Zachary P. O’Keeffe, a Ph.D. candidate in political science, collaborated with Louisiana State Professor Christopher M. Sullivan to uncover the impact on total crime of a late 2014 policing slowdown in New York. The pair discovered that the number of reported crimes actually decreased during that period.

"It could be argued that being subject to fewer summonses and arrests for minor offenses might actually increase the quality of life for minorities who live in disproportionately targeted communities," the researchers said.