*THREAD*
For decades now, crime rates have been dropping precipitously. If you ask most people though, they'll tell you crime is higher than ever. So why the disconnect? Well per usual, I did my research! Stay tuned /1

Most Americans believe crime is getting worse. Why? It's a bias called "Mean World Syndrome." Essentially, it's a bias where ppl think the world is more dangerous than it truly is. This is when your Mom, who watches a LOT of local news, keeps warning you about going downtown. /2

This shouldn't be exactly surprising. Think about our media here. Crime is pervasive. I bet you all can list dozens of dffrnt cop shows and true crime. Hell, there's whole channels now devoted to true crime and court proceedings. /3

And let's face it, it makes good TV, right. Am I really the only one who's gotten sucked into an SVU epi? Or that "really good" "How To Get Away With Murder?" You see something shocking and you can't look away. Guess who else uses that formula? /4

I've discussed "if it bleeds, it leads" in past threads. News is struggling, and violent crime gets eyeballs. According to @JusticePolicy, violent crime dominates news coverage, despite falling crime rates. This creates unwarranted fear and perpetuates POC stereotypes /5

Making matters worse, most local crime stories are told 100% from the police viewpoint. This results in police departments essentially ghostwriting the crime reports you see on the local news. /6

This brings us to our main topic: needing" police. We have all heard the arguments; "Police keep us safe," "they put their lives on the line for us." Locally and nationally, we've heard various versions of "it's unthinkable to abolish the police." /7

Reality tho doesn't bare that out. Indeed, both violent crime and property crime has been falling for decades, while the number of people killed by police keep going up. /8

You see, another side effect of MWS is that we overestimate the usefulness of cops. Your Mom watching all those Law & Orders and the late local news? She's likely to support police and increases in their funding. /9

Those crime shows we talked about? Cops always look their best and act virtuously. It's always clear who the "bad guys" are too. Worse, TV cops prbly see more major crime than real ones do all year, but we'll get there. /10

Speaking of "real" cops, those Live PD shows, they only happen because police departments agree to them. They're approving every storyline. You won't see any excessive force or dead dogs. /11

The point is, news and pop culture create irrational fear of crime and an artificial feeling of "necessity"for police. The more gritty cop shows and violent news clips folks take in, the more rational it seems to beef up police. /12

The truth is, police don't prevent crime. Indeed, the bulk of police work is patrol. Issuing tickets, dealing with driving infractions; this is 99% of their day. /13

If police want you afraid of a world where cops rarely stop crime, we're already there. Indeed, most cases cops take up don't even end up solved. The police don't keep us safe. /14

Not only that, but they routinely introduce harm or death in situations that could have been handled safely and effectively but for a police presence. You think school resource officers, or beat cops are a good idea? Think again./15

I could continue, but in sum, it's a myth that police keep us safe. If anything, the opposite is true. We can do better. We must do better. The road to abolishment starts now ~