search
Sections List
American Journal News

McCarthy falsely claims defunding the police led to spike in 'violent crime'

It didn’t.

By Dan Desai Martin - July 20, 2020
Share
Kevin McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy alleged on Monday that violent crime has spiked in cities that took money away from police budgets, taking aim at the current “defund the police” movement that began gaining traction in the wake of several high profile police killings.

“As predicted, cities that have defunded police have seen a spike in violent crime,” McCarthy tweeted, attaching a video of an interview with KGET, in which he made a similar claim.

“If you watch the spike of what’s happening inside these cities that have defunded police, it’s exactly what we predicted what would happen: Crime is rising,” he said in the video. “This is what happens when you take police away.”

But the facts don’t support McCarthy’s claim.

It is true that most cities regularly experience an increase in crime during the summer months, as CNN reported in mid-July, with children and teens out of school and more people gathering outdoors.

Further, University of Missouri-St. Louis criminologist Richard Rosenfeld told CNN that it is “reasonably clear” this year that some of the increase in crimes are related to cities relaxing stay-at-home orders put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. He added that the unrest caused by protests to end racist police brutality may also have contributed to some higher crime rates.

An examination of police data, however, shows no evidence to support McCarthy’s assertion linking the effort to “defund the police” to an increase in crime.

In late June, Axios reported that cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Portland, and Seattle had taken steps to shift funding away from police departments in response to the “defund the police” movement. The amount of defunding ranged from $15 million in Portland to $22 million in Baltimore.

Data from those police departments show violent crime did not spike in any of the four cities over both the past month or year-over-year. In several cities, the number of violent crimes decreased.

In Baltimore, the number of violent crimes (aggravated assault, homicide, carjacking, street robberies, and shootings) has not spiked as McCarthy suggested. In fact, over the past 60 days, they’ve remained relatively flat, according to data from the Baltimore City Police Department. Violent crimes in the city appear to have decreased by around 3% from the end of March 2019 to the end of March 2020, according to the most recent year-to-year data available on the department’s website.

Violent crime in Philadelphia (homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) decreased slightly over the past month, dropping 5.3% from mid-June to mid-July compared to mid-May to mid-June, according to data released Monday morning. Violent crime rates over the past several months have remained relatively stagnant in the city, and over the past year, dropped by 4.4%

In Portland, overall crime was lower in April 2020 compared to both March 2020 and April 2019. Violent crime (assault homicide, human trafficking, kidnapping, and sex offenses) decreased from 746 in March to 664 in April, the latest months available from the Portland Police Department.

The same pattern was true in Seattle, where total crime has been trending down since January, and crime in both May and June 2020 was lower than the same months in 2019. Violent crime in Seattle (homicide, rape, and aggravated assault) remained largely the same from May to June.

The “defund the police” movement stemmed from a wave of protests against racism and police brutality following the deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, both of whom were Black, at the hands of white police officers.

The movement seeks to shift some funding away from police departments in order to “invest in the resources that our communities need,” Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, explained on “Meet the Press” in early June.

“So much of policing right now is generated and directed towards quality-of-life issues, homelessness, drug addiction, domestic violence,” she said. “… But what we do need is increased funding for housing, we need increased funding for education, we need increased funding for quality of life of communities who are over-policed and over-surveilled.”

Portland, for example, cut $15 million from the police budget in June, and will invest $5 million from that into a new city program to send unarmed first responders to deal with calls focused on the homeless population.

“People are trying to figure out what kind of society would be possible that doesn’t rely on police and prisons to solve its problems,” Brooklyn College sociology professor Alex Vitale told NBC News, “and that’s a long-term political vision that is important to this movement.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


Read More
AJ News
Latest
Republican Sam Brown’s assault on teacher unions could backfire

Republican Sam Brown’s assault on teacher unions could backfire

By Jesse Valentine - May 09, 2024
Florida abortion ban puts GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s anti-choice views in spotlight

Florida abortion ban puts GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s anti-choice views in spotlight

By Jesse Valentine - May 07, 2024
Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide

Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide

By Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom - April 30, 2024
Republican Caroleene Dobson wants Alabama abortion ban to go nationwide

Republican Caroleene Dobson wants Alabama abortion ban to go nationwide

By Jesse Valentine - April 30, 2024
Ohio Gov. DeWine said he didn’t know of millions in FirstEnergy support. Is it plausible?

Ohio Gov. DeWine said he didn’t know of millions in FirstEnergy support. Is it plausible?

By Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal - April 29, 2024
GOP Rep. Zach Nunn suggests laws against hate crime aren’t needed

GOP Rep. Zach Nunn suggests laws against hate crime aren’t needed

By Jesse Valentine - April 15, 2024
GOP Senate candidate Hung Cao blames racial equity for Baltimore bridge tragedy

GOP Senate candidate Hung Cao blames racial equity for Baltimore bridge tragedy

By Jesse Valentine - March 29, 2024
GOP Rep. Jennifer Kiggans donates thousands to far-right extremists

GOP Rep. Jennifer Kiggans donates thousands to far-right extremists

By Jesse Valentine - March 08, 2024
Ohio senate candidate Bernie Moreno: “Absolute pro-life no exceptions.”

