Grand Canyon Times

With crime on the rise in Arizona and across the nation, and "Defund the Police" movements still present, more Americans are reportedly more concerned about crime than at any other time during the 21st century. According to poll results, this topic is not just a worry among right-wing voters, but among left-wing voters too. The recall of progressive DA Chesa Boudin is said to be the latest sign that crime is a potent issue in municipal elections.

According to a CNN analysis story, a Gallup poll from earlier this year found that as a whole, Americans' dissatisfaction with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime is at the highest rate ever in the 21st century.

The Gallup poll results revealed that 72% of Americans were dissatisfied with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime. CNN reports that number is up from 65% in 2021 and 49% in 2020. Even more astounding, "the dissatisfaction crosses partisan lines," as 65% of Democrats indicated they were at least somewhat dissatisfied with the nation's policies on crime and 87% of Republicans expressed dissatisfaction.

"Crime is one of the few issues where public opinion has tilted toward the conservative position in the country as a whole," CNN's Harry Enten said. "Registered voters, by a 16-point margin (50% to 34%), said they trusted the Republican Party more on crime than the Democratic Party."

A late-April ABC News/Washington Post poll also revealed dissatisfaction about crime from both parties. According to CNN, it was the only non-economic issue polled in which Republicans held an advantage outside the margin of error.

While violent crime is up in some places, CNN's Harry Enten makes the argument that it is lower-level nonviolent crimes such as theft that have been inclined to happen much more frequently, contributing to a common feeling that things have gotten out of control. In some of the nation's largest cities, such as San Fransisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, all categories of theft are up from last year.

After serving San Francisco for a little over two years, progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled by 60% of voters on June 7 following a fierce debate over crime and police, according to AP News.

The recall of Boudin last week proved that "not even in the Democratic bastion of San Francisco is a progressive safe from the wrath of voters worried about crime," Enten said.

In Arizona, there were 485 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2020, as reported by The Center Square. This number represents the 3rd highest violent crime rate in the West and the 9th highest nationwide. In 2020, the violent crime rate in the state climbed by 6.5% compared to 2019, slightly more than the national increase of 5%.

Phoenix specifically has seen a spike in homicides this year. According to news outlet Arizona's Family, the Phoenix Police statistics reveal that in April of 2021, there were 15 homicides and in April of this year, there were 24. In May of last year, there were 18 homicides, and before the city reached the halfway mark in the month, it had already seen 10.