Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2016 21 “I’m really, really tough on crime– like the toughest!” I n the age of Trump, smart politicians un- derstand that shock value is a great way to make sure your mug is in the papers. No one understands this better than Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) who recently said that the USA, global king of incarceration, isn’t locking nearly enough people up. He also says cops can’t catch crooks and all kinds of other stuff. Cotton’s star is on the rise in some circles and there’s no question that a lot of that has to do with scaring the crap out of people. “Law enforcement is able to arrest or identify a likely perpetrator for only 19% of property crimes and 47% of violent crimes. If anything, we have an under-incar- ceration problem,” Cotton said. That stuff’s gold on the speaking circuit and cam- paign trail. But it’s just hot air. At least that’s what a guy that knows a thing or two about incarceration says. “As the president of a council made up of frontline law enforcement employees, I found these comments to be incredibly disrespectful to the people who endan- ger their lives every day so our communities may know peace,” Eric Young, the president of the union representing nearly 40,000 workers at the Federal Bu- reau of Prisons, wrote to Cotton in a May 23 letter. High-securityprisonshave a 32 percent overcrowded rate. Medium-security facili- ties are much worse with a 47 percent overcrowded rate. Not to mention the fact that we’ve been in a prison construction boom for close to a couple of generations. Maybe, with a lot of hard work, we can double or triple the prison inmate population “Given these statistics, it’s hard for me to understand why you would think our country has a problem with under-incarceration,” Young wrote. Cotton’s spokeswoman Caroline Rabbitt is just as clueless as the guy she works for. She was playing defense when speaking with report- ers. “When over half of violent crimes go unsolved, there are many heinous murderers and other dan- gerous offenders walking the streets who should be in prison.” But that’s a policing prob- lem as opposed to an in- carceration problem. So Cotton’s real issue is that, as he sees it, police just aren’t doing their jobs. Otherwise we’d need twice as many lockups. “Ask the wife, son, or father of a murder victim whose assailant is never arrested whether there’s at least one more criminal who should be incarcerated,” Rabbitt said in an e-mail. “And ask the residents of cities struggling with drug overdoses and crime whether major drug traffick- ers should be released early from prison and back into the streets,” she added. And that’s how the game is played. Being “tough on crime” is always about po- litical strategy, rarely about public safety and often has nothing to do with facts on the ground. Benefits Include:  Competitive retirement  457(b) retirement savings plan  Health, dental, and vision coverage  Accrued vacation and sick days  Employer-paid family leave  Tuition reimbursement program  Employee home purchase program  Language stipend program  Take-home vehicles  11 paid holidays annually  Overtime pay  Experienced: Abbreviated 11 week Academy MinimumRequirementsattimeofapplication:  Be at least 21 years of age  Be a citizen of the United States  Entry Level: 60 college credits, 2 years of active duty military (honorable discharge), with a full service police agency  Experienced: 3 years of prior police experi- ence with a full-service police department in the United States (within one year of application)  Valid driver’s license IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE MPD. Start your journey today! APPLY at joinmpd.dc.gov joindcpolice @DCPoliceDept OfficialDCPolice We’reseekingentrylevelandexperiencedofficers! Equal Opportunity Employer © 2016 Metropolitan Police Department