ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ferguson effect

Have you ever broken a rule or done something bad but didn't get caught? Maybe you felt relieved at first, but then you started to worry that you might get caught next time. This is a little bit like what happens with police officers when people start to protest against them.

When people protest or criticize the police, it can make the police officers feel like they're being watched and judged all the time. This can make them feel scared or threatened, and it might make them worry that they could get in trouble for doing their jobs. So, some police officers might start to do their jobs differently or be more cautious.

The "Ferguson Effect" is a term that people use to describe what happens when police officers change the way they do their jobs because of protests or criticism. It's named after a city called Ferguson in Missouri, where there were big protests in 2014 after a police officer shot and killed a teenager named Michael Brown.

Some people believe that the Ferguson Effect can lead to more crime because police officers might not be doing their jobs as well or might be too scared to enforce the rules. Others believe that it's important to hold the police accountable and make sure that they're doing their jobs fairly and respectfully, even if it means they change their behavior a little.