Violent crime, especially murder, shocks us all. It directly harms the victims of crime. It undermines the sense of security of all of us. And it creates difficulties for our communities. High crime rates in a community both discourage business investment and consumption, leading to economic distress and poverty.
These are all reasons for our political leaders to talk about crime and how to control it often and honestly.
Sadly, however, in this election season Republican politicians have talked incessantly but, in more than one respect, have failed to do so honestly. To begin with, they have blamed Democrats— including Philadelphia’s district attorney, Larry Krasner—for the recent rise in the murder rate in the United States. But the notion that the murder rate is increasing faster in Democratic cities or states or Philadelphia than in Republican-controlled jurisdictions is demonstrably false. Even worse, they consistently put forward proposals for reducing the murder rate, such as increasing the size of police forces, that are likely to have a limited impact—while ignoring those that a great deal of research shows will make a difference such as reducing poverty and limiting access to guns.