A police officer watches a woman

How Has The COVID19 Crisis Affected Law Enforcement Practices?

Law enforcement is a delicate subject in the U.S., especially in light of recent events such as the BLM protests that have forced us to contend with the inequalities, injustices, and discrimination within our system.

From jurisprudence, policy, and law-making to law enforcement itself, there are a lot of shortcomings and issues that are staring us in the face, forcing us to reckon with them. Among the many issues highlighted along with extreme forms of police brutality and racial profiling, we’re also left examining how the ongoing pandemic has affected existing structures.

In addition to everything else, the COVID-19 crisis has left us scrambling to make sense of a new normal that requires surveillance and management to keep people safe.

It’s interesting to see its effects on law enforcement in the past few months, with interesting new trends and patterns emerging. Some of the effects include:

Law Enforcement Officers Became Essential Workers.

As a result, of the stringent stay-at-home, shelter-in-place, and lockdown orders put in place across the country, many businesses and industries saw a rapid halt in operations. The only businesses that continued and were allowed to operate were those classified as essential businesses and workers, including—but not limited to—grocery store workers, medical personnel, and of course, law enforcement.

Among the many dangers and concerns faced by essential workers is the threat of infection that impacted many law enforcement officers, especially at the pandemic’s peak.

A woman wears a facemask

There Were Drops In Crime And Arrest Rates

It was also interesting to see a decrease in crime rates and arrests in general, because most peer-group, partnered, or collective criminal offenses such as theft, breaking and entering, and street crime went down.

This has a lot to do with the fact that most people are at home, and thus it’s harder for petty criminals to make their move, or for groups to assemble. However, this does not mean that crimes such as IPV, assault, homicide, and cybercrime have gone down.

States such as Indiana have strict stay-at-home orders, and prosecutors, as well as law enforcement, have been struggling with finding a cohesive system of punishment and accountability for violating these orders.

Back in April, a decision to charge those violating this order with a Class B misdemeanor that could land people in jail was decided upon as a possible punishment. However, by the time June rolled around, we saw that most people charged were also guilty of committing additional crimes.

Among all the changes and outrage, there has also been fiercer criticism of our prison systems and mass incarcerations, as the virus spreads alarmingly fast and leaves those even locked in county jails at risk.

If you or your loved one are facing arrest and are in need of a bail bondsman in Cass County, or need a 24-hour bail agent, reach out to us today. We’ve got your back.

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