In Philly’s case, even if there were more cops on the beat and more prisoners behind bars, they’d still have to contend with Larry Krasner, the city’s progressive district attorney. Krasner, who has presided over a record spike in homicides, has dramatically increased his office’s dismissal of charges. So far this year, for example, Krasner has dismissed 62 percent of carjacking charges brought to his office, up dramatically from 38 percent under his predecessor. (Krasner’s office blames this disparity on slow court processing during the pandemic, but even in 2019, he dismissed 58 percent of carjacking charges.)

Krasner’s policy of frequently refusing to prosecute or request bail has real public-safety consequences. In November, 17-year-old Latif Williams allegedly shot and killed Samuel Collington, a Temple College student, during a robbery. Williams, it turned out, had been arrested months earlier and charged with eight offenses, including carjacking. But Krasner’s office dropped the charges, and Williams walked free.