THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 28, 1995 TAG: 9501270483
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
Speaking of crime, and who doesn't?, New York City police are being encouraged to arrest low-level offenders, not to clog an already jammed law-enforcement system but to spread the word that crime is taken seriously by the authorities and to gain information about particularly busy or dangerous criminals.
For example, New York police arrest drug dealers without waiting for special narcotics officers to show up. These and other arrestees are routinely asked a series of questions aimed at catching other criminals:
Do you know where to get a gun?
Do you know who is selling guns?
Do you know anyone wanted for murder, shootings, robbery, rape or other violent crimes?
Do you know anyone who buys stolen property?
Do you know anyone stealing autos or chopping autos?
Arrestees who answer yes to any of these queries are then taken to a precinct station for further questioning.
What's in it for criminals who give the police useful information? A chance for easier treatment by the justice system.
New York police made 40,000 more arrests in 1994 than the nearly 200,000 made in 1993. The new policy has brought hundreds of gun traffickers, robbers and murderers to justice.
Sounds like a winning strategy that puts criminals on the defensive, which is where they ought to be. Sounds like a winner for taxpayers, too. Police departments in Hampton Roads and elsewhere ought to consider the feasibility of adding NYPD's questioning policy to their own arsenal of anti-crime practices. by CNB