Thursday’s numbers from St. Louis are impressive, but they prove very little yet. After Operation Show Me Justice, a surge that began in August, the Justice Department reported 435 arrests, 412 cleared warrants, 166 seized firearms, and 81 kilograms of drugs. Those are outputs. Safety is an outcome, and St. Louis hasn’t shown one yet.

I’ve worked as an expert witness since 2015, and the job often comes down to separating activity from results. A fund that reports record trading volume hasn’t reported returns. As a husband, father, and small business owner, I want the returns: Fewer shootings and kids who can bike home from practice. My criminal justice degree from Northeastern and eight years in private security taught me to count what happens after the arrest.