Two sets of numbers say it all about this year’s Gasparilla Parade of Pirates: 349 and 42. The former is the number of arrests reported at the 2011 parade. The latter is the number for last Saturday.
It means if you’re going to crack down, you better make good on your promise to do so. Then once the word gets out that cops are no longer looking the other way and congregating at intersections instead of monitoring nearby streets and alleys, it becomes reinforcing. Self-policing is always preferable.