IQ and other behavioral anomalies in children who were heavily exposed to it.

Revek: Like everywhere else it is simply under reported. Who is going to waste their time complaining about minor theft?

possibly but the decline is pretty constant across all kinds of crime murder, major assaults, and armed robbery are all down about the same amount as the minor stuff

dericwater: From reading the replies here, is the article claiming that crime has dropped or that arrests have dropped? Crime statistics is counting the number of criminal claims submitted to the police. If I assault you, that's a crime incident regardless of whether I was arrested or convicted.

So is crime rates dropping or arrest rates dropping?

Yes.

karasoth: Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere


Old people: Less likely to commit crimes


And more likely to get STDs.

hillary: It's easy to reduce crime stats: you just stop arresting criminals. Which happens in Florida a lot.

You've got it! Crime's substantially higher in practical terms. You never heard of people stealing AC units prior to 2008. Our company just had 4 more stolen last week. Fake auto accidents are at an all time high, as are car break-ins. Seeing similar with auto thefts as well. Even incidents of burglaries are up. Shoplifting is waaaaay up.

Trying to get the police to investigate any of the above is like pulling teeth. We even get crap for trying to file a police report. Law enforcement seems to be doing anything possible to keep the numbers low, at the detriment to the public.

karasoth: Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere

Young people: More likely to commit crimes
Old people: Less likely to commit crimes
Illegal Mexicans have been leaving florida with the recession: So less of them in the mix

Yeah, it's funny how immigration is supposed to be a moral issue but is apparently mostly an economic one.

This is bad news for the prison industries.

Looks like they'll have to bribe judges to sentence those that are convicted to serve longer stretches.

33% fewer Fark stories

Easy enough to explain...33% fewer Michiganians can afford to spend half the year down there.

krackpipe: karasoth: Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere

Young people: More likely to commit crimes
Old people: Less likely to commit crimes
Illegal Mexicans have been leaving florida with the recession: So less of them in the mix

Yeah, it's funny how immigration is supposed to be a moral issue but is apparently mostly an economic one.


Immigration? A "moral" issue?

So Florida is massaging the numbers? I just wish they hadn't gone all the way to happy ending.

Cheers.

/Just harmonizing my statisticals

Amos Quito: krackpipe: karasoth: Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere

Young people: More likely to commit crimes
Old people: Less likely to commit crimes
Illegal Mexicans have been leaving florida with the recession: So less of them in the mix

Yeah, it's funny how immigration is supposed to be a moral issue but is apparently mostly an economic one.


Immigration? A "moral" issue?

Comment?

From one of the comments to the article:

"Ok, this is an easy one. Take the Sheriff Office, they got rid of 300 deputies. Including thier DUI unit. Look at other departments and they also reduced thier ranks. Less cops less crime. If drive drunk and their is no one to pull you over did you commit a crime? Or was the crime never reported. I can reduce crime even more. Only respond to calls and no proactive just like the fire department."


Interesting. If a tree falls......

krackpipe: Amos Quito: krackpipe: karasoth: Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere

Young people: More likely to commit crimes
Old people: Less likely to commit crimes
Illegal Mexicans have been leaving florida with the recession: So less of them in the mix

Yeah, it's funny how immigration is supposed to be a moral issue but is apparently mostly an economic one.


Immigration? A "moral" issue?

Comment?


I was just hoping you'd explain how anyone could consider immigration a "moral" issue, when logically it is purely a matter of practicality.

Though after further consideration I can see how it has bee *spun* as a moral issue - especially by those who champion / defend *illegal* immigration - but it shouldn't be.

Amos Quito: krackpipe: karasoth: Its not so much reduced arresting (but thats a factor)

Florida is gods waiting room. MOAR old people come down here and young people from florida go elsewhere

Young people: More likely to commit crimes
Old people: Less likely to commit crimes
Illegal Mexicans have been leaving florida with the recession: So less of them in the mix

Yeah, it's funny how immigration is supposed to be a moral issue but is apparently mostly an economic one.


Immigration? A "moral" issue?

Yeah. Nothing is more immoral than failure to be a white protestant.