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Law enforcement in the United States has collapsed. Americans in many parts of the country see that products at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart stores are behind plexiglass, that you must call a clerk to unlock the glass and then wait while you read and examine the different packages. People know these companies have no choice. Americans know that crime is rising, but the true collapse in law enforcement, particularly in large cities, is without precedent. A Gallup survey last November showed that 92% of Republicans and even 58% of Democrats believed that crime was rising. In a series of surveys from March 2023 to April 2024, Rasmussen Reports finds a remarkably constant percentage of Americans who believe that violent crime is getting worse—60% to 61%. Roughly four times as many people think violent crime is rising, rather than getting better. But the collapse may be even greater than most people realize. FBI data shows arrest rates plummeted over the past few years, starting in 2020. For cities with more than 1 million people, the arrest rate for reported violent crime averaged 41% in the 24 years from 1996 to 2019, but it dropped to 20.3% in 2022—a 50% drop. The lowest arrest rate in the preceding 24 years before COVID-19 was 32.6%. That is still 61% higher than the rate in 2022. The arrest rate for murder fell by 37%, rape by 58%, robbery by 50%, and aggravated assault by 54%. The collapse in the arrest rate for property crime is even more dramatic. The average arrest rate for reported property crime fell from an average of 13% in the 25 years from 1996 to 2021 to 4.5%—a 64% drop. The lowest arrest rate in the preceding 24 years between 1996 and 2019 was 12%. The arrest rate in 2022 was still 61% lower than the previous low rate. The drop in reported larceny theft, the largest property crime category, is dramatic. It declines from an average arrest rate of 14.6% to just 3.8%—a 75% drop. But things are even worse than these numbers indicate. All these numbers are from the FBI’s look at reported crimes, and as law enforcement has collapsed, the rate at which crimes have gone unreported has increased. Thus, the effective drop in the arrest rate for crime is even greater than these already stark numbers show. Since property crimes are reported less often than violent crimes, the effective arrest rate for all property crimes or all larceny thefts is extremely low. The number of reported crimes has fallen for other reasons. Over the past few years, as the number of police has fallen because of cuts in budgets and a slew of retirements, police departments nationwide—from Charlottesville and Henrico County, Virginia, to Chicago to Olympia, Washington—stopped responding to nonemergency 911 calls. Instead of police coming out, people can still go to the police station. If you look at arrests as a percentage of all crime (reported and unreported), in these large cities only 8% of all violent crime and 1% of all property crime result in an arrest. In addition, if there has been a simultaneous drop in the rate at which criminals have been charged and prosecuted, as we have seen with many progressive prosecutors, the punishment rate has dropped even more. In her presidential nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris claimed she was a tough-on-crime prosecutor. But she has absolutely no criticism of law enforcement in these Democrat-controlled large cities. Despite what the Democrats and the news media keep claiming, the Bureau of Justice Statistics measure of total crime (reported and unreported) has soared under the Biden-Harris administration. The Democrats and the news media only cite the FBI count of reported crime, despite more than half of police departments either not reporting any data or reporting only partial data to the FBI. But here is the puzzle: Even if Democrats and the news media want to rely solely on the FBI, the FBI data shows the arrest rates plummeting to unprecedented levels. How can they then ignore the collapse of law enforcement? Why is it surprising that crime rates are rising? Originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Law Enforcement Collapse Masks Rising Crime Rates appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A truck driver's fatally negligent behavior cost two young children and a grandmother their lives, but the punishment handed down to the killer trucker appears to be far from a just sentence. The deadly wreck occurred on April 18, 2022, when 26-year-old trucker Mehakdeep Singh, absorbed in his cell phone,...

Renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson discussed his upcoming book exploring biblical narratives and defended his views on the virtues of sacrifice and truth-telling during an appearance on “The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special.” Peterson sat down with Shapiro after the two influential voices explored Jerusalem in the new DailyWire+ series from Peterson, “Foundations of the West,” which goes through the profound legacies of Western civilizations and their lasting impact on the modern world. During his discussion with Shapiro on the “Sunday Special,” Peterson discussed his upcoming book, “We Who Wrestle With God,” which explores the Biblical accounts of rebellion, sacrifice, suffering, and triumph that stabilize, inspire, and unite humankind culturally and psychologically. He told Shapiro that the book aims to demonstrate that “community is based on sacrifice” and that the human relationship to existence is fundamentally a relationship with the divine. WATCH THE FULL ‘BEN SHAPIRO SHOW SUNDAY SPECIAL’ WITH JORDAN PETERSON Peterson argued that his analysis shows “there isn’t anything more dangerous that you can do” than refusing to follow your conscience and “divine command,” even if speaking up seems risky. “There’s nothing better possible than what will happen to you if you tell the truth,” he stated, calling this a core “axiom of religious faith.” The psychologist said he tested the book’s ideas on speaking tours with various intellectuals to see if they could be “destroyed” or if there were flaws he had missed. “I couldn’t break it,” Peterson claimed, expressing excitement about the project’s potential impact. “We Who Wrestle With God” aims to demonstrate the enduring relevance of biblical narratives to modern life and explore fundamental questions about the nature of existence, sacrifice, and truth-telling. The book examines several key Old Testament stories, including Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac, which Peterson views as illustrating the necessity of metaphorically “offering” one’s children to what is highest in life. He argues this demonstrates the sacrificial nature of good parenting and community. Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. “Do you offer your children up to what is highest or not? And the answer to that is, well, if you’re a good parent, you offer your children up to what’s highest,” Peterson said. “You don’t overprotect them. You don’t over-shelter them. You put them out into the world. You have them confront the catastrophic chaos of reality and you orient them towards what’s highest.” Peterson also analyzes the story of Jonah, which he sees as highlighting the dangers of ignoring one’s conscience and divine calling, even when speaking truth appears perilous. He contends the story shows that “remaining silent in the face of a divine command is even more dangerous” than the potential worldly consequences of truth-telling. Throughout the book, Peterson aims to bridge theological and scientific understandings, arguing that biblical wisdom can be justified from both spiritual and materialist perspectives. He expresses hope that his analysis will challenge popular atheist critiques of religion.

'In that first year, the world took the measure of the Biden-Harris team and found it lacking.'