Deconstructing New Data on Policing and the 'Ferguson Effect'

During the Republican presidential debate Wednesday night, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie waded into the tiff between FBI director James Comey and President Obama over whether there’s been a “Ferguson Effect” on crime. There hasn’t, but Christie said at the debates:

Tragically and ironically, Christie made these comments at the same time that police in Ferguson, Missouri, and neighboring city Normandy were scrambling to explain how 18-year-old Amonderez P. Green allegedly shot himself in the face after chasing him. According to the St. Louis Dispatch, Green’s family members had initially called the police out of concerns that he needed “police and medical intervention.” When police approached him, according to news reports, the teen flashed a firearm and then exchanged gunshots with police, which led to the chase.