serious question, is there any good reason to consult police sources for analysis of crime data or to project how legislation will affect crime / incarceration?

i’m ok consulting cops if they are confirming / denying a factual assertion. but most cop quotes do political work...

particularly curious @ journalists, am i missing some part of journalism ethics here? feel free to DM me

this thread was inspired by this gothamist piece. it just seems like quoting cops here only serves to ideologically support bail reform rollbacks. they don’t have any special expertise to scientifically explain the effect of legislation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/champ.gothamist.com/champ/gothamist/news/what-new-rollbacks-bail-reform-mean-new-york

cops always like “we just enforce the law” — word, so stop weighing in on legislation in media and in albany! and journos don’t have to give cops opportunities to lobby