Can Stronger Law Enforcement Make American Cities Safer?

What happens when government treats crime as an immediate threat to public safety rather than a problem that can be solved only by addressing its underlying causes?

In a new op-ed published by the Midland Daily News and featured nationally by MSN, Northwood University Associate Professor Dr. Alex Tokarev and Northwood alumna Kristin Tokarev examine the results of President Donald Trump’s federal law-enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

The authors point to Metropolitan Police Department data showing declines in several major crimes as of Aug. 1, 2026, including homicides, robberies, motor vehicle thefts and thefts from automobiles. They argue that visible police presence and a greater likelihood of apprehension can deter criminal behavior by changing the incentives facing potential offenders.

“It turns out that criminals, too, respond to incentives,” the Tokarevs write.

Their analysis also highlights research on hot-spot policing and focused deterrence, strategies that concentrate law-enforcement resources in areas and among individuals associated with the greatest risk of violent crime. The authors contend that such approaches can reduce crime while allowing police departments to direct limited resources where they are most urgently needed.

At the same time, the Tokarevs caution that the National Guard cannot permanently substitute for a well-trained and adequately staffed local police force. They also warn that successful enforcement efforts should not be used to justify unlimited federal authority or permanent militarized policing.

“The choice isn’t between ‘policing’ and ‘addressing root causes,’” they write. While communities should continue confronting poverty, addiction, mental illness and other conditions associated with crime, the authors argue that government also has an immediate responsibility to protect people from violence.

Dr. Alex Tokarev is an associate professor of economics and philosophy at Northwood University whose teaching and scholarship explore economics, incentives, free enterprise, individual liberty and personal responsibility. Kristin Tokarev, a Midland, Michigan, native and 2023 graduate of Northwood’s DeVos Graduate School, is a producer for Stossel TV.

Their full op-ed, “We told you so. Trump’s law-and-order approach is working,” is available through the Midland Daily News and MSN.