Along with the economy, one topic that has most Americans concerned for the upcoming elections is crime, both violent and nonviolent.
Recent Gallup polling has shown that while the economy remains the top concern for voters, the second highest concern was crime. Nearly 60% of Americans said there was more crime where they live than the previous year. This number in particular is the highest recorded by Gallup in its more than 50 years of polling.
Similar to their illegal immigration policies, Democrats would rather take a “hands off” approach to crime. It really defies logic, as showing that you are soft on crime will only cause criminals to be more emboldened.
I am sure many have seen the news in recent years with San Francisco and how rampant crime is in the Democrat-run city.
Videos have shown individuals walking into retail stores and stealing items without facing any consequences for their actions.
These actions are not only happening in San Francisco but throughout the United States as well.
What is causing the increase in crime?
San Francisco in particular is a microcosm of what is causing the increase in crime across the United States. To put San Francisco in perspective, 1 in 16 residents within the city on average will encounter crime as a victim.
Compton, California, one of the most gang-ridden cities within the United States, is twice as safer as San Francisco.
It is a literal cesspool of crime and criminals, and it is not as if it became this way overnight. There are three main root causes for the increase in crime, no just in San Francisco but everywhere across America.
Defund the Police?
The first root cause is police. While there are many who are outspoken in favor of the “defund the police” movement, they have no idea of the ramifications or viable alternatives.
Pulling police off the streets in San Francisco may have placated police activists, but the result has been an increase in crime and criminals feeling more emboldened to do things such as smash cars and shoplift without anyone to stop them.
Defunding police departments is a terrible idea to begin with but combined with no solutions to make up for the lack of law enforcement leaves cities vulnerable to criminals, and that is exactly what is happening right now.
There is a difference between defunding police departments and calling for greater police reform, the latter of which most Americans would agree is necessary.
Prosecutors who do not prosecute?
The second root cause is government employees who are soft on crime, in particular district attorneys in most major cities.
The city district attorney in San Francisco is notorious for not prosecuting people who have already been arrested on multiple occasions, preferring instead to send them to the parole department.
Someone else apparently can deal with the problem instead of taking responsibility and doing the right thing.
When criminals see that they can get away with certain offenses with only a slap on the wrist, what prevents them from continuing to do them again and again?
What prevents them from gathering help from others to commit the crimes knowing they are going to get away with them?
It is remarkable that these attorneys allow criminals back on the streets without taking a step back and wondering to themselves if they are really making the best decision for the cities and counties they represent.
They simply don’t care and would rather promote their progressive agendas regardless of what others may think or do.
Policies that allow for crimes?
The last root cause is government policies that are soft on crime.
Drugs are a prime example of this. San Francisco has essentially made any type of drug use acceptable, and as a result there is an increase in crimes, homelessness, and people with mental issues roaming the streets.
Criminals know they can get away with dealing and distributing drugs, so they rush into cities like San Francisco and add more problems than there needed to be had the government taken a stronger stance.
Progressive policies are to blame for companies such as Walgreens leaving San Francisco due to the number of individuals shoplifting without being arrested.
Individuals can literally walk into a store, take items off of the shelves, and walk out without facing any consequences.
It is incredible that voters within the city think this is okay and continue to vote for politicians who support this.
What can be done to reduce crime
With that being said, what can be done to reduce the general uptick in crime across the United States?
First and foremost, there needs to be a great emphasis placed upon police departments.
Police are on the front lines every day trying to get criminals off of the streets, and the least we can do is ensure they have everything they need as far as proper training and resources.
The mayor of Miami, Florida decided that rather than having progressive policies to defund the police department, he would rather increase investment into police departments instead.
The result was that crime went down significantly, and this should really come as no surprise. More investment should be put into police, not less.
What should also be done to reduce crime is to not let criminals off the hook for any reason.
Don’t have legislation in place to make drugs acceptable or shoplifting ok if it is below a certain amount of dollars stolen.
It is ridiculous to even mention this, but this is the world Democrats have made and it must be stamped out. Criminals must be held accountable for their actions, period.
Remove individuals from office who are not willing to prosecute them and rescind policies that allow criminals to roam the streets and commit crimes without having to answer for their actions.
By taking a tougher stance against criminals and having bolstered police departments, crime will surely go down regardless of which region of the United States it is.
