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Regular readers know of my concern for what’s happening in police work.  Actually, to police work.  Blue cities and states have convinced a growing number of experienced, professional officers they have no place in police work.  In so doing, they’ve also convinced capable young men and women considering the job neither do they.

credit: bouldercolorado.gov

I’ve explained damaging trends, such as hiring only people slightly above average in intelligence on the theory smart people will be come bored and quit after a great deal of time and money is invested in them.   I suspect the issue is incompetent, dimwitted police administrators don’t want smart cops who know who they really are and what they’re really up to around.

Trends such as defunding the police, which dramatically reduces manpower, forcing remaining officers to work huge amounts of overtime, which is financially great for them, but quickly burns them out, doesn’t help.  Falsely accusing the police of being racist murderers doesn’t help either, particularly when it encourages actual racists to resist arrest and even murder them.  Prosecuting officers for accidents—as in the Kim Potter case—or for merely doing their job, while simultaneously making sociopathic felons saints is particularly destructive, and made worse when officers aren’t allowed to make arrests during riots, and aren’t allowed to stop and frisk, which is an entirely lawful, constitutional police tool.  But probably worst is when prosecutors won’t do their jobs, making every arrest futile.

Circa January, 2022 New York City, one of the crime and urban decay capitols of America thanks to Communist ex-mayor Bill De Blasio, has just leapt into the abyss:  

Manhattan’s newly sworn-in District Attorney started by making a very important announcement: He will no longer be enforcing the law. This is, of course, illegal and should subject him to criminal prosecution at either the state or the federal level. Of course, that won’t happen. Instead, Manhattan will become a Mad Max-esque city, so rife with crime that, eventually, all normal life stops.

When Alvin Bragg ran to be Manhattan’s D.A., his slogan was ‘Justice for All.’  In his campaign biography, he explained to the voters that he ‘has spent the better part of two decades in the courtroom, standing up to the powerful and fighting to get justice.’  He spent his career ‘standing up for tenants’ rights, civil rights and human rights.’  Additionally, he ‘served as the first chief of a special unit that investigated police-involved killings.’  These are all interesting statements from someone running, not to be a defense attorney or a plaintiff’s attorney, but to represent the state of New York and the borough of Manhattan in actions against alleged criminals.

Guess who funded Bragg’s campaign?  That’s right: George Soros.  It was a very low turnout election.  Only 17% of eligible voters voted, and of that 17%, 84% voted for Bragg.  Of course in NYC, illegal immigrants, felons, and the dead can vote as often as they like.  One might be forgiven for being just a bit suspicious of the integrity of any NYC election.  And just how will Bragg establish “justice for all?”  Like this:

Manhattan’s new DA has ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for hordes of criminals and to downgrade felony charges in cases including armed robberies and drug dealing, according to a set of progressive policies made public Tuesday.

In his first memo to staff on Monday, Alvin Bragg said his office ‘will not seek a carceral sentence’ except with homicides and a handful of other cases, including domestic violence felonies, some sex crimes and public corruption.

“Carceral” is woke for “prison.”

‘This rule may be excepted only in extraordinary circumstances based on a holistic analysis of the facts, criminal history, victim’s input (particularly in cases of violence or trauma), and any other information available,’ the memo reads.

Assistant district attorneys must also now keep in mind the ‘impacts of incarceration,’ including whether it really does increase public safety, potential future barriers to convicts involving housing and employment, the financial cost of prison and the racial disparities over who gets time, Bragg instructed.

In cases where prosecutors do seek to put a convict behind bars, the request can be for no more than 20 years for a determinate sentence, meaning one that can’t be reviewed or changed by a parole board.

‘The Office shall not seek a sentence of life without parole,’ the memo states.

Oh, it gets better, gentle readers, much, much better:

*Armed robbers who use guns or other deadly weapons to stick up stores and other businesses will be prosecuted only for petty larceny, a misdemeanor, provided no victims were seriously injured and there’s no ‘genuine risk of physical harm’ to anyone. Armed robbery, a class B felony, would typically be punishable by a maximum of 25 years in prison, while petty larceny subjects offenders to up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Just wait ‘till law-abiding citizens see what will happen to them if they use guns to thwart crimes or preserve human life.

*Convicted criminals caught with weapons other than guns will have those felony charges downgraded to misdemeanors unless they’re also charged with more serious offenses. Criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a class D felony, is punishable by up to 7 years behind bars. 

So much for stopping “gun violence.”

*Burglars who steal from residential storage areas, parts of homes that aren’t ‘accessible to a living area’ and businesses located in mixed-use buildings will be prosecuted for a low-level class D felony that only covers break-ins instead of for more serious crimes. Those more serious crimes, class B and class C felonies, would be punishable by up to 25 and up to 15 years in prison respectively.

So much for stopping burglary.

*Drug dealers believed to be ‘acting as a low-level agent of a seller’ will be prosecuted only for misdemeanor possession. Also, suspected dealers will only be prosecuted on felony charges if they’re also accused of more serious crimes or are actually caught in the act of selling drugs. That felony would mean facing up to seven years behind bars.

In other words, the police will no longer have any means to flip lower level dealers to work their way up the chain to their suppliers. 

‘ADAs should use their judgment and experience to evaluate the person arrested, and identify people: who suffer from mental illness; who are unhoused; who commit crimes of poverty; or who suffer from substance use disorders,’ Bragg added.

In other words: use your discretion to avoid charging criminals with crimes or you’ll be looking for another job.

‘Charges should be brought consistent with the goal of providing services to such individuals, and leverage during plea negotiations should not be a factor in this decision,’ he wrote.

Ah!  Now it’s the job of the criminal justice system to provide “services to such individuals”—criminals.  But that’s not all:

He also pledged that ‘new initiatives and policies on guns, sex crimes, hate crimes, and other matters will be announced in the coming weeks.’

