My garden is the Third Precinct

“No military force can end terrorism, just as firefighters can’t end fire and cops can’t end crime. But there are ways to build a resilient society. ‘It can’t be on a government contract that says In six months, show us these results,” Skinner said. ‘It has to be I live here. This is my job forever.” He compared his situation to that of Voltaire’s Candide, who, after enduring a litany of absurd horrors in a society plagued by fanaticism and incompetence, concludes that the only truly worthwhile activity is tending his garden. “Except my garden is the Third Precinct,” Skinner said.

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, New Yorker, May 7, 2018, by Ben Taub. The article is a profile of Patrick Skinner, a former CIA operative turned local police officer.