Jesus, Whitcomb, if you know the case is not going to be filed, how about you guys STOP TAKING ENFORCEMENT ACTION? Isn't that part of what "lowest priority" is all about? For fuck's sake, stop wasting the city's money with this bullshit exercise in futility.

Reactionary elements in the PD trying to stockpile ammo against other parts of city government? Or is that a "duh"?

If you are arrested, does that arrest stay on your record if there is no prosecution?

Has SPD solved the hit and run case against the bicyclist on Dexter yet? No? Then it would seem at least one higher priority case still exists, quit wasting my tax dollars SPD.

Why speculate? If a change in reporting methodology affected these numbers, shouldn't it be reflected in other case types as well? Say, jaywalking or other instances where an officer is likely to just give a warning?

Exactly what happens when they arrest you then? I'm picturing you get brought to the station in cuffs, and then a moment of awkwardness as they then take them off and you walk away.

Shouldn't the SPD dig into the numbers to explain them? Where I work we have to justify these sorts of jumps all the time.

The City Council and Mayor could legalize tomorrow and bar the SPD from using any state budget funds, including man hours in any capacity, from enforcing state or Federal marijuana laws.

@1
"Spokesman Aaron Pickus says the automated system removes officers' discretion from filtering out cases, so all cases actually appear as referrals to Holmes's office. "

Assuming that is true it may just be that when officers arrest or detain someone and find weed on them it gets filed regardless. Whereas before they ma have just tossed the weed and done nothing.

Pretty easy to guess what's probably happening here:

People are smoking joints less furtively now that they know they won't be prosecuted. SPD exploits this by busting them anyway, since they can use the arrest to justify a search for other contraband, as well as run their ID for warrants.

I forgot to add:

From SPD's point of view, it's not that they are making pot arrests a priority. Rather, they are using pot arrests as a legal tool to fight whatever other crimes they might discover by searching the arrestee and running that warrant check.