The Material of Policing: Budgets, Personnel and the United States' Misdemeanour Arrest Decline.

This article examines the steady decline in misdemeanour arrest rates in the United States from their peak in the mid-1990s through 2018, focusing on whether changes in police resources or policing policies better explain this trend. Using dynamic panel regression analyses of data from 940 municipalities, the study finds that reductions in police budgets and personnel—referred to as the "material of policing"—are significantly associated with declines in low-level arrests, while the adoption of community policing policies shows no statistically significant relationship with these arrest rates. The findings suggest that even small decreases in police staffing or spending correspond to meaningful reductions in misdemeanour arrests, which have substantial social consequences, particularly for marginalized communities. The study highlights that municipal decisions on police funding and staffing are critical factors influencing low-level law enforcement and that policy reforms alone, such as community policing, may be insufficient to reduce these arrests.