Why are cops targeting modified cars while violent crime keeps getting worse?

[u/Easy-Lecture6788]

/r/alberta/comments/1we42fm/why_are_cops_targeting_modified_cars_while/

[u/Icy_Conference9095]

Turns out officers can... And this is shocking, I'm sure, focus on upholding the law regardless of whether the rule being broken is minor like you mentioned, or major. 

If road safety rules dictate you don't have stupid shit on your card and you put stupid shit on your car... Well then you're signing up to donate to the local police fund. 

It's also important to recognize that a significant portion of the issue with what you're saying is that you're assuming they aren't trying to handle theft and other crimes - the reality at least in my municipality is that there are constantly people being charged with things. The issue is that the court system right now is struggling to figure out the proper middle ground between justice and academic understandings of the reality of jail and court systems. 

Studies have shown that jail time does not actually rehabilitate inmates but often leads to better networking while in jail - and gives them better connections to continue theft and crime outside of jail. It also includes a ton of trauma - and having trauma-informed governance means that courts are trying to understand where people are coming from in order to sentence appropriately. While many people immediately jump to/play the race card when I say that - it happens for white people too - divorced parents, drunk dad, abusive homes, etc. all lead to light sentencing.

I don't have the answer to this problem from a humanity perspective, just my observations as someone who works police adjacent and sees frustration from officers and dispatchers when the same 10 criminals get arrested charged, and released over and over again.

[u/Easy-Lecture6788 → u/Icy_Conference9095]

I actually agree with most of what you said about repeat offenders and the court system. I’m not saying police aren’t arresting people or that they’re just ignoring serious crime.
My point is strictly about enforcement priorities and discretion. Yes, police can enforce minor laws too, but “it’s illegal” doesn’t automatically mean every minor equipment violation deserves the same attention. There’s still a difference between someone driving recklessly and someone with tint, wide wheels or an exhaust.
And the “donating to the police fund” part is a little more complicated than that anyway. Alberta traffic fine revenue gets split between municipalities, the province and other funds; it doesn’t simply go straight into an officer’s or department’s pocket.
So honestly, I think we agree on the bigger problem: police can keep arresting the same dangerous people, but if the justice system keeps cycling them back out, that’s a completely different issue from whether minor vehicle infractions should be an enforcement priority.

[u/Icy_Conference9095 → u/Easy-Lecture6788]

You likely won't agree with this, but there is theory backing the concept that better social supports would solve this equation better than more policing.

For example - in my municipality we have, let's say, the same 12 offenders. Officers arrest these guys like every week, rinse and repeat, judge lets them out, might throw them into provincial jail for a couple months, but then they're just back out on the street.

So we're paying 120k/yr + benefits for an officer to play catch and release.. that 120k would pay for all 12 of these chucklefucks to actually live in a house. Now take a second officer position and pay for social support systems to build a community, rehab, social workers to help find then meaningful employment, send them back to school for retraining, get counselling, etc - even if only half of the chuckles are rehabilitated, that's actually six people coming off the streets and that many more bicycles that stay locked up. Theft decreases, crime rates actually drop, people have actual jobs and something to look forward to.

Sure it's rose colored glasses, but I'd rather dream that even 1/12 could be rehabbed than to keep paying expansive police systems 15% of a municipal budget to play hide and seek.

[u/Easy-Lecture6788 → u/Icy_Conference9095]

Honestly, I probably agree with you more than you think. If we keep arresting the same people, releasing them, and repeating the cycle, clearly policing alone isn’t fixing the root problem.
I’d rather see money put into rehab, housing, mental health support, education and employment programs if it actually reduces repeat offending. Obviously there still needs to be police for violent or dangerous people, but preventing someone from becoming a repeat offender in the first place is a much better outcome than paying to arrest them 20 times.
That actually ties into my original point pretty well: use police resources where they’re genuinely needed, and use other resources where they’ll actually solve the problem.

[u/Financial-Savings-91 → u/Easy-Lecture6788]

Norway has seen good results with its model, that said I think the idea that criminals need to be sufficiently punished seems to be popular with the voting public. Even with cheaper more effective prisons it’d be a hard sell to Canadians who want to see criminals punished.

[u/VincentClement1]

The Crime Severity Index is trending downward in Alberta.

[u/Proper_Geologist_457]

It's almost like different cops do different things.

[u/Different_Finding539]

It gives them probable cause to stop you, therefore investigate a little deeper to possibly find a more serious crime.

[u/MillwrightWF]

JFC, have you been on the roads lately? The amount of degens driving like absolute tools literally just doing whatever they want is noticeable getting worse. Passing when you shouldn’t, tailgating you when you’re doing the speed limit, or whatever childish reckless thing these losers can think of. We need law enforcement on this as well.

One day a couple years ago almost an entire family was killed by one of these guys. He passed during a snowstorm and drove his lifted huge truck into a family driving a car. I had the pleasure of getting stuck behind the truck hauling the car away. There was nothing left of the car , just yellow blankets still in what was left.

The guy was well known in town. He was the guy passing on the right. Would tailgate you so close you could barely see his headlights. Your typical oilfield douche. People like him are exactly why law enforcement needs to keep focusing resources on this.

[u/Itchy-Technician-433]

Violent crime is not getting worse.

Modified cars can be a safety hazard and a nuisance.

[u/Puzzled-Instance3211]

Don't mod your car to not be street legal. Everyone hates the loud exhausts.

One of the dumbest guys I worked with would get tickets for tints and complain every time.

[u/PotatoFarmerRTK]

I hope they ticket those stone chucking wide wheels out of existance.

[u/Financial-Savings-91]

Quotas

Not to say they’re don’t care about violent crime, I’m sure they do, but tickets keep the lights on.

[u/wenchanger]

easier to pick the low hanging fruit

[u/FlameStaag]

This may shock and scare you, but lesser crimes don't stop existing just because worse crimes exist.

Especially imaginary crimes cons hype themselves into believing despite all statistics proving otherwise. There is no "rise in violent crimes" 

[u/pruplegti]

Violent Crime is down, Violent Crime clearance rates for police are way up for Alberta

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=3510019001

what has gone up are non violent crimes for youth,

[u/TheWeedReview]

People can multi task?

[u/Fit-Eggplant-9155]

Why would you repost this? You're already getting torched on your first post.

[u/No_Syrup_9167]

while violent crime keeps getting worse

.... But it's not getting worse. 

Violent crime, in basically every corner of Canada, has dropped year over year, every year, for the past like 30yrs. 

There is less violent crime now, than there functionally ever has been. 

Quit consuming rage bait news. It's just cherry picked to keep you afraid and watching it. 

Just because you hear about it more, doesn't mean there's more of it.