Major Surprise: No-Arrest Policy Leads to Rampant Crime
On March 18, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw notified commanders Tuesday that police will be delaying arrests for nonviolent crimes, including drug offenses, theft, and prostitution.”
Evidently the Chief did not anticipate the result reported by WPVI last Thursday.
A group of 20 merchants in Philadelphia say policies set forth by the city during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an alarming epidemic of shoplifting, and in some cases, mobs of people.
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In other instances, merchants say people are filling their back packs with merchandise seemingly with no fear the law will catch up with them.
“People are coming in the store, they’re loading their bag and they’re actually telling us the law, that they’re not gonna get locked up,” said merchant Sukhvir Thinb.
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“It’s a lawless city, it’s the Wild West. That’s what’s happening here,” said Vincent Emmanuel, treasurer of the Delaware Valley Franchise Owners Association.
The next day, the PD changed the policy, WPVI reports.
In a statement issued Friday, the department said suspects for several offenses will now be arrested and ‘processed in the traditional manner.’
Those offenses are:
-Burglary
-Theft From Auto
-Theft from Person
-Stolen Auto
-Retail Theft
Here is the Chief’s explanation:
“At the time of the change, the Department was clear in that the list of offenses was subject to review and revision as conditions continued to evolve,” stated Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, adding, “Predictably, conditions have, in fact, evolved in dynamic fashion. Accordingly, we have reviewed our current protocols and have made several adjustments.”
What is “predictable,” indeed certain, is that the crooks would react to the initial policy in that manner. Why did it take a news story to prompt the revision? Well, thank goodness that Philadelphia has at least one news outlet that is not ideologically committed to the “woke justice” bandwagon.
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