Here's a quick story.

Imagine a quack doctor who spends years screaming that antibiotics are racist, oppressive, and the actual problem, not the infection.

He tells every patient to flush every pill down the toilet, while addressing root causes like bad vibes and systemic pollen. Unsurprisingly, people start dropping like lickspittle on a blabbing lefty's mouth.

One morning, out of the blue, patients storm the office, force open the medicine cabinet to access the correct antibiotic, and suddenly their fevers crash overnight.

The quack, looking like Bill Clinton being deposed, scratching his head, gasping in fake shock: "Wow ...who knew medicine actually worked?"

Right now, that's exactly how the left looks, staring at America's 2025 crime plunge.

For years, progressive leaders claimed crime spikes resulted from everything except their own terrible ideas, blaming society, poverty, or bad luck while smash-and-grab crews cleaned out stores and headlines filled with violence. Anybody suggesting more arrests and real consequences got shouted down as being a heartless bigot.

That same crowd that invented every excuse suddenly looks stunned as safer streets appear seemingly out of thin air. Drew Holden, managing editor at Commonplace and American Compass, called out their bluff loud and clear.

Other outlets and commentators have been similarly befuddled. New York Magazine dubbed it “The Mysterious Plunge in America’s Murder Rate.” Experts “said it’s too early to tell what is prompting the change,” the Associated Press intoned; the Washington Post cited a liberal expert who cautioned that there was “no silver bullet” to make sense of the data. For TIME, the drop in violent crime “can be attributed to a kaleidoscope of factors, none of which can singularly or definitively account for the decline.” CNN shrugged that “it’s nearly impossible to zero in on any one reason” for the drop. “The bottom line: Experts aren’t sure why violent crime continues to fall,” Axios reported.

Cities didn't win the lottery; they ditched the failed experiments, funded the police again, began prosecuting aggressively, and went after the small group of repeat offenders who drive most of the chaos.

When cops patrol hot spots, crime drops, especially when prosecutors keep violent actors locked up. Cities that boosted staffing, used data to target repeat thugs, and ended catch-and-release programs (no, Hakeem, do you really promise not to beat old women for their food money anymore?) saw huge gains, as departments focused on gangs, guns, and career criminals instead of social theories.

Even former critics quietly admit the shift in plans worked; arrest totals climbed in major metros, clearance rates rose, and the violent hoodlums who once cycled through the system in hours now faced real time.

The old chestnut about police making zero difference collapsed under simple facts: tough enforcement deters, deterrence calms things down, and calm lets families walk streets without looking over their shoulders.

Lefty officials downplayed the disaster for years, lowering penalties for theft and limiting detention for repeat offenders, while some cities even slashed police budgets in the name of reform.

Who lived with the results of that fantastic game plan?

The people. Every. Single. Day.

Eventually, voters pushed back. Hard. This caused leaders to reverse course without fanfare, returning funding, strengthening patrols, and expanding targeted units.

Yet many activists still pretend the drop happened by magic, when Puff flew by with his magic powder. The left will credit anything except the obvious policy correction. Holden cut through the noise and dust and pinned the change on the return of basic enforcement.

The declines in crime, especially homicide, are promising and are likely the result of a complex tangle of broad social and technological changes and direct policy interventions. Determining a cause for the decline requires a rigorous examination of the data. This report is not evidence of a policy’s success or failure; it simply documents recent crime trends from a sample of large U.S. cities.

Homicides plunged 21% across 35 major cities in 2025: Baltimore hit a 50-year low in murders, Chicago recorded violent crime down over 21%, and homicides down 32%. Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates pushed aggressive prosecution and mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders, removing the worst actors for years at a time.

...

Law enforcement works.

...

That simple sentence sends some people into orbit; career politicians built entire platforms on painting cops as the enemy, turning public safety into a branding exercise rather than a results-driven business.

Safer streets now expose how empty those attacks always were, with voters demanding competence, not speeches. Police departments refocused on shooters, gangs, and gun violence, while prosecutors followed through using charges that finally stuck.

The decline resulted from discipline and decisions, not miracles or mysterious social shifts.

Like a toothless Pomeranian, systems without teeth invite nonstop trouble. When theft carries little risk, then theft explodes. When violent offenders quickly walk away, violence spreads, and neighborhoods feel every bit of it.

Cities flipping the script and reinforcing the statutes have led long-term criminals to hesitate. As repeat offenders landed behind bars for long stretches, the law-abiding people regained confidence. Businesses reopened without daily losses or repair budgets.

Strong enforcement doesn't erase every crime; it slashes opportunity, gutting criminals' boldness, a fact that wrecks every narrative built on feelings instead of results.

Critics, lefty lawmakers, and barking and babbling heads demand perfection from police while offering zero workable plans, predicting doom from every enforcement push, and warn of collapse and brutality.

Then, from their perspective, crime rates crash, with their predictions going the way of the dodo bird.

If you're a member of the left and an adult, it's time to step up, admit the obvious, help the police arrest the bad guys, and watch crime rates fall. Fund departments as capacity grows, while supporting prosecutors and monitoring deterrence.

Political spin does many things, but it can't rewrite basic math—even if some believe math is racist.

When public safety professionals get real support and clear direction, neighborhoods thrive. The 2025 crime drop didn't fall from the sky; true leaders adjusted course, officers did the dangerous work, and prosecutors upheld the law. What followed were the obvious results.

That quack doc? He stands there, blinking, while his patients quickly heal. The left cooked up the poison for years, but real enforcement cured the streets anyway.

Law enforcement works: Grow up and get the bloody hell out of the way.

Editor’s Note: With President Trump back in the White House, the state of our Union is strong once again.

Support PJ Media’s coverage of the president’s State of the Union Address and help us report the truth the radical left doesn’t want you to hear. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.