.

One of the yeasts in this horrible brew is the concept of being "tough on crime".

It's a convenient political stance, because nobody is really FOR crime.  So, it's politically safe, and sounds good in a political campaign.

Most voters don't really look deeply into the histories of the people they vote for.  We make judgements about an elected official's character like personal associations, rather than assessing a them as someone applying for a job (which is what they really are).   We don't want to do the tedious work of rational evaluation, and tend to respond with our "gut feelings".

Anything that leads voters to get a positive "gut feeling" and not look any deeper will get the votes.

To be "tough on crime", a candidate must show people two things, crime, and toughness.  So, the proper use of police as Keepers of the Peace won't do.  If nothing bad happens, how can they be seen to fight it? 

Chiefs of police, Mayors and Governors, for decades, have been deliberately telling their officers NOT to de-escalate situations.  More arrests keeps the votes.  "Look!  Crime!  And we're getting tough on it!"   The fact that most of it is just noise, and doesn't solve or prevent crimes is shoved aside.  Exciting, highly visible arrests to get that "gut approval" keeps people in office better than the un-glamorous process of investigating and solving real law enforcement issues.

There is no evidence that getting "tough" reduces crime rates.  There is plenty of evidence that it reduces effectiveness of law enforcement.  It burdens the legal system with junk arrests that wind up being dismissed.  It also leads to bad cops staying in the system, because they're happy to make showy and pointless arrests.  It leads to distrust in the system.
 
The last, and fatal flaw is that this only works so long as majority voters aren't the ones getting arrested.   That positive "gut feeling" is only generated if the "criminals" fit popular stereotypes.   Getting "tough on crime" always means "getting tough on minorities".  Catering to the stereotypes reinforces the prejudice.   The average, comfortably lazy voter sees multiple images of minorities being arrested, and it settles in their mind as "these people are criminal".   After all, there's the evidence, right there on the news. 

Which leads us to our current dumpster fire.  Elected officials interested only in keeping their position, rather than serving their constituents, have been doing terrible things for short term gains.   They've been screwing the future. 

Remember this when you vote.  Don't just vote in the National elections, vote in the local ones.  Pay attention, look more closely.  Don't let this amoral shell game continue.