Between 2019 and 2021, murders surged by 44% across major U.S. cities primarily driven by a police retreat following the 2020 unrest. However, from 2021 to 2024, murders declined by 39% as policing efforts were reinstated. A study of 15 major cities revealed a 40% drop in police stops post-2020 unrest, which coincided with rising homicide rates; as policing levels increased again, a subsequent drop in homicides was observed. The findings highlight that increased proactive policing effectively reduces violent crime rates, contradicting earlier sentiments advocating for police defunding.
Our study finds that recent murder declines are linked to a âre-policing effect.â As arrests and stops rose, homicides declined rapidly.
The post-George Floyd de-policing exacerbated the growing violent and serious crime problem, as demoralized police reduced aggressive anti-crime activities.
Collection
[
|
...
]