An Argument to Avoid Making

I've spent years challenging the notion that "tough on crime" policies help politicians get more votes. That idea becomes less true each day as polls tip in our favor, and even if it were completely valid, advancing this notion would not serve our interests as reformers. So imagine my surprise at finding myself quoted in The Washington Post saying this:

The bureau's stats show that "stop and frisks" are occurring at record rates, Morgan says, particularly where minorities and low-income people live. He blamed "hard on crime" campaigns by politicians trying to get or stay elected. [Washington Post]

No, I didn't. This surprising statement emerged from an interview with a Washington Post writer at Wednesday's D.C. premiere of my new movie 10 Rules for Dealing with Police. If anyone said this, it wasn't me, and I can't get over the irony of being quoted in a major paper saying the opposite of what I've been arguing for years.

I guess it just goes to show how pervasive the idea still is that the American people want our leaders to have us arrested as often as possible. Sure, there was a time when "tough on crime" politics could be used as a political bludgeon. It's called 1988. Thankfully, we're finally moving beyond it.