1. Mona Charen argues that assertive policing in New York City has lowered crime rates and has not increased the number of police brutality cases. Clarence Page maintains that New York City’s assertive policing has led to an increase in civil rights violations and police use of excessive force. Is a reduction of one hundred police shootings in one year proof that brutality has declined? Or does an increase in civilian complaints against the police prove that brutality is on the rise? Which author constructs a better argument and why?
2. Edmund F. McGarrell contends that community policing helps reduce crime by encouraging police officers to work with neighborhood residents to prevent crime before it can happen. The Revolutionary Worker argues that the police can never be trusted because they represent the power structure that oppresses the poor living in crime-ridden neighborhoods. McGarrell is a...