The cops can’t be on every street all the time, even in the best of times.
We noticed lawlessness on the streets that took place often just because the roads were open, and people figured there were no cars around them.
I’m sure a lot of people in certain areas thought that they could do anything because cops were standing down; but that didn’t seem to be the case in my area. People here just went nuts because they were on open roads. (Usually things are bumper-to-bumper here through most of the daylight hours.)
“The cops can’t be on every street all the time, even in the best of times.”
While true, enforcing the laws creates a civil society that has a greater tendency to follow the laws and obey the police. People are more inclined to do the right thing even if the police (or Mom & Dad or neighbors) aren’t watching.
Stop enforcing the laws and society breaks down, then collapses, and there is no more law. We are on that path.