Ditching Snitching

snitching.jpg There's a new threat emerging in our major urban centers according to police and prosecutors--and it's a fashion trend. To be more specific, it is a T-shirt featuring a big red stop sign and the words "Stop Snitching."

Cops from Boston to Philadelphia are outraged. They say the message is meant to discourage cooperating with the police. A Milwaukee assistant district attorney is quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as saying that, if followed, the fashion trend could "destabilize the whole criminal justice system."

Witness intimidation is a real problem for law enforcement. But it will take a lot more than a T-shirt slogan to trump the real-life decision to inform. Those likely to wear such a T-shirt probably already feel alienated from the police.