A report by the Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association (MCCA) - an organization of police executives from the nation's largest cities - revealed that violent crime continues to rise compared to last year.
Violent crime has increased by more than 4% in 2022 compared to 2021 figures. Despite a slight decrease in homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults have increased by more than 13%. Some police officials pointed to anti-police movements and the actions of progressive prosecutors as being behind this' increase.
Among the most serious crimes, despite the slight overall decline, a total of 28 counties have seen an increase in the number of murders in 2022 compared to the previous year: Arlington, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, CaliforniaMilwaukee, Wisconsin; New Orleans, Louisiana; Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; and Washington, D.C.
MCCA Violent Crime Report 2022 and 2021 Midyear by VozMedia on Scribd
The report revealed a slight slowdown in homicides, with a 2.4% drop in 2022 when compared to mid-2021 figures. However, the whole situation changes when comparing these numbers to 2019. A press release from the CACM reviewed by Fox News points out:
MCCA member cities have experienced a 50% increase in homicides and approximately 36% increase in aggravated assaults compared to 2019. These shocking figures demonstrate how the sustained increase in violent crime has disproportionately impacted major urban areas. There is a clear need for a robust conversation about the drivers and systemic failures that have contributed to the current crime situation.
Impact on progressive elections and actions
The report comes at a time when mid-term elections are approaching. According to a FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos analysis, gun violence and crime rank behind only inflation as the most important issues for voters.
MCCA surveyed more than 70 of the country's major police agencies. Some experts, such as former Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Sullivan, publicly charged that the rise in crime is the fault of pandemic restrictions and growing anti-police sentiment among the population. He points out that law enforcement pushed back on enforcement on the orders of progressive currents and prosecutors. Sullivan told Fox News:
The withdrawal of the police as a result first of covid-19, then George Floyd, then the movement of defunding of the police and coupled with the actions of progressive district attorneys. These are facts that have definitely contributed to the increase in violence that we see in the streets of our major cities at the moment.
Sullivan warned that some policies have gone too far:
We want to make sure that we are taking care of people in a constitutionally correct manner, but we have to go back to being a proactive police force. We cannot continue down the path of ignoring all misdemeanors, because when you do that you only create an atmosphere of chaos and disorder that leads to more serious crimes.
