Recently, across the nation, crime levels have risen and the price of committing a crime has fallen.
Some blame pandemic cabin fever or economic hard times. But according to the Heritage Foundation, it’s more accurately traced back to George Floyd’s death in police custody in May 2020. In the protests and riots that followed, the message was consistent: Police and systemic racism are the problem, defunding the police and de-incarceration are the solution.
Rob O’Donnell, a retired NYPD detective who served in the 1990s when the city saw a great crime decline, says the fallout from this will be devastating. During his career, he served in the organized crime control bureau and on a homicide task force. He’s now a board member of the Pipe Hitter Foundation, which supports the rights and freedoms of first responders. His experience has shown that good law enforcement takes heavy investment. Declining recruitment and increasing retirement is leaving already stressed cities in perilous conditions.