Provide Safe and Secure Communities so All Americans can Live Their Lives in Peace
Nationwide crime is still on the rise, but why?
Crime continues to plague American communities across the Nation. In the wake of the widespread civil unrest and violence that beset much of the country in 2020, crime rose to levels unseen in decades. Unfortunately, while the riots and looting have abated, overall crime rates have not.
Amid the Nationwide civil unrest in 2020, there was a 30% increase in murder—the largest single-year increase ever reported in the U.S. Despite that historic one-year rise, violent crime has plateaued and seemingly become the new normal, as the murder rate remains 30% above its 2019 level. In the Nation’s major cities, homicides were 42.6% higher in 2022 compared to 2019. In just the past year, robbery has increased by 13%, larceny by 20%, motor vehicle thefts by 21%, and residential and nonresidential burglaries by 6% and 8%, respectively.
In the wake of the dangerous and ill-conceived “Defund the Police” movement, police departments nationwide have seen a mass exodus of law enforcement officers who are either resigning, retiring, or relocating in numbers not seen in a generation. The loss of talented, dedicated law enforcement officers has only compounded the crime crisis afflicting too many of our Nation’s communities.
According to a study by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, from June 2020 to April 2021, the number of officers who quit their jobs increased by 24% at the Nation’s largest agencies. Overall, voluntary departures increased by 18%, and separations and voluntary retirements spiked by 14%. According to a survey from the Police Executive Research Forum, from 2020 to 2021, there was a 45% increase in retirements and a nearly 20% spike in resignations. In departments with 500 or more officers, the retirement rate increased by nearly 30%, and new police hiring dropped by 5%.
Progressive prosecutors pursuing liberal social justice policies through decriminalization and lenient sentencing practices have only made matters worse by undermining the rule of law and endangering the right of all Americans to live their lives in safe and secure communities peacefully.
The culmination of these phenomena—depleted police forces and soft-on-crime criminal justice policies—continues to drive this nationwide crime crisis. Unfortunately, due to a lack of comprehensive reporting, the true picture of the state of crime in America has never been more unclear. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 46% of violent victimizations were reported to police in 2021 and only 40% in 2020.
Additionally, in its first year of use, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new reporting system—the National Incident-Based Reporting System—lacked data from about 40% of law enforcement agencies who did not participate, including the Nation’s two largest cities—New York City and Los Angeles.
The America First Policy Institute is committed to ensuring that every American feels safe in their home and secure in their community and that our law enforcement community is fully supported. The following pages will highlight how crime has affected 10 major U.S. cities, more accurately depicting the nationwide crime epidemic as it really is, as well as our solutions to prevent this crisis from coming to a neighborhood near you.
Additionally, in its first year of use, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new reporting system—the National Incident-Based Reporting System—lacked data from about 40% of law enforcement agencies who did not participate, including the Nation’s two largest cities—New York City and Los Angeles.
The America First Policy Institute is committed to ensuring that every American feels safe in their home and secure in their community and that our law enforcement community is fully supported. The following pages will highlight how crime has affected 10 major U.S. cities, more accurately depicting the nationwide crime epidemic as it really is, as well as our solutions to prevent this crisis from coming to a neighborhood near you.
St. Louis, Missouri
The “Ferguson Effect” Remains in Effect
In 2015, homicides skyrocketed following widespread civil unrest and riots in Ferguson, Missouri—15 miles away from St. Louis. In the immediate aftermath of anti-police protests, self-initiated arrests fell 62%, foot patrols dropped 82%, and pedestrian checks declined by 76%, according to a recent study. This reduction in police activity—known as the Ferguson Effect—persisted for two years and is seemingly still in effect today.
Washington, D.C.
D.C.’s Newest Monument: “Black Lives Matter Plaza NW”
Civil unrest took centerstage nationwide during the summer of 2020, and a two-block area of 16th Street NW near the White House served as the locals’ spot to squabble with D.C. National Guard, Federal Protective Services, and local law enforcement. Dubbed “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” you would find cars ablaze, the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Hay Adams hotel boarded up, and protestors chanting “Defund the Police.” Mayor Muriel Bowser named the plaza after the eponymous movement with the battle cry inscribed on the street and proposed a 6% cut from the police budget. However, in order to keep up with attrition, 37 previously fired D.C. police officers have been reinstated during her tenure, with the city awarding 36 of them a total of $14.3 million in back pay, according to a recent report by the city auditor. Despite high crime rates and a veto from the mayor, the D.C. Council passed progressive reforms that were overturned by a bipartisan congressional intervention.
Baltimore, Maryland
Marilyn Mosby’s Anti-Police Rhetoric did more Harm than Good
In 2015, Baltimore City prosecutor Marilyn Mosby controversially attempted to charge six police officers ranging from manslaughter to murder following an in-custody death. All of the officers were cleared of the charges, and the Department of Justice later concluded the evidence was insufficient to prove the officers willfully engaged in civil rights violations. Mosby’s hostility toward the police disheartened officers and dissuaded proactive policing. The following year, arrests fell 28% while murders rose 55%, and the Baltimore Police Department netted 1 officer hired for every 14 who left.
