MacDonald: What Should State Police Do When Vehicle Inspections End?

Being a police officer is a thankless job, but it's a reactive occupation. You respond to stupidity or bad behavior, identify the victims, look for the perpetrators, and apply the laws established to address the issue. This is why you can't sue the police for preventing the robbery of your home or the death of an occupant in its course. It is not their job to prevent crime.

It is true that a police presence or surveillance may produce an environment where individuals are less likely to break laws. A simple example is drivers slowing down on a highway because a cruiser is idling on the side of the road, in the median, or at or near a work zone. Almost everyone does their best to impress the officer with how closely they can drive the posted speed limit, after which they speed up. An officer's presence at events or gatherings can improve the overall behavior of those assembled, but that may not prevent lawbreaking.

Look at the UK. One of the most surveilled nations on earth. They still experience a high level of crime, including the destruction of CCTV cameras. Crime in the UK is 72/1000, or 7,200 per 100,000 (2025). In the US, the rate is 3.64/1000 or 364/100,000 (as of 2023), and some would have you believe that' gone down..

State Police vs. Car Inspections

Filter all of that through this.

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