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Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

thenextweb.com

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Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#11

Post by downandout »

CJefferson wrote: post #6
downandout wrote: post #2

Something tells me that this will not be accompanied by a 57% decrease in crime rates, but will absolutely be accompanied by a 57% increase in imprisonment and legal expenditures to detain and prosecute these people. An argument can be made that, except in the case of dangerous fugitives, using a more efficient means of finding wanted people may cause more harm than good.

So you think we should just give up entirely on trying to stop, say burglars and car thieves?

That's not what I said. I said that pursuing relatively minor cases (which I would not include in your example) more aggressively than we already do will serve only to tie up the justice system and make it more difficult to prosecute more serious offenses because all of the resources will be expended on a massive influx of first time DUI's and minor drug possession cases.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#12

Post by gnud »

guylhem wrote: post #8
wazari972 wrote: post #4

I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to upvote this post, if I do, does it mean I support the idea behind ? because I don't, I don't think that denunciation is right way to support justice ... but I'd like the post to go to the front page, the see HN comments about it!

Denonciations are a good thing if you believe a criminal should be arrested as a consequence of his initial actions. Denonciations are a bad thing if you believe that someone who didn't get caught in the act should be able to escape 972 - est-tu de Martinique ?

Denonciations are a bad thing when society can't seem to let criminals serve their time and then be done with it.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#13

Post by CJefferson »

downandout wrote: post #11
CJefferson wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you think we should just give up entirely on trying to stop, say burglars and car thieves?

That's not what I said. I said that pursuing relatively minor cases (which I would not include in your example) more aggressively than we already do will serve only to tie up the justice system and make it more difficult to prosecute more serious offenses because all of the resources will be expended on a massive influx of first time DUI's and minor drug possession cases.

You said "dangerous fugitives". I suppose it depends on your definition (and obviously we vary), but I wouldn't consider a burglar to be a dangerous fugitive.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#15

Post by oes0 »

guylhem wrote: post #8
wazari972 wrote: post #4

I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to upvote this post, if I do, does it mean I support the idea behind ? because I don't, I don't think that denunciation is right way to support justice ... but I'd like the post to go to the front page, the see HN comments about it!

Denonciations are a good thing if you believe a criminal should be arrested as a consequence of his initial actions. Denonciations are a bad thing if you believe that someone who didn't get caught in the act should be able to escape 972 - est-tu de Martinique ?

There's also a third option, people who can't (at the time) afford a lawyer to represent them.

Even in minor court cases, to plead not guilty and take a case to trial costs thousands of dollars. In jail-able offenses, some municipal courts don't have public defenders. And if you are innocent and unwilling to take a plea deal, your only option can be spending $3000+ to defend yourself against a minor misdemeanor charge.

(I realize these people are mostly charged with felonies it seems.)

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#16

Post by DanBC »

downandout wrote: post #2

Something tells me that this will not be accompanied by a 57% decrease in crime rates, but will absolutely be accompanied by a 57% increase in imprisonment and legal expenditures to detain and prosecute these people. An argument can be made that, except in the case of dangerous fugitives, using a more efficient means of finding wanted people may cause more harm than good.

There are lots of theft on there.

It's probably true that just catching thieves does little to stop them from committing crime. Giving people treatment for addiction; giving them support for MH problems ('treatment' is a difficult concept for the problematic diagnosis of one of the personality disorders); and properly run restorative justice would be cheaper and do more to prevent repeated crime.

Unfortunately some people are not interested in that, and just want to punish offenders.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#17

Post by DanBC »

crikli wrote: post #3

Blog spam, inaccurate headline. Original article on npr: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/12/07/166678... The boost was in 57% of "warrant services" whatever that means, not arrests. No numbers given for the increase in arrests, just that they "actually got more people."

Thank you for that.

The Pinterest page is here (http://pinterest.com/themercury/wanted-by-police/)

I'd be interested to see if Google (or anyone) tried their face recognition on these photos and provide information to the police.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#18

Post by downandout »

crikli wrote: post #3

Blog spam, inaccurate headline. Original article on npr: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/12/07/166678... The boost was in 57% of "warrant services" whatever that means, not arrests. No numbers given for the increase in arrests, just that they "actually got more people."

It means a 57% rise in arrests of those with outstanding warrants. Either the subject was already arrested, released, and didn't show up for court, or a warrant was issued for them by a judge based on a request by an officer and they can't locate the person to arrest them in the first place. Although many of these people were technically already in the system, the effect on the system is the same as a 57% rise in new arrests, since if a wanted person can't be located, they are not using a jail bed, their case is not taking up court docket space, and we aren't paying for their prosecution and in most cases their defense.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#19

Post by gk1 »

manaskarekar wrote: post #14

"The tip line has been ringing off the hook. In fact, Drumheller says some people even called in to say they had seen their own mugshot online and have asked to turn themselves in to authorities." What the fuck?

Some people may not realize there's a warrant out for them.

Re: Local police post mugshots on Pinterest, leading to a 57% boost in arrests

#20

Post by king_jester »

weego wrote: post #5
downandout wrote: post #2

Something tells me that this will not be accompanied by a 57% decrease in crime rates, but will absolutely be accompanied by a 57% increase in imprisonment and legal expenditures to detain and prosecute these people. An argument can be made that, except in the case of dangerous fugitives, using a more efficient means of finding wanted people may cause more harm than good.

So you are suggesting that some laws aren't worth upholding because they aren't financially viable?

Some laws are not worth upholding or keeping, so arrests and court systems processing cases for those laws by definition aren't financially viable.
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