America
Blue City Crime Stats Even Worse Than We Thought
C
New data shows extent that lawlessness has been concealed since George Floyd riots. BY MATTHEW LYSIAK
rime data released by many of america’s biggest cities are concealing an even larger degradation of law and order than previously believed, according to public safety groups and
law enforcement sources. Data from more than 70 of the nation’s largest police departments and victim surveys reveal violent crime to be “substantially elevated in major cities” compared to pre- 2020 levels, and even worse than previously assumed due to the significant undercounting of certain crimes, accord- ing to the Coalition for Law, Order, and Safety’s April 2024 report, “Assessing America’s Crime Crisis: Trends, Causes, and Consequences.” Heritage Foundation researcher Zack Smith, author
of Rogue Prosecutors, told Newsmax that the true extent of the nation’s crime epidemic has been concealed from the public as a result of post-George Floyd policy changes combined with an increasing number of victims who have chosen to let their crimes go unreported. “There is a certain element telling us not to believe our
lying eyes and instead to keep our focus on whatever doc- tored data they are putting out,” said Smith. “It has become very apparent that there is a lot of crime happening, even violent crimes, in which no one is being held to account.” In New York City, officers have also been incentivized
against reporting minor offenses to keep the public num- bers as low as possible, according to a New York Police Department (NYPD) source, who told Newsmax that pres- sure has come from higher-ups to maintain the narrative that crime has plateaued or is going down. “The data released to the public doesn’t come close to capturing what is actually happening on the ground,” the source, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribu- tion, said. “We (NYPD officers) are under constant pressure to
keep numbers low, and with all the criminal behavior and the shortage of boots on the ground we are forced to priori- tize where we put our attention.” “It has gotten to the point where a lot of criminal
actions are flat out just being ignored,” the source added. Further, increasing numbers of NYC crime victims are
refusing to report incidences, believing it to be a waste of time, according to the source. “It’s become time-prohibitive to spend the time going
down to the precinct, where it might take hours to make a report, especially when people understand that the major- ity of those who commit these crimes are never going to be apprehended.” The officer’s claim is supported by federal data. A Department of Justice victim survey revealed that less than 42% of violent crime victims and 33% of property crime victims reported their offense to law enforcement. Further, many of the numbers being touted are mis-
leading and have been skewed, in part due to a change in how certain violent crimes were classified in the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd riots, according to Smith. He says that under the new system, many crimes
DEADLY VIOLENCE Investigators at the scene, left, where two police oficers were shot in Queens, New York, in June. Four law enforcement oficers were killed serving a warrant at this house, above, in Charlotte, North Carolina in April. Right: A police oficer watches over boxes of evidence in January at a homicide in Bronx, New York.
20 NEWSMAX | AUGUST 2024
NYPD/JAMES CARBONE/NEWSDAY RM VIA GETTY IMAGES / NORTH CAROLINA/ SEAN RAYFORD/GETTY IMAGES
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