Police Chiefs Ignore Real World Experience

The police chiefs who came out yesterday and predicted higher crime rates in Arizona because of the new immigration law are ignoring a real world example of how such a policy is working.  From The Corner:

Several prominent police chiefs warn that Arizona's illegal-alien law will hurt crime control. The police chief of Prince William County in Virginia worried about the same thing three years ago, when county supervisors approved a policy that is a forerunner to Arizona's action. Today, however, crime rates are at a 15-year low in Prince William County. My article in the current issue of NR describes the Prince William experience.

As it happens, crime rates have been going down for a long time in Prince William County. The latest numbers are part of a trend that started long before the county took a stand against illegal immigration. One thing is certain: The county's current policy has not led to more crime, which is what the chiefs of Houston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are now predicting for Arizona.

The police chiefs involved in yesterday's PR event were doing nothing more than pandering to their Hispanic citizens. It would be hard to believe that a professional lawman could actually believe that removing lawbreakers from society could increase crime rates.