New Year, Same Soft-On-Crime Blue Cities
‘The American people deserve to walk the streets of their capital city without fear. They deserve leaders who care more about safety than about keeping up with the far left’s new soft-on-crime orthodoxies.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding crime:
“Residents of blue cities across America likely began the new year with a simple wish for the Democrats charged with keeping them safe – that this year would be the year they finally get serious about addressing violent crime.
“Unfortunately, if our nation’s capital is any indication, 2024 is already off to a bleak start. Just three days into the year, the city had recorded 53 car thefts. One week in, there had been at least 125 carjackings and 44 robberies.
“And one of the year’s first homicide cases involved a body found in a trash can within sight of the Capitol building.
“Unsurprisingly, violent crime in the new year is already following familiar patterns. To the surprise of absolutely no one involved, the perpetrator of a drug store robbery last week was the same man who had attempted to rob a single establishment six times last year. A six-time offender was still on the streets to try again!
“Washington’s radical local government has lost the plot. The city’s leaders aren’t just failing to get rampant crime under control – they’re actively making matters worse.
“Less than four years ago, in a fit of woke righteousness, the city cut police funding by $15 million.
“Two years ago, prosecutors declined to prosecute two thirds of the criminals officers brought in.
“And if catch-and-release weren’t enough, MPD officers are still subject to bizarre do-not-pursue orders that prevent them from doing their jobs. No wonder the department is suffering a recruiting crisis! And at the exact time that law enforcement is needed the most.
“I’m sorry to say the list of local disgraces doesn’t end there. Late last year, the city’s mayor announced a program to fight the epidemic of carjackings in Washington by distributing free tracking devices for residents’ valuables.
“Apparently, even if you can’t expect police to hunt them down, at least residents of our nation’s capital can watch them as they escape!
“The American people deserve to walk the streets of their capital city without fear. They deserve leaders who care more about safety than about keeping up with the far left’s new soft-on-crime orthodoxies.”
###
Related Issues: Crime
Next Previous
