THE COST OF ANTI-COP RHETORIC – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:   Two police officers have already been assassinated in New York.  There have been attempts on others around the country since.  So this story should not be surprising.  A price is being paid.  From the New York Post: 

With cops on edge following the assassination of two patrol officers on a Brooklyn street, many officers have started turning a blind eye to some minor crimes, sources told The Post, while a union mandate that two patrol cars respond to all police calls has led to slower response times to non-emergencies.

“I’m not writing any summonses. Do you think I’m going to stand there so someone can shoot me or hit me in the head with an ax?” One cop said Sunday, referring to the Dec. 20 slayings and another recent attack on the NYPD.

“I’m concerned about my safety,” the cop added. “I want to go to home to my wife and kids.”

An NYPD supervisor noted, “My guys are writing almost no summonses, and probably only making arrests when they have to — like when a store catches a shoplifter.”

And the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association directive for cops to respond with at least two patrol cars has resulted in a manpower shortage that’s delaying response times to non-emergencies — such as burglaries or car crashes without injuries — to as much as four hours, sources said.

COMMENT:  The real losers here will be members of minority communities, who depend on police coverage for their very lives.  Maybe, if something horrible happens, they can call Al Sharpton.  Or Eric Holder.  They have police cars, don't they?

December 30, 2014