[Guardian] On n Wednesday, police finally arrested Frank James, the man accused of shooting up a crowded subway train in New York City, wounding 10. James, strangely, had called in the tip himself, telling police he was at a Manhattan McDonald’s. Other New Yorkers spotted the subway shooter too, assisting the police.
Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, touted the arrest as another victory for the New York police department and called, once more, for increased surveillance on the subways. "We believe we have a technology that we can use in the subway system that many passengers are not even going to be aware that they are walking past a device that could detect weapons, and we are excited about the possibilities and I’m not going to leave any legal technology off the table when it comes down to keeping New Yorkers safe," Adams said on MSNBC.
A former police captain, Adams was elected mayor last year on a promise to crack down on crime. He was able to outflank more liberal rivals in the Democratic primary as public safety became a top issue for voters. Since taking office, he has visited numerous crime scenes and vowed, at various points, to reintroduce tougher policing practices.
Progressives are wrong to simply mock police for taking 30 hours to apprehend James or relying on tips to find him — that’s how policing usually works. Some online commentators have argued that the shooting proves police can’t prevent any crime because Adams had already dispatched more cops to the subways and James was still able to detonate a smoke bomb and unload his gun on passengers. Police can deter crime and most working-class New Yorkers want them to catch criminals and solve crimes. |