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170. 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.