Law & Order

Dear Editor:

In the last issue, I addressed the migrant crisis that was heading its way to our very own Floyd Bennett Field. This time I wish to cover an equally serious issue affecting the Rockaways: crime. The past few years have been especially rough for New Yorkers given the “Defund The Police” movement supported by the Progressive Caucus. The result of our careless politicians’ actions has directly correlated to an increase in very egregious crimes. From shootings to robberies, our community is being hit wave after wave and police are ill-equipped to handle it.

Whether it is bail reform letting repeat offenders back out onto the streets within minutes or the overall lack of police presence to address incidents, the overwhelming evidence is that our current efforts are not cutting it. The solutions proposed by the Rockaway Republican Club are simple: end bail reform, reinstate qualified immunity (with necessary exceptions for cases of obvious brutality), and increase our police forces. What would ending bail reform accomplish, you may ask? It will prevent criminals from easily paying their way out of jail. With bail reform gone, judges can set higher bail amounts that the offender couldn’t possibly afford (thereby preventing a repeat offense). Is qualified immunity really necessary? Yes. Qualified immunity allows police officers to do their jobs without the risk of citizens falsely labeling them or convicting them on unproven charges. How do we know more police officers will solve this issue? A study from Princeton University found that more police officers significantly reduce violent crime, and crime overall. I quote, “An analysis of individual crime types reveals that police reduce murders, robberies, larcenies, and auto thefts…I find little evidence, however, that arrests increased following the program-induced police force expansions, which suggests a deterrence mechanism underlying the estimated crime effects.” This study affirms that crimes are not only reduced by the mere presence of police, but that police increases do not correlate to more arrests. This shatters the narrative driving the Progressives’ efforts to defund the police since they are under the impression that more black Americans would be arrested following police force expansions! With this information in mind, we should restore our police forces back to what they were before these myths arose and end the revolving door of placing criminals back onto the streets.

Katie Larkin
Rockaway Republican Club