The candidates for the 24th Congressional District seat, U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney and Steven Holden, believe crime is a problem. But that’s where their agreement ends.
Tenney, R-Canandaigua, blames Democratic policies, such as New York’s bail reform law, for empowering criminals. But Holden, D-Camillus, disputes that his party is soft on crime.
Question: Over the last few years, there has been an increase in crime. New data shows that shootings and other violent crime increased for the first couple of years of the COVID pandemic, but now street crimes (robberies and theft) are on the rise. What should Congress do to help law enforcement combat this rise in crime?
Steven Holden: I have cared about the issue of crime for years, so much so that I earned a criminal justice degree early in my academic career. My opponent will say we have crime because Democrats don’t care about people’s safety. The claim is that serious crime, including murder, are most prevalent in Blue states with largely Democratic leadership. The Republican line is that Democrats are “soft on crime” and that most murders occurred in urban centers in blue states. Republicans blame this perception on “police reform.” But what are the facts? According to (https://www.thirdway.org/report/the-red-state-murder-problem), the US saw a 30% spike in murder rates in 2020, and it continued to rise in 2021. Based on a rate per 100,000 residents, eight of the top 10 worse murder rate states voted for Trump in 2020, and none have supported a Democrat since 1996:
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○ South Carolina—10.72
○ New Mexico—10.70 (Biden)
○ Georgia—10.50 (Biden)
In comparison, the murder rate in New York was 4.11 and California was 5.59. Murder rates are 40% higher in Trump states than Biden states. Jacksonville (19.97) vs. New York City (5.94) vs. Los Angeles (6.74); Chicago is one of the leaders at 28.49, but most guns committed in these crimes are purchased in Indiana, where there are more lax gun laws.
Regarding bail reform, without strong evidence, the bail reform law that took effect in 2020 is being blamed by some for the spike in crime across New York state. The law was meant to keep individuals who are accused of low-level, non-violent crimes out of prison because they are unable to post cash bail. Prison time, while awaiting trial, often has serious economic consequences. The law has been refined twice, to include more judicial discretion. Data from the NYS Unified Court System states that the re-arrest rate is under 20%. Data also show that people released without bail are rearrested at rates like those released after paying bail—bail was not a deterrent. Crime is spiking everywhere, including states without bail reform laws. To blame Democrat policies for this regrettable increase in violence sweeping our nation is to ignore the facts.
U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney: New York State has become the epicenter of our country’s crime crisis, and it is not just a downstate problem. As I travel across New York’s 24th Congressional District, I hear from voters who no longer feel safe in their communities. In Congress, I am fighting every day to Back the Blue and have been endorsed by several law enforcement groups, including the Cayuga County Deputy Sheriff’s Police Association and the Police Conference of New York, which represents over 50,000 officers. I introduced the Local Law Enforcement Protection Act to safeguard qualified immunity for police officers, ensuring they are not subjected to frivolous or politically motivated lawsuits for answering the call to serve and doing their jobs honorably. I have also voted for or cosponsored several bills, including the JUSTICE Act, to increase funding for law enforcement and expand resources to boost recruitment and retention. I was honored to stand recently with law enforcement officers and public safety officials at the Auburn Correctional Facility to call on Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats to repeal bail reform and the HALT Act, both of which have empowered violent criminals. Repealing these disastrous policies is one step Albany must take immediately to restore public safety.
Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.
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