This is an important factor because arrests lead to prosecution and, in turn, prosecutions lead to jail or prison. A tried and true formula for stopping crime has been to add cops. More cops translate into more arrests and so forth. New York City, in 1994, added 40,000 new cops to bring up their total to 70,000 badges on the beat. They arrested anyone and everyone on the slightest infraction or violation. The result was a steep decline in crime.
California has also added a large number of officers since 1994. In looking at our crime rate drop we do not see an increase in arrest rates.
The question is why?
I, of course, would suggest that the 3-Strikes impact on repeat offenders is what is lowering the arrest rates. California has not built a prison since the passage of 3-Strikes in 1994. This is also the exact date that crime in all categories began a steep decline.
MR