More Cops, Less Problems: The Only Innovation DC Needs
Mainstream outlets like The Hill often frame the 'war on crime' as a resource allocation problem, diligently avoiding the elephant in the room: militarized policing and the carceral state. They suggest better data, more strategy workshops, yet conveniently bypass the billions flowing into police departments annually. From 2020-2022, U.S. cities collectively increased police budgets by over $5
billion, according to the Center for Popular Democracy, with little measurable impact on crime rates, but significant increases in state violence. One might wonder if the failure isn't in deploying the forces, but in deploying forces in the first place? Perhaps the 'wrong way' isn't about strategy, but about the fundamental premise that social ills can be solved with more badges and bullets,
rather than addressing systemic poverty, lack of healthcare, and education funding. It's almost as if some institutions benefit from a perpetual, unwinnable 'war.'