Have you ever wondered what actually goes on inside your local police department?  If you have then you're not alone, and newly released tapes recorded by a veteran officer of the NYPD offer an uncensored look at the leadership of one particular precinct.

Called the NYPD Tapes, recorded secretly by Brooklyn officer Adrian Schoolcraft, they reveal the inside workings of of Precinct 81 of the NYPD. It's a fascinating look at the intense pressure from above to manipulate crime statistics, ignore certain types of crime, a strange fascination with drawing penises everywhere (including the walls), the existence of quotas, and a lack of trust in beat cops.

The article itself is a really good read and it brings to mind many questions that I think are considered taboo when discussing police matters.  Police budgets are a touchy subject, but the verification that quotas are real should concern everyone, as well as the idea that beat cops are discouraged from filing out certain kinds of crime reports because of pressure from above.  Are we sure that the metrics used to determine spending on police services are based on accurate information?  Are there laws that simply aren't being enforced, or can't be enforced? 

I look forward to Senator Jim Webb's commission to review the justice system in the United States, and I can only hope that the Conservative tough on crime agenda in Canada is seen for what it is.  Running towards the mess that the U.S. is now running away from.

Read the article from the Village Voice here.