When policing becomes harassment.

• Author: Burrus, Trevor
• Position: Letters - Letter to the editor

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Jacob Sullum's excellent piece on the New York Police Department's unconscionable and unconstitutional stop-and-frisk program ("When Policing Becomes Harassment," July) highlighted the astounding level of abuse in the program as well as the equally astounding insouciance by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg toward the program's human costs.

Reason TV could retire its "Nanny of the Month" award, since Bloomberg has no reasonable challengers--or at least you could change the name to "Bloomberg of the Month." But not content to be just our mommy, Bloomberg also apparently relishes the role of daddy, the hard disciplinarian who "knows best" about our safety.

When Bloomberg and his law-and-order supporters claim the program is reducing crime, they're engaging in a rank speculation that should make any criminologist shake his head. Nationwide, the crime rate has been dropping precipitously for reasons...