The Democrats are beside themselves over the fact that President Trump has started to take over their municipal domains due to excessive crime and wants to spread the federal government’s municipal policing to other locations. There is a way for the Dems to win this battle. It would take a “mea culpa” and some manipulation, but it could be done.
We need to start with an understanding. There are many things residents of these big cities look to their local governments for, but there is one primary thing they want government to do: provide physical security for them and their family and protect their hard-earned assets like their homes and vehicles.
This is where the Dems have gone off the deep end. They have enacted what have been perceived as “dangerous policies” like cashless bail, ridiculously high minimums for what used to be grand larceny and is now a petty crime, and then not even enforce those laws. The leadership of these communities have called off the cops and elected prosecutors many of whom are the definition of a “misnomer.” Not only has this caused petty crime to soar to the point that residents walk into a drug store to find basic needs like toothpaste and shaving cream locked up to protect from theft, but the residents must stand there while they watch store personnel do nothing as thieves plunder the stores and traipse out the door.
Then there are the sky-high car thefts/carjackings, physical attacks on the streets including rapes, and the high level of murders. The residents watch while the criminals are charged but then receive little or no punishment for their actions.
What is the reaction of the Dems to Trump’s attempt to flood the zone with federal law enforcement and national guard to patrol the streets? They compete to see who can “out nasty” the other in their comments about Trump. Tyrant, demagogue, or strongman. Three Governors — Newsom, Pritzker, and Moore — cannot find ugly enough names to call Trump. As a Jew, Pritzker is the worst calling Trump a Nazi. He should be ashamed of himself and know better.
Many Democrats have collectively lost their minds. The worst was displayed at the summer meeting of the Democratic National Committee. Insha Rahman of the Vera Institute of Justice stated to this leadership crowd regarding Trump’s expanding emphasis on crime: “Don’t take the bait in talking about migrant crime or carjackings or the things that actually don’t matter to most Americans.” Migrant crime and carjackings don’t matter to most Americans? Are these people unbalanced? And she was not booed off stage.
A few years back a colleague of mine faced some medical challenges. I had to step in and temporarily take over his practice. He had a significant backlog of tax returns to be filed. By the time he came back two months later, his work was all caught up. That was the first time in ages he had had a clear runway, and he was extremely grateful for that. Since then, he has been able to stay current.
It occurred to me that some of these cities are so buried in crime they don’t know where to start. They all talk a good game about reducing crime, but that is only from the scandalously high totals during COVID and the post-George-Floyd era where matters had gotten totally out of hand. Today crime statistics are still outrageously high and unacceptable.
And why wouldn’t these civic leaders want some help? Chicago currently has an arrest rate in 1 out of 7 violent crimes. As of now they are down by about 1,600 cops from 2018. Los Angeles is down 1,100 officers from 2019 and at its lowest level in 20 years. Seattle is down 700 officers, at its lowest level in 30 years. Baltimore has 500 vacancies. NYC is 5,000 cops short. They apparently need some help.
So here is the plan. The Feds saturate a city with various federal officers, enhanced by National Guard. Obviously, the Guard are not highly trained police officers, but they offer a tremendous amount of help. Even the stupidest or drugged-out criminals are going to be reluctant to carjack someone or assault/rape a female when a fit guy in a uniform is standing there armed with a big rifle. The National Guard can patrol less violent crime areas and provide safety to residents there while the local police and Federal officers are freed up to flood the notoriously dangerous areas to stem the shootings/carjackings/rapes/stabbings/murders.
Once the city is stabilized and crime is seriously down (not just from historic highs), the Feds/Guard can start to pull back.
The cities are going to have to revert to sane policing policies. If they don’t, they will never be able to rebuild their police forces. The police have disappeared because of lack of support from the city leadership and DAs. Who wants to be a cop when the locals are against you, or if you arrest a criminal, they are let go the same day. People become cops to provide safety to their communities. If you emasculate them, they will relocate to places that actually want to enforce laws.
And the cities will benefit. A recent study by Sanjai Bhagat, a professor of finance at the University of Colorado, found that high crime rates have subsequent higher rates of poverty and lower rates of employment in these cities. He found a statistically significant relationship between the two. You will not find that information in the Legacy Media because that does not feed its mantra.
A person originally very skeptical of the federal help was Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. She stated, “This federal surge has had a significant impact on crime in Washington, DC, and we greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city.” Possibly her police force will be able to gain confidence that the civic leaders are serious about crime once more. Possibly we will see more qualified candidates wanting to work for the MPD. And maybe we will see a sane and safe place to live and visit for all people in our nation’s capital.
