overpolicing

Verb

overpolice (third-person singular simple present overpolices, present participle overpolicing, simple past and past participle overpoliced)

1. (transitive) To police too much, as by patrolling a neighborhood excessively or meting out a punishment incommensurate to the severity of a crime.
   • First, many veterans of protest marches believe that the police overpolice these events. Second, why are the police still willing to protect a St. Patrick's Day Parade if security concerns and costs are suddenly so important?2003 February 15, “The Fundamental Right to March”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 May 2015