If an American institution inspires public confidence through conspicuous, consistent progress over the course of many years, why seek to change or challenge its direction? That’s the question for politicians and activists who denounce alleged “militarization” of local police departments despite their recent achievements in slashing rates of violent crime.

Numbers from the authoritative Bureau of Justice Statistics give some indication of the scope of the improvement. The incidence of violent crime reached its all-time high in 1991, and since that time has been cut nearly in half. The homicide rate was also cutat roughly the same pace, reaching its lowest level since 1963.

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