It&#x27;s their job to do what they&#x27;re told.  If the city government decided Bike Crime was a top priority, cops got promotions based on how many bikes they recaptured, etc. then presumably they would be more active.  Conversely, when the government decides it doesn&#x27;t want a law enforced it&#x27;s very easy to make that clear.<p>Laws are an excuse to be able to target kinds of activity the government wants to target at the time; it&#x27;s more &quot;laws enabling cops&quot; than &quot;cops enforcing laws&quot;.<p>That&#x27;s why drug laws are so handy; all you have to do is say &quot;I smelled marijuana&quot; and you get to throw in jail whichever problem population you&#x27;re targeting at the moment.