Abstract. This paper provides the first national analysis of how public scrutiny from high-profile police killings affect local policing and crime. These killings reduce arrests for low-level offenses without affecting arrests for serious crimes. They also result in a significant increase in serious offenses, particularly murders and robberies. The effects appear after communities become aware of the incident and are larger when media coverage is higher. The findings suggest that scrutiny drives the reductions in arrests, while the incidents themselves—not reduced police activity—prompt the increases in crime. To mitigate crime, localities should focus on reducing police use of force.