Atlanta, Georgia
Police Funding too little, too late
Last year, Congress passed the Invest to Protect Act of 2022, which claimed to fund police and public safety. Unfortunately, the bill only applied to departments with fewer than 125 officers. The Atlanta Police Department, which has approximately 1,600 officers, was disqualified from receiving federal funding under the Act but nonetheless remains 400 officers under its “authorized strength.” In order to combat rising crime, Atlanta needs to hire upwards of 500 more officers, and it has been asking the state legislature for money, recruiting from New York City and surrounding areas, and even offering retention incentives to its officers in order to prevent them from leaving. One effort in particular that addresses both the recruitment and retention in law enforcement and the communities they serve is the construction of a new $90 million Public Safety Training Facility by the Atlanta City Council, funded by the non-profit Atlanta Police Foundation. However, this effort is being met with social justice activists violently attacking police officers in protest of what they call “Cop City.”
Chicago, Illinois
More Violent Crime in the Windy City’s Forecast
In early 2022, Chicago’s political leadership announced a new ‘foot-pursuit’ limitation on its officers. Originating from a 2016 Chicago Tribune report that criticized the department’s personnel for chasing violent criminals on foot, a Justice Department report reiterated those findings, and a consent decree was enacted by a state judge with the city of Chicago. Compounding problems, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed an $80 million budget cut from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), with $34 million of which had been for vacant officer positions, exacerbating a problem for the depleted CPD, who lost 900 officers in 2021 and only added 247—totaling a deficit of approximately 1,700 officers over the last five years.
Detroit, Michigan
Crime is Nothing New in the Motor City
After the Civil Rights movement in the 60s and the decline in auto manufacturing, the once vibrant Motor City is better known now for its poverty-stricken desolate neighborhoods, rampant with crime. Although some areas of the city are attempting to revive Detroit’s reputation, crime continues to plague every corner, with even police officers fleeing the city in record numbers. As of September, Detroit Police Department had lost 223 sworn officers in 2022 alone, averaging 28 per month, or almost one a day. Although homicides reached a 50-year low in 2018, murders are up again by 12% from 2019 to 2022, and Detroit finished 2022 with the third highest murder rate among major U.S. cities for the year. Despite a slight reduction in violent crime in 2022, Detroit Police Chief James White has said, “We are not satisfied,” and “these numbers are still way too high.”
New York City, New York
Manhattan DA has nothing to Bragg about
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was elected on a platform of progressive criminal justice reform and increasing police accountability. On day one, he declared that his office would no longer pursue charges for “low-level” offenses and directed his staff against aggressively charging for robbery, assault, and gun possession offenses. In concert with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is seemingly more preoccupied with suing the former President of the United States, they both have passively allowed violent crime to increase by 29% over the last year while actively ignoring New Yorkers’ pleas to get it under control.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Ironic City of Brotherly Love
In late 2022, Pennsylvania lawmakers filed articles of impeachment against twice-elected Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a self-proclaimed “progressive prosecutor” who campaigned on the promise to end cash bail and reduce mass incarceration. The two articles of impeachment accuse Krasner of being derelict in his obligations to the victims of crime, which is understandable considering that 499 people were murdered in 2020—a 50% increase from 2019 and a spike 30% higher than the national average—with only 42% of the murders being solved. Since then, back-to-back years of 500-plus murders, and the impeachment trial now looms in the
Commonwealth Courts.
San Francisco, California
Recalled: Why Boudin is No Longer the DA by the Bay
Chesa Boudin served less than half of his term as San Francisco’s District Attorney before being removed from office due to public outcry over the disastrous public safety crisis caused by his progressive criminal justice policies. During his short tenure, home burglaries jumped 40%, homicide jumped 40% in 2020 and 16.7% in 2021, and smash-and-grab robberies became a trend on social media. Boudin’s recall and removal were notable given the proudly progressive nature of Bay Area politics, but the lawlessness was too much for San Franciscans.
Los Angeles, California
Gascon Dodged a Bullet on Recall, or Did He?
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon has survived multiple recall efforts by his constituents; however, only time will tell how long he’ll be able to avoid the consequences of his misguided criminal justice policies, which have caused an uptick in violent crime and theft in the city. His progressive policies, like no-cash bail for misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges, have fueled the charge behind the recall effort. At the end of 2022, a veteran LA County prosecutor left the DA’s office after 28 years due to Gascon’s progressive reforms and management style, which have alienated his colleagues and turned the Nation’s largest district attorney’s office into a “managerial dumpster fire,” according to his exit letter.
America First Approach
Hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes and stop the progressive movement’s criminals-first, victims-last approach to criminal justice.
Communities should also focus enforcement on quality-of-life crimes and aberrant behavior to promote stronger and more stable communities.
Enhance penalties for assaults on law enforcement officers while acting in the line of duty.
Prioritize community outreach and develop strong and positive relationships between the community and the police.
Encourage innovative recruiting and retention efforts to build up and sustain a robust law enforcement community.
