{"id":2413164,"date":"2025-03-14T08:12:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T12:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/city-lights-and-crime-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T08:12:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T12:12:55","slug":"city-lights-and-crime-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/city-lights-and-crime-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"City lights and crime &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">14<\/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%2Fcity-lights-and-crime-washington-examiner%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=2413164&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 class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">City lights and crime<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2034431\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Rick Perry&rsquo;s Strange Sex Story&rdquo; was the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-times\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">New York Times<\/a><\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/11\/03\/opinion\/rick-perry-energy-sexual-assault.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">headline<\/a>. The columnist, Gail Collins, said Perry further proved he was &ldquo;an absolutely terrible secretary of energy&rdquo; by arguing &ldquo;that fossil fuels would protect women from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sexual-assault\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">sexual assault<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Perry, a conservative Republican from Texas, was an official in President Donald Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet during his first term. This meant that every news outlet was obligated to run the exact same mocking story. And they all did. It accomplished the desired result: misleading the readers and making him look like a fool.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3346150\/police-chief-slams-troubling-release-tesla-arson-suspect\/\">Police chief slams &#8216;troubling&#8217; release of Tesla arson suspect<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3345384\/court-filing-federal-reserve-powell-musk-doge\/\">Court filing sows doubt on Fed&#8217;s claim they had &#8216;no contact&#8217; with DOGE<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3345064\/trump-administration-duel-mahmoud-khalil-lawyers-over-where-case-should-be-heard\/\">&#8203;&#8203;Trump administration set to duel with Mahmoud Khalil&#8217;s lawyers over where case should be heard<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Not from The Onion&ndash;DOE Secretary Rick Perry links fossil fuel development to preventing sexual assault <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hqspIQZ89s\">https:\/\/t.co\/hqspIQZ89s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bruce Bartlett (@BruceBartlett) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BruceBartlett\/status\/926098030184583168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 2, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>To be fair, Perry was not the clearest orator in American politics. He said when streetlights are powered by reliable electricity, &ldquo;when the lights are on,&rdquo; sexual assault is rarer.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s undeniable that natural gas-fired power plants are less intermittent than wind or solar. So, if you want the streetlights to be on all night, every night, you certainly don&rsquo;t want to be dependent on renewable energy.<\/p>\n<p>The second premise of Perry&rsquo;s argument was that more reliable streetlights would prevent crime, including sexual assault. That&rsquo;s long been a point of dispute, but a new study seems to justify Perry&rsquo;s stance belatedly.<\/p>\n<p>Better streetlights mean less crime, according to a group of criminologists from the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia upgraded its streetlights beginning in August 2023, and the scholars <a href=\"https:\/\/download.ssrn.com\/2025\/3\/10\/5150459.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline&amp;X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEE0aCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQDrqXUSWKe4NYzHt2y847ulsTIek4Nd%2BHA6LxrHsIDWKgIhAPx3b4e3ulTK%2FE6udMttJNxqZ3LhqiZX8SxNgvmE1f67KscFCJb%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQBBoMMzA4NDc1MzAxMjU3Igx%2FyKm1J1V6mclDXmoqmwUqVxzSClwