Bootlegging was a major problem in America, due to the fact that it was destroying legal jobs and was creating immense amounts of black market violence. How could bootlegging have destroyed legal jobs? Mobsters began to bribe the authorities when they were questioned about the alcohol production. These authorities included police officers, Coast Guard sailors, federal agents, and even judges. The bootlegging industry was so massive that even the people in society who were most against crime were being manipulated into this business. When the federal government became aware of the bribes, the former authorities who accepted the offers were immediately terminated from their position. That is how bootlegging was destroying legal jobs. However, the evil doings of this business did not stop at bribing. Many more higher level crimes began to occur, such as murder, kidnapping, and contract killing. For example, a man was found dead in a park after he was beheaded with a hatchet due to a bootlegging trade that went south. This is evidence of how violent the bootlegging business had become in 1920. The mobsters did not stop at any boundaries to become the most predominant seller of illegal liquor. In large cities, the homicide rates increased by about 78 percent. Also, serious crimes, such as homicides, assault, and battery, increased nearly 13 percent, while other crimes involving victims increased 9 percent. There were also over 100,000 speakeasies in New York alone. Speakeasies were illegal drinking parlors which required a password in order to access. This number shows how tragically unsuccessful Prohibition really was. The government's attempt to eliminate alcohol in 1920 was often laughed at, and continues to be humored about today.