What is the term for the practice where police decide to enforce specific crimes more frequently than others?

The correct answer, selective enforcement, refers to the practice where law enforcement agencies prioritize certain crimes over others, deciding to enforce specific laws more frequently based on various factors such as crime trends, community needs, or resource allocation. This strategy enables police to focus their efforts where they feel it will have the most significant impact on public safety or community relations.

For instance, a police department might choose to enforce laws against drug-related offenses more rigorously in areas experiencing a spike in drug-related crimes while being less aggressive in enforcing traffic violations. This selective approach can be instrumental in addressing specific concerns within communities and allocating resources effectively.

Other terms like community policing emphasize building relationships and partnerships between police and communities to address crime collaboratively. Proactive intervention focuses on preventing crime before it occurs through various strategies, while zero tolerance refers to an uncompromising enforcement policy that does not tolerate any violations. Each of these concepts has its own specific application and philosophy, but they do not specifically refer to the selective prioritization of enforcing certain crimes over others in the same way selective enforcement does.