Crime rates tend to be higher around police stations, military bases, and airports. Not because of a higher rate of people committing actual crimes but simply b

Crime rates tend to be higher around police stations, military bases, and airports. Not because of a higher rate of people committing actual crimes but simply because of the increased police presence. All it takes is an ambitious cop who doesn't want to leave his advancement to chance. Once you're in the system it's difficult/impossible to get out. I grew up in a pretty nice area and rarely had encounters with the police unless I was doing something stupid and deserving of their attention. Even then, I was treated with decency and respect. I didn't understand the difference until I moved to an area that was close to a large police station and courthouse. There was no doubt about the increased police presence. One day on my way to work on my motorcycle I got pulled over by the CHP (California Highway Patrol). When I went to hand over my license/registration/insurance the officer reached over and snatched the keys out of my ignition. Instead of telling me what I was being charged he started with a threat, "you will cooperate or I'm going to tow your bike and haul you off to jail." I was completely shocked by his escalation of force because leading up to this I had no clue why I was being pulled over. I wasn't driving fast, aggressive, or recklessly. It turns out that California passed some wonky law a month prior that any muffler louder than stock (guess that gives Harleys a free pass) is illegal. I don't run an aftermarket muffler so he couldn't charge me. He tried his best to convince me that I was in the wrong but by then I had shrugged off the initial shock and wasn't going to admit to an offense I didn't commit. He couldn't pin me with the charge he pulled me over for. So, he held me there on the side of the road for 20 minutes antagonizing me and asking personal questions that had nothing to do with being pulled over. It was clear as day that I wasn't going to be let go until either he could find another reason to charge me or he I'd snap and give him one. Meanwhile, I did nothing out of the ordinary beside driving past a corrupt cop who was looking to bump the statistics on a new law and probably earn some brownie points with his boss. As soon as my lease was up I moved the hell away from that area and try my best to avoid/evade the CHP when I see them. I'm not saying all cops are bad. Escalation of force and violence are tools of their trade because violent criminals often don't respond to anything else. The problem is, there is no incentive for them to hold back. Performance is measured by arrests and charges regardless of 'actual' crime. Anybody who has worked for the US Govt knows that the survival of any government organization is based on perceived performance measurements, whether or not they serve the greater good. It's not much of a mystery why kids who grow up and get out of bad neighborhoods are usually the type who spend most of their childhood indoors reading, studying, or playing with a computer. The concept of 'guilty by association' is common knowledge but the less understood one should be 'guilty by proximity'.