Yesterday, I mentioned that I would be ecstatic if Philadelphia doubled its police force. Let me explain why.
First things first, it would increase employment, and I really think its clear that persistent high unemployment is the biggest problem we have and so doing something about that is important in and of itself. But the particular idea of doubling the police force is useful well beyond simply being a jobs program.
With additional manpower, the PPD could increase its presence in currently “bad” neighborhoods, and clean them up. With the resident gangs or druggies out of the way, businesses will take note of the cheap property, and start moving in. Once that happens, people will start to say “hey that’s a cool part of town, I want to go to there!” And go to there they shall. In an old rust belt city like Philadelphia, old warehouses will be particularly cheap, and can be turned into particularly cool apartments for the people that want to go to there to live in, for example. This will spur more investment and more businesses, bringing in more customers, rinse, and repeat.
If you don’t believe me, come to Philadelphia, and I’ll buy you a beer at Frankford Hall. Two years ago, I wouldn’t have even thought about going to that part of town. Today, its one of my favorite areas, and it continues to improve!
You may know this as gentrification, and some people think its a problem. But its how economies grow, and cities become more desireable places to be. The fact that some people are getting priced out because The Rent Is Too Damn High is a problem to be sure, but its one we can, and should, solve.
Certainly, my prescription of doubling the police force as a catalyst for growth is not universal. In a place where the police force is under utilized as it is, then this mechanism won’t really function. Small towns will be less likely to benefit in this way than cities. But the cities are massively important to the American economy, and as we shift from an economy driven by manufacturing to one driven by service, they will be increasingly so. In a service industry, proximity to other people is crucial.
520 Chestnut 
[…] I disagree. I think the opposite is true! More police would increase private sector hiring. Here’s how that would work. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this […]