{"id":2233324,"date":"2024-04-30T06:48:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T10:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washingtons-sweeping-crime-wave-exposes-the-citys-distorted-priorities\/"},"modified":"2024-04-30T06:52:01","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T10:52:01","slug":"washingtons-sweeping-crime-wave-exposes-the-citys-distorted-priorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washingtons-sweeping-crime-wave-exposes-the-citys-distorted-priorities\/","title":{"rendered":"Crime Surge in Washington Reveals City&#8217;s Misplaced Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwashingtons-sweeping-crime-wave-exposes-the-citys-distorted-priorities%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2233324&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-got-no-clue-elderly-store-owner-who-stopped-armed-robbery-slams-california-politicians-bail-reform\/\" title=\"\u2018They Got No Clue\u2019: Elderly Store Owner Who Stopped Armed Robbery Slams California Politicians, Bail Reform\">escalating crime wave<\/a> in Washington, D.C.\u200d highlights the\u200d city&#8217;s skewed \u2062priorities and challenges faced by both businesses and \u2063residents. The surge in theft incidents has led \u200bstores to implement stringent security measures, reflecting\u200d deeper issues such as police\u200b shortages and economic\u200d pressures. With crime rates soaring and communities feeling\u200d the \u200bimpact, urgent actions are needed to address the root causes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure>                         <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I live mere feet from a military installation in Washington, D.C., yet someone had little qualms with entering my car and rifling through it last week in an attempt to find something of value. Thankfully, nothing was stolen \u2014 because I don\u2019t leave anything in my car worth stealing \u2014 and my vehicle incurred no damage. <\/p>\n<p>Such is life in the nation\u2019s capital these days. The concerns about crime, both big and small, pervade the populace, caused in no small part by a series of flawed policies on both the local and national levels.<\/p>\n<p>Consider these news stories just from the first four months of 2024:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>CVS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5dc.com\/news\/columbia-heights-cvs-to-close-in-february-after-months-of-robberies-leave-shelves-bare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> that a store plagued by rampant theft would close in late February; staff at the store told a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/professor-reports-seeing-noose-behind-house-it-was-part-of-a-swing-set\/\" title=\"Professor Reports Seeing \u2018Noose\u2019 Behind House. It Was Part Of A Swing Set.\">local media outlet<\/a> last fall that \u201cdozens of kids were regularly going in to steal chips and drinks before school, after school, and late at night,\u201d and claimed that \u201cstreet vendors were paying people to steal from the store so they could re-sell the goods.\u201d <\/li>\n<li>Last week, supermarket chain Harris Teeter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wusa9.com\/article\/news\/police\/harris-teeter-require-customers-show-receipts-before-leaving-store\/65-a7836c92-cd4b-4e10-bbab-302b8622ba33\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">started<\/a> requiring customers to show their receipts before leaving stores and banned some types of suitcases and luggage in an attempt to prevent mass thefts.<\/li>\n<li>In February, supermarket chain Safeway <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5dc.com\/news\/dc-retail-crime-concerns-prompt-safeway-to-install-security-gates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">installed<\/a> security gates in multiple stores to combat retail theft and crime, immediately after thieves broke into a Safeway ATM, \u201cstealing cash and ordering employees on the ground.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To this customer at least, the latter security measure had an eerie effect; passing through Safeway\u2019s security gates to enter the store gave one the feeling of going into jail, just to buy eggs or a gallon of milk. The gates block egress at all checkout stands and doors, such that one wonders how readily one could leave the store if one decided not to purchase anything.<\/p>\n<p>It remains unclear if the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/broward-county-mandates-clear-backpacks-next-school-year-after-student-threatens-shooting\/\" title=\"Broward County requires clear backpacks for students next year due to a student's shooting threat.\">stricter security measures<\/a> will have a measurable effect on retail theft. In my few trips to Safeway since the installation of the security gates, the alarms from said gates went off every few minutes, such that one could readily become inured to the noise (e.g., rampant car alarms blaring). Harris Teeter\u2019s receipt requirement means customers will have to show proof that they bought <em>something<\/em>, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the products listed on the receipt represent the sum of all the goods included in their bags.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Leftist Policies in Practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>That said, one has to feel for the stores, which are trying to strike a delicate balance: combating thefts in a way that stanches their losses without alienating paying customers. With 13,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/us\/harris-teeter-is-combating-dc-theft-surge-with-new-policies-including-bag-restrictions\/ar-AA1nFhT3\">theft incidents in 2023<\/a> \u2014 roughly 1.5 thefts every hour of every day, not including vehicle thefts or thefts from vehicles \u2014 Washington has a lot of crime to clean up, such that even Mayor Muriel Bowser <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/03\/19\/muriel-bowser-dc-crime-critics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">had to concede<\/a> that \u201cwe had a tough year last year\u201d on crime.<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, the stores\u2019 plight and their unilateral actions stem from the ways policymakers have contributed to this mess. A demoralized and depleted police squad \u2014 anyone remember \u201cDefund the police?\u201d \u2014 has resulted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/washington-dc\/2023\/10\/27\/dc-cops-police-overtime-mayor-16-million-mpd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">massive amounts of overtime<\/a> for an overworked and undermanned force. And the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/17\/persistent-bidenflation-explains-why-americans-think-the-economy-is-poor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">harmful effects of \u201cBidenflation\u201d<\/a> could encourage people to resort to thievery even as businesses may have to raise prices still higher to combat losses associated with retail theft.<\/p>\n<p>While Bowser and the D.C. City Council claims to want to get a handle on security issues, their actions can belie their statements. Amid the widespread concerns about crime, and a major budget crunch stemming from the rise of remote work since the pandemic, what actions did Bowser recently take? Sign an ordinance <a href=\"https:\/\/themarijuanaherald.com\/2024\/04\/washington-dc-mayor-signs-ordinance-making-4-20-a-marijuana-tax-holiday-covers-4-15-to-4-28\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">making marijuana tax-free<\/a> for the second half of April in \u201chonor\u201d of 4\/20, and release a budget that, while increasing security funding by several million dollars, also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcwashington.com\/news\/local\/dc-mayor-reveals-her-2025-budget-with-sales-tax-increase-and-funding-for-metro-public-safety-downtown\/3582571\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proposed<\/a> \u201c$5.25 million to support DC\u2019s hosting of World Pride in 2025.\u201d Seriously.<\/p>\n<p>Whether at the city, state, or federal level, lawmakers should keep in mind that their first duty above all is to keep the public safe. All its other services and components pale in comparison if the government cannot ensure public safety. Perhaps Bowser and company should stop the woke virtue signaling, and start devoting resources \u2014 <em>all of<\/em> their available resources \u2014 to that.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p>      Chris Jacobs is founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group, and author of the book &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1645720020\">The Case Against Single Payer<\/a>.&#8221; He is on Twitter: <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/chrisjacobsHC\">@chrisjacobsHC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just a few steps from a Washington, D.C. military base, my car was recently broken into. Despite the intrusion, nothing of value was taken as I avoid leaving valuable items in my vehicle. Thankfully, no damage was done<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2233325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Washington_DC_Metro_Police_Ford_Taurus-Police_Interceptor_17031088928.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2233324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Washington_DC_Metro_Police_Ford_Taurus-Police_Interceptor_17031088928.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2233324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2233324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2233324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2233324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}