Ohio senate candidate Bernie Moreno: “Absolute pro-life no exceptions.”

By Jesse Valentine - March 07, 2024
Anti-China Republicans pocket thousands from Chinese owned conglomerate

Anti-China Republicans pocket thousands from Chinese owned conglomerate

By Jesse Valentine - March 04, 2024
Republican Eric Hovde makes inconsistent statements about family history

Republican Eric Hovde makes inconsistent statements about family history

By Jesse Valentine - February 26, 2024
Republican David McCormick invests millions in website that platforms Holocaust denial

Republican David McCormick invests millions in website that platforms Holocaust denial

By Jesse Valentine - February 09, 2024
Lawmakers will again take up bills expanding, tightening gun laws

Lawmakers will again take up bills expanding, tightening gun laws

By Annmarie Timmins, New Hampshire Bulletin - January 31, 2024
UAW delivers rousing presidential endorsement for Biden over ‘scab’ Trump

UAW delivers rousing presidential endorsement for Biden over ‘scab’ Trump

By Ashley Murray, States Newsroom - January 24, 2024
Republicans Sam Brown and Jeff Gunter sling mud in Nevada senate primary

Republicans Sam Brown and Jeff Gunter sling mud in Nevada senate primary

By Jesse Valentine - January 17, 2024
A Young Texas Woman Almost Died Due To The Texas Abortion Bans – Now She’s Battling To Save Other Women

A Young Texas Woman Almost Died Due To The Texas Abortion Bans – Now She’s Battling To Save Other Women

By Bonnie Fuller - January 10, 2024
Health care legislation preview: Maryland advocates want to focus on access, patients in 2024 session

Health care legislation preview: Maryland advocates want to focus on access, patients in 2024 session

By Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters - January 08, 2024
How GOP senate hopefuls try to excuse the  January 6 insurrection

How GOP senate hopefuls try to excuse the  January 6 insurrection

By Jesse Valentine - January 05, 2024
NH lawmakers will be taking up major voting bills this year. Here are some to watch for.

NH lawmakers will be taking up major voting bills this year. Here are some to watch for.

By Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin - January 04, 2024
Republican US Senate candidates want to make Trump’s tax cuts permanent 

Republican US Senate candidates want to make Trump’s tax cuts permanent 

By Jesse Valentine - December 22, 2023
Rand Paul went all in on the Kentucky governor’s race. It didn’t work.

Rand Paul went all in on the Kentucky governor’s race. It didn’t work.

By - December 15, 2023
Texas governor and attorney general do little to curb state’s chemical plant crisis

Texas governor and attorney general do little to curb state’s chemical plant crisis

By Jesse Valentine - December 08, 2023
Likely GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde proposed tax hike for poorer workers and retirees

Likely GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde proposed tax hike for poorer workers and retirees

By Jesse Valentine - December 07, 2023
Whitmer signs specific criminal penalties for assaulting health care workers into law

Whitmer signs specific criminal penalties for assaulting health care workers into law

By Anna Liz Nichols, Michigan Advance - December 06, 2023
105 Republicans voted to expel Santos for things Trump has also done

105 Republicans voted to expel Santos for things Trump has also done

By Jesse Valentine - December 05, 2023
For Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, another Trump term is another chance to kill Obamacare

For Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, another Trump term is another chance to kill Obamacare

By Jesse Valentine - December 04, 2023
Florida Sen. Rick Scott backs Donald Trump in revived push to repeal Obamacare

Florida Sen. Rick Scott backs Donald Trump in revived push to repeal Obamacare

By Jesse Valentine - November 30, 2023
Tate Reeves took donations from power company that hiked customer rates

Tate Reeves took donations from power company that hiked customer rates

By Jesse Valentine - November 06, 2023
Daniel Cameron ran on depoliticizing the Kentucky AG’s office. He made it more political.

Daniel Cameron ran on depoliticizing the Kentucky AG’s office. He made it more political.

By Jesse Valentine - November 03, 2023
Republican operatives sound every alarm on current trajectory of 2023 governor’s race

Republican operatives sound every alarm on current trajectory of 2023 governor’s race

By Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today - October 24, 2023
Veto overrides push Kansas anti-abortion bills into law, while Louisiana seeks to protect IVF

Veto overrides push Kansas anti-abortion bills into law, while Louisiana seeks to protect IVF

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Idaho Capital Sun - May 10, 2024
Ted Cruz’s wildfire relief reversal sparks accusations of hypocrisy

Ted Cruz’s wildfire relief reversal sparks accusations of hypocrisy

By Jesse Valentine - May 10, 2024
Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics remain ‘open to all’ despite new Medicaid restrictions

Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics remain ‘open to all’ despite new Medicaid restrictions

By Anna Spoerre, Missouri Independent - May 09, 2024
SC governor to sign bill banning hormone therapy for transgender youth into law

SC governor to sign bill banning hormone therapy for transgender youth into law

By Skylar Laird, South Carolina Daily Gazette - May 09, 2024
Biden campaign launches new ad focused on Affordable Care Act

Biden campaign launches new ad focused on Affordable Care Act

By Kim Lyons, Pennsylvania Capital-Star - May 08, 2024