The head of the FBI on Wednesday said that he believes less aggressive policing has led to a spike in murders in cities across the country.
Director James Comey reached the conclusion after speaking with various police officials about officers now being wary of confronting suspects out of a fear of ending up on video, accoridng to The New York Times.
His remarks came following a private briefing about rising crime rates in more than 40 cities during the first quarter of 2016.
Comey told reporters that a "viral video effect" could be at the center of the rise in violent crime.
"There's a perception that police are less likely to do the marginal additional policing that suppresses crime -- the getting out of your car at 2 in the morning and saying to a group of guys, 'Hey, what are you doing here?, " he said.
James O. Pasco Jr., executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, told the newspaper that Comey was not right to air what he described as assumptions.
"He ought to stick to what he knows," he said. "He's basically saying that police officers are afraid to do their jobs with absolutely no proof,"
