Debate over whether the "Ferguson Effect" is hindering police from doing their jobs is a subject of debate between President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and his own FBI Director James Comey, a Republican.
Comey last month publicly stated that, while he has no data to back him up, he believes officers are backing off doing their jobs in some cases for fear of being accused of harassment. He cited multiple cases in which police have told him of such fears and said it could be to blame for the recent uptick in violent crime in several major cities.
Obama disagreed,
telling a meeting of police chiefs last week, "We do have to stick with the facts. … What we can't do is cherry-pick data or use anecdotal evidence to drive policy or to feed political agendas."
The "Ferguson Effect" is named for the Ferguson, Missouri case of Michael Brown Jr., a black teenager who was shot to death by white officer Darren Wilson. A grand jury investigation showed that even though Brown was unarmed, he was charging Wilson and had tried during an altercation to take his gun.
Still, the case brought divisions along racial and political lines and was the spark that founded the Black Lives Matter movement.
The argument between Obama and Comey is coming just as Congress is considering legislation on sentencing reform, and if Americans see police afraid to enforce the law, that could set back the effort,
The Hill notes in an article published Sunday.
"What I am worried about is that this rise in crime is being used as an attack to those seeking reform," for Justice Department lawyer Jonathan M. Smith told The Hill.
But Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute agrees with Comey's argument.
"The FBI is the nation’s premiere keeper of crime data and Comey has a pretty clear sense in cities across the country," she said. "Historically, he is no facile apologist for police officers. So I think this is a strong conformation that he has heard from officers that they are reluctant to engage."
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