The Importance of Fully Quoting Chidike Okeem

As a criminologist and criminal justice professor, I occasionally get asked by people in the media to comment on issues of crime and justice. I have been invited on TV multiple times, but I always respectfully decline because—as most readers know—I have absolutely no desire to be famous. I prefer to do radio (the medium I have a face for) and to give quotes to media outlets because one gets the opportunity to flesh out points. As long as my words are presented fully, my points tend to come across fine. Some who desire to be extremely complimentary may go as far as to say that I am even insightful in long-form.

Recently, I spoke to WalletHub about the increase in homicide rates. I have spoken to WalletHub several times before, including on issues of policing. Uncharacteristic of most media outlets, WalletHub does an excellent job of fully quoting the experts they contact and allowing for expansion of ideas.

Once your words are out into the world, however, people can use them as they wish. Interestingly, both the Daily Mail and the New York Post used my quotes from the WalletHub piece in their articles about the increase in homicide rates. As one might expect from those sources, both news pieces are partisan in nature. From the Daily Mail:

'The public reaction to the killing of George Floyd is perhaps the foremost example of this,' said Chidike Okeem, a crime expert at Western New England University.

'As a response to the social unrest, some officers have embraced de-policing, which is the idea of not engaging in proactive policing practices in order to avoid increased scrutiny and censure.'

When the cops melt away, 'violence proliferates,' Okeem added.

My full remarks presented by WalletHub are reproduced below. Read them for yourself:

Why has there been a recent spike in homicides across the country?

It is important to highlight the notorious difficulty of identifying the causes of crime trends, given the fact that crime ebbs and flows. However, there are some possible explanations for the recent increase in homicides. First, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated strains and stressors in socially disorganized neighborhoods where violence has always been more likely to occur. It should be no surprise to see homicide increases in such places. Second, over the past few years, there has been significant social unrest, particularly as a response to the viral videos showing the extrajudicial killings of minorities at the hands of law enforcement. The public reaction to the killing of George Floyd is perhaps the foremost example of this. As a response to the social unrest, some officers have embraced “de-policing,” which is the idea of not engaging in proactive policing practices in order to avoid increased scrutiny and censure. Without pronounced police presence, violence proliferates.

How has the homicide rate increase impacted life in U.S. cities?

While increases in the homicide rate are understandably disconcerting, it is vital to remember that violent crime is statistically rare. Additionally, crime tends to cluster in microgeographic units, which is why hot spot policing is effective at reducing crime. The risk of being a homicide victim is not the same for everybody around the country. Notwithstanding the actual risk of being victimized, it is an established reality in criminology that the fear of crime is a significant social problem. People who are more fearful of crime, regardless of their genuine risk, may adjust their lifestyles to avoid being victimized.

Will more homicides renew police reputation, or have the opposite effect?

Perspectives on the police have always varied from community to community. Rather than expecting increased homicide rates to magically renew the reputation of the police in communities where their reputation is less than stellar, it would be wiser for the police to take on board the recommendations of The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which emphasized the importance of building trust and legitimacy, community policing, and officer education. Police making less of an effort to integrate with the communities where violence is occurring does not bode well for their image in such places.

There are two important areas to highlight.

First, it is difficult to explain crime trends. Crime is best examined via multivariate analysis. Univariate explanations for crime increases are almost certain to be flawed, so also are single explanations for crime declines. Clearly, the spirit of my remarks does not support blaming increases in crime on a particular political party. Politicizing crime is a very American phenomenon that has more drawbacks than benefits. When crime is a political football, it is practically impossible to implement sensible criminal justice policy.

Second, my comment on de-policing as a possible explanation for increased homicide rates is not offered in the way that many purveyors of police apologia usually do. As seen in the last sentence of my full quote, I believe it is a fundamentally negative idea for police officers to have less integration with the communities that they are policing. I will have much more to say about this in future academic work.

I strive to be unfailingly nuanced, especially when talking about crime, which is why I only speak directly to media outlets where I know I will be quoted fully. Full quotes promote nuance. Partial quotes often appear simplistic. Whenever you read a quote from me that seems surprisingly simplistic or (God forbid) partisan, please look for the full direct quote. When you read the full quote, you’ll understand that the nuance was most probably originally provided but left on the cutting room floor.