And if that hasn’t raised your blood pressure, get out your meds before you read this:

During a portion of an interview with the Fox News Channel aired on Wednesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that whether his decision to not prosecute certain offenses will give criminals a green light ‘depends upon your definition of a criminal.’ And we’ve had ‘this othering of anyone we put in jail is a criminal.’

Fox News Senior Correspondent Eric Shawn asked, ‘Would these policies give criminals a green light?’

Bragg responded, ‘No, I mean, it at least depends upon your definition of a criminal. And for all too long we’ve kind of dealt with this othering of anyone we put in jail is a criminal. Well, you know what, we’re putting in jail homeless people who, literally, in one example, used one counterfeit bill to buy food and toothpaste, got a sentence of [several] years. So, if that’s your definition of a criminal, I suggest we need to really reorder ourselves.’

Of course.  When we put people who commit enough serious crimes in jail, they’re not criminals, we’re “othering” them and we need, instead, to “service” them.  This is particularly delusional:

 

The Democratic Governor of New York declaring that she’s going to make New York ‘the most business-friendly State in the nation’ is like Danny DeVito declaring that he’s going to become an offensive lineman for the New York Jets; nothing in the rules actually forbids it, but everyone involved knows it’s not going to happen.

New York is generally ranked as the second most business-hostile state in the nation behind California. Texas is generally ranked as the most business-friendly, followed by Florida.

New York is one of the most tax-unfriendly states in America, always in a race with California and Illinois to see who can put the biggest bite on breadwinners. New York state income tax starts at 4% on the first dollar earned, and goes up to 10.9%. No wonder wealthy New Yorkers are fleeing the state as quickly as they possibly can.

Which state does Hochul think she’s governing again?  Before I forget, pretty much every low level, quality of life offense, and resisting arrest will no longer be prosecuted, which means there is nothing to keep criminals from assaulting the police whenever they try to make an arrest.

Before Bragg took office, Eric Adams, who calls himself “the face of the Democratic Party,” and a former NYPD Captain, won the mayoral race on a law and order platform.  Good luck with that.

For years, NYPD officers have been prohibited from stopping and frisking suspects, which has significantly increased the number of thugs carrying guns, which has sparked New York’s skyrocketing rate of shootings and murders.  They’re also prohibited from chasing suspects on foot, which lets thugs get away with anything if they merely run away.  And now, they’ve been told virtually nothing is going to happen to anyone they arrest.  Here are four big, and obvious, immediate consequences:

1) Assistant District Attorneys who actually want to prosecute are going to resign and get the hell out of NYC, leaving behind only those who fear they can’t get a job anywhere else—not exactly the cream of the crop, or those who fully support Bragg—not exactly the cream of the crop.

2) NYPD officers, who now have no doubt they’re not going to be allowed to go their jobs, and Bragg is going to be working far harder to prosecute them than actual criminals, are going to resign, retire, or if they can’t easily quit, do the bare minimum, which will absolutely involve doing nothing that could lead to a physical confrontation, in other words, making arrests.  The NYPD has already lost huge numbers of officers and is having enormous difficulty recruiting.  That’s going to get much worse.

3) Criminals, particularly black criminals, just got an unlimited ticket to criminal Disney World.

4) The quality of life in NYC is going to sink to new, previously unimaginable, depths, and fast.

But what if the Supreme Court strikes down NYC’s “may issue” law and normal citizens get to carry concealed weapons?  Even if that comes to pass, NYC authorities will do everything they can to ignore the law and/or make the process as impossible as possible.  No New Yorker should imagine they’ll be able to protect themselves; that would be the opposite of providing services for crooks.  Should any of them dare to employ lawful self-defense against criminal predators, particularly black predators, Bragg will prosecute them, and won’t hesitate to demand the most severe possible penalties.  That’s a policy exception he’ll be delighted to make.

Without law and order, any city, any state, any government quickly devolves to anarchy and chaos.  Businesses flee, the tax base dissolves as businesses and people vote with their feet, and life quickly resembles dystopian novels and movies like Escape From New York.  Even if Mayor Adams is serious in trying to reestablish law and order, without prosecutors willing to do their duty, his efforts will amount to nothing.

So what?  It’s New York City.  Who cares about those idiots?  It’s an easy sentiment to embrace, but these kinds of racist, anti-American policies are the heart of the contemporary D/S/C Party, and whether we like it or not, all Americans have a stake in opposing those policies wherever they occur.  The success of socialism/communism anywhere makes it easier for it to succeed everywhere.  Abandoning the rule of law anywhere, makes it easier to do it everywhere.  Unlike Covid, this is a plague that can be eradicated, but only if we recognize it for what it is and ruthlessly stamp it out.  We have a financial and social stake in the survival of our fellow Americans.

Oh, and don’t expect the Harris/Biden/Whoever Administration—Joe Biden, Temporary President—to ride to the rescue when things turn absolutely desperate.  NYC is what they want for the rest of the country.

Keep in mind prosecutorial discretion is lawfully limited to making decisions to prosecute–or not–based on the facts of individual cases.  Prosecutors may not simply decide to ignore or rewrite entire bodies of law.  That’s a legislative function.  Absent significant mitigating circumstances, they should uniformly prosecute all like crimes within the limits of the law.  They’re not social workers or psychologists. But what if that’s what the public wants?  They can get the legislature to change the criminal code as they please, but it’s not up to prosecutors, no matter their public support, to usurp the power of the legislature.

I’ve often written we get the government, which includes law enforcement and prosecution, we deserve.  New Yorkers, in voting for Bragg, and in failing to vote at all, are going to get exactly what they deserve—good and hard.