For many Americans fear of violence is a major concern. Not everyone,
of course, is worried because some people live in relatively secure suburbs
or in small towns that are seemingly untouched by crime. But concerns
about personal safety are poisoning large parts of the United States and
creating an epidemic of fear. People in some neighborhoods are afraid to
walk the streets at night, and children are kept home, because parents
worry about their safety.

Business firms fret about the safety of their workers after dark. More
private security guards are employed in the United States than police
officers, and many cops work as private guards during their off-duty hours.
The sale of electronic alarms, defensive firearms, and guard dogs also
testifies to the growth of the security business--a market based on fear.

Every year, records are set for arrests and convictions, and more people
are sentenced to prison in the United States than anywhere else in the
world. The United States has the largest prison population in the world--
over a million people. Why is this happening? Is it the fault of the police?
Or does the entire criminal justice system need to be changed?

When communities were smaller and more intimate police officers
walking their beat knew people in the neighborhood and could anticipate
problems. Police were part of the community, where they maintained order
and often were respected by the people they served. When an incident

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