Counterterrorism Efforts Leading to Rise in Crime Rate?

[Jessica]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n2878244.shtml

For the second year in a row, crime rates for certain violent crimes (including homicide) have risen. This is a reverse in the decades long general trend of a decreasing rate of violent crime committed by our citizens against our citizens on our own soil.

In a nation where our top priority is counterterrorism, cities like Washington, D.C. where such efforts are paramount are suffering from an increase in local crimes. Other "medium-sized" cities are also showing significant increases in violence.

What is the cause? Overcrowding in prisons? Budget cuts in police hiring and redirection of staff towards counterrorism efforts? Is the cause, whatever it may be, a necessary evil? In other words, would you give up the safety of walking down the street in your town for the safety of knowing terrorism efforts are increased?

[arkangel4time]

The reallocation of police powers and manpower and budgets from fighting crime to fighting terror.. thats my story and I am sicking to it

[Jessica]

The reallocation of police powers and manpower and budgets from fighting crime to fighting terror.. thats my story and I am sicking to it

That would be my original theory as well, but I don't know enough about the cities involved to say whether the two just exist together or one causes the other.

It seems to make sense in places like D.C. - but then you have NYC, where counterterrorism methods have increased and the crime rate has decreased. I don't know how to explain that one, so it makes me think that there might be other factors involved. I'll let you know what I find out!

[rstonecousley]

I think it's definitely as a result of the shift in priorities from fighting crime to the "War on Terror" and the war in Iraq. We're pulling valuable resources, money, and manpower from fighting crime and instead directing it to fighting "terrorism" and all the various bogeymen we're supposed to be fearing. I wish I could remember where I read it, but something like 20% of the Nat'l Guardsmen currently serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan are members of law enforcement. This B.S. war on terror is costing EVEN MORE American lives in the form of our increased murder rate domestically.

I've been predicting this exact scenario for months now. Our local law enforcement agencies are being crippled by lack of funding and now here we stand.

I'm hoping that this is just a random occurence and not the beginning of a much scarier trend.

[Curly]

You're joking right? One has nothing to do with the other. Where in the article does it equate the rise in crime to the counterterrorism efforts.

(CBS) For the second year in a row, the FBI's Uniform Crime Report — scheduled to be published Monday — shows violent crime on the rise: Overall, violent crimes were up 1.3 percent. Robbery is up 6 percent and homicide is up .3 per cent.

But those numbers only tell part of the story, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.

“I think you have to look at real cities,” says Chuck Wexler, of the police executive research forum. “I think you have to look at places like Cincinnati and Indianapolis and Milwaukee, Boston, Oakland, Calif., — real cities — and you'll see there’s been real significant increases.”

Wexler heads a research group that tracks crime in medium and large cities.

In those locations, between 2004 and 2006, homicides increased 10.2 percent and robbery was up 12.2 percent.

Wexler points to several factors for the increase.

“I think it's people coming out of prison in record numbers, I think it's more guns on the street.”

The increase in crime is a dramatic reversal from the 1990s when violent crime was at all time lows, dropping 26 percent. The murder rate went down 34 percent. The reduction is credited in part to a federally funded program called C.O.P.S. that added 100,000 police officers to America’s streets.

Democrats in Congress blame the latest crime spike on Bush administration budget cuts in the police hiring program.

Now there's a surprize. The dems blaming Bush again.

On Friday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted the numbers do not indicate a national trend.

“No one answer, no one approach, no one government agency can solve the violent crime problems that these communities face,” he said at a news conference. “Each city’s solutions must be tailored to its particular situation.”

Gonzales says violent crime impact teams will be sent to four more cities, bringing the total to 29 receiving special federal assistance. But Democrats want the Bush administration to restore federal funds, so cities can hire more police officers.

Damn Bush, it's all his fault.

[Curly]

I think it's definitely as a result of the shift in priorities from fighting crime to the "War on Terror" and the war in Iraq. We're pulling valuable resources, money, and manpower from fighting crime

Your sources? What resources, what money and manpower?

and instead directing it to fighting "terrorism" and all the various bogeymen we're supposed to be fearing.

I'd rather we were alert (defensive mode)to the possibility of those bogeymen than ignore (asleep mode). It's not fear.

wish I could remember where I read it, but something like 20% of the Nat'l Guardsmen currently serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan are members of law enforcement.

I wish you had the source too. Ok, say we get that number (20%) back onto the streets. Take that 20% and spread them over the thousands of police departments throughout the US. You'll be lucky if you could come up with 1 percentage point with regards to the amount of police taken from all the departments in the US. Yeah, that must be one the reasons crime has gone up.

Out of the 81000, how many are cops?
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/guard...vedeployed.htm

This B.S. war on terror is costing EVEN MORE American lives in the form of our increased murder rate domestically.

And global warming's main cause is cow farts. Sorry, I don't agree with you.
You gotta smile at that one rs.

I've been predicting this exact scenario for months now. Our local law enforcement agencies are being crippled by lack of funding and now here we stand.

Wilmington and other cities threw more money and cops at their crime problem and it didn't solve anything. The culprit is the type of citizens.

I'm hoping that this is just a random occurence and not the beginning of a much scarier trend.

IMO, it's not random and it has nothing to do with counterterrorism efforts.