Urban homicide rates

I only have the luxury of listening to talk radio during the day on occasion. Everyday I get to catch a little bit of Jeff Wagner's show during lunch, though, and I know that he has been focusing on the increase in homicides in Milwaukee this year. Hopefully he discussed this article today from the Weekly Standard. Powerline's Scott Johnson takes a look at Minneapolis' 55% increase in homicides this year and lays the blame soundly at the feet of those opposed to racial profiling.

While anti-racial profiling forces seems insufficient to completely explain these booming year over year homicide rates, the affect it has on traffic stops may play a part. After all, traffic stops are the front line in crime prevention. I know of a city (which I will leave unnamed, sorry) which was facing an increase in gang related activities several years back. One of that city's police department strategies to combat this was to increase the number of traffic stops and citations they made. Gang activity stagnated and fell off while increasing in other near by communities. It's funny, but people who partake in criminal activity are also inclined to disobey the rules of the road. When you continually pick them up for these violations, not only do you find things like drugs and illegal guns in their cars, you also discourage them from continuing their activities in your city. I'd be curious to see if the city of Milwaukee has had a decline in the number of traffic stops they've been making in the city over the past three or four years.