prep-2-58

58.   (33711-!-item-!-188;#058&007588)

The proposal to hire ten new police officers in
Middletown is quite foolish.  There is
sufficient funding to pay the salaries of the new officers, but not the
salaries of additional court and prison employees to process the increased
caseload of arrests and convictions that new officers usually generate.

Which of the following, if true, will most
seriously weaken the conclusion drawn above?

(A) Studies have shown that an increase in a
city's police force does not necessarily reduce crime.

(B) When one major city increased its police force
by 19 percent last year, there were 40 percent more arrests and 13 percent more
convictions.

(C) If funding for the new police officers'
salaries is approved, support for other city services will have to be reduced
during the next fiscal year.

(D) In most United States cities, not all arrests
result in convictions, and not all convictions result in prison terms.

(E) Middletown's ratio of police officers to
citizens has reached a level at which an increase in the number of officers
will have a deterrent effect on crime.