As Baltimore homicides continue to escalate, two anonymous Baltimore police officers told CNN that “proactive, self-initiated policing has stopped. We’re in a totally reactive mode.”
“The criminal element feels as though we are not going to run the risk of chasing them if they are armed with a gun, and they are using this opportunity to settle old beefs or scores ... The public really, really sees that they asked for a softer, less-aggressive police department, and we’ve given them that, and they are realizing that their way of thinking does not work.”
The national conversation over police tactics and rising crime is ongoing: Investigations are underway, stats are being examined and the causes are being debated. However, one thing is clear: When police hesitate for whatever reason, criminals will exploit the resulting vacuum ... and Baltimore residents are left to deal with the consequences, largely deprived of their Second Amendment rights.
