Misleading Crime Data

Misleading Crime Data

Misleading Crime Data

Image Credit: David Trinks / Unsplash

Submitted by Steve Abramowicz of Heartland Journal

Did you see the debate? During the three-on-one gang up debate the ABC News moderators used misleading crime data from the FBI to ‘fact check’ former President Donald Trump in real time.

The reality is that President Trump was right – crime is not down – it is way up. Kamala Harris and her willing accomplices in the mainstream media would have you believe that violent crime in America is at a 50-year low, a narrative eagerly parroted by so-called fact-checkers at Politifact and now ABC News.

The truth, however, is far from what they claim.

The only thing at a 50-year low is the integrity of violent crime data.

Less than a year after taking office, Biden-Harris’s administration had the FBI dismantle the long-standing crime reporting system, replacing it in 2021 with a new, socially friendly system that is optional for state and local law enforcement agencies to use.

As a result, 6,097 law enforcement agencies aren’t providing data, meaning 32% of the country’s police agencies’ crime data is not captured by the FBI. This deliberate under-reporting skews the statistics, painting a grossly false and optimistic picture of public safety while real Americans continue to suffer from rising crime rates and joblessness.

Democrat-controlled cities from New York to San Francisco have effectively decriminalized violent crime.

For instance, in New York City, 52% of violent felony cases are downgraded to misdemeanors, and offenders are typically offered diversion agreements that keep these offenses out of crime statistics. This manipulation alone could account for a 50% or more drop in reported violent crimes in the Big Apple.

Across the country, prosecutors are refusing to prosecute violent criminals or downgrading their charges in record numbers. This systematic under-reporting and leniency are tactics used by partisan politicians to create a misleading narrative about public safety, while communities continue to suffer from unchecked crime.

It’s not far-fetched to imagine that the Biden-Harris regime and the Democrats replaced the FBI’s universal crime data system with a new optional system to fabricate this massive decrease in ‘reported’ crime.

The move raises serious questions about their motives and the integrity of the data. Of course, liberals will argue that the new system is more inclusive, allowing law enforcement agencies to record pronouns and gender identities, including transgender and nonbinary, as well as the sexual preferences of both criminals and victims.

The timing and optional nature of the new system suggest an ulterior motive: to obscure the real rise in crime and present a false narrative of improvement under Democrat leadership.

Additionally, we know that the 70 election donation backed prosecutors, representing 72 million Americans and half of the nation’s 50 most populous cities and counties, have made it their mission to implement so-called restorative justice.

This approach often means refusing to prosecute violent criminals based on factors such as race and gender identity. The few criminals they do prosecute almost always have their violent felonies downgraded to misdemeanors.

Both of these realities—the new optional reporting system and the restorative justice efforts—have led to violent crime data that fails to reflect the true state of our communities since 2021. These manipulations distort public perception and allow Democrats to promote a false sense of security. National polls reveal that most Americans believe crime has increased significantly over the past four years.

The situation is even more dire in large Democrat-controlled cities, where almost all residents report a massive surge in crime. Most residents even report that they or someone in their family has been a victim of crime.

Take Chicago, for example. Every weekend, approximately 70 people are shot. The crisis has escalated to such an extent that the mayor recently canceled the city’s contract with a company that detects and reports gunfire. There are so many gunshots in Chicago that police can only respond if someone is actually hit by a bullet.

New York City is similarly experiencing a huge spike in robberies and assaults, often occurring in broad daylight. The situation became so severe this year that the governor had to deploy National Guard troops to the NYC subway system to deter criminals. Before District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Attorney General Letitia James took office, these violent crimes would have been prosecuted as felonies. Now, if they are prosecuted at all, they are often downgraded to misdemeanors with diversion deals.

There is also ample evidence that the agencies and the Biden-Harris regime are simply cooking the books. The next time someone tries to tell you that Biden and Harris have reduced crime to its lowest levels in 50 years, let them know the truth. It’s easy to claim a decrease in crime when you leave out data from 25% of the population living in major cities like Los Angeles and New York City.

The reality is, these omissions paint a misleading picture of the state of crime in America. Don’t let them gaslight you with manipulated statistics. Demand full transparency and accountability in crime reporting to get the real story. Justifying a FY 2025 budget request of a total of $11.3 billion in direct budget authority to carry out the FBI’s national security, intelligence, criminal law enforcement, and criminal justice services missions under false data is in difficult. 

Murder +1500%
Burglary +254%
Sex Crimes +207%
Assault +160%
Total migrant crime increase +250%
source: US Customs and Border Protection FY17-24

Foreign born vs native born workers month over month:
+635k foreign vs -1.3M native born workers lost

Part time vs full time jobs
+527K part time jobs vs -438k full time jobs
source: bureau of labor statistics august jobs report


About the Author: Steven M. Abramowicz is CEO and Editor of Heartland Journal.com and host of the Heartland Journal podcast.

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