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Under the Sun Cynthia Oi |
Sliding to lawlessness
a little bit at a time
A WEEKDAY morning in early fall finds midtown Manhattan dense with foot traffic moving at intervals with herds of trucks, cars and bouncing taxicabs across the avenues and streets. Not yet into the rhythm of swift-stepping New Yorkers, I pause as a black Cadillac creeps forward toward the intersection, its sparkling-clean fenders only inches from my perch on the sidewalk.
I've got the signal, but I'm not trusting the driver to yield. It is, after all, New York. I cross, giving the Caddy wide berth just in case. Good thing, too, because it lurches forward unexpectedly.
Before I can shoot stink eye at the driver, a cop appears.
He is imposing, not because of body size, but because he's on horseback. He leans over and raps his knuckles hard on the Caddy's window.
The driver, still distracted, turns his head, revealing the cell phone he has pressed to his ear.
If you don't already know, I should tell you that New York bans the use of hand-held cells while driving. This guy was so busted.
"You on the cell?" the cop asks.
Astonishingly, the guy shakes his head no.
"You using the phone?" the cop repeats, exasperation upping the volume of his voice.
Again, the driver shakes his head. Then, in resignation, he drops the phone on the passenger seat.
The cop rotates his index finger, signaling the guy should roll down his window. He does, but only enough to pass out his driver's license and receive a ticket.
After the scofflaw drives away, I ask the cop if this kind of thing happens often. It does, he says, but as far as he's concerned, no one gets cut any slack.
"Zero tolerance," he says. "Absolutely zero tolerance."
It was during the mayoral reign of Rudy Giuliani that the city adopted this tough stance, resulting in a metamorphosis that has so reduced crime and misdemeanors that a recent news article suggested -- somewhat tongue in cheek -- that New Yorkers were losing their street smarts. As a matter of fact, during my vacation, I felt less concerned about becoming a tourist crime statistic, venturing alone into neighborhoods I would have avoided previously.
In this frame of mind, I listened with interest when a question was put to the candidates for Honolulu mayor during a televised debate. They were asked if they would consider having police enforce the laws on minor offenses, as Giuliani had done. Predictably, neither really addressed the issue.
Law enforcement in Honolulu is said to suffer because there aren't enough police officers, but it sometimes seems that a laxity shelters low-level offenders. Police officers focus on the big stuff, as well they should. However, lawlessness comes in small packages, too.
A few weeks ago, I watched as a cop blithely looked the other way as an irresponsible woman driver barreled through a red light right in front of him. Maybe the officer was headed somewhere on another call and couldn't break off to nab this particular bad gal, although that wasn't evident as he nonchalantly motored down the road. Still, it seems he could have radioed another officer or at least noted the license plate.
The incident might not be typical, but I get the feeling that officers aren't keen on busting people for minor violations. Otherwise, the H-1 would be lined with pulled-over drivers who have failed to use their turn signals as they jockey from lane to lane and back again in their quest for speed.
I'm not saying every single infraction should result in a ticket. I'm not saying HPD should trade its high-profile DUI check-points to catch those whose safety stickers have lapsed. I'm not saying that homicide detectives should be reassigned to investigate jaywalkers. But over time, letting the petty stuff slide cultivates a lack of civil order. Lawlessness breeds more lawlessness and soon societal principles are worth less than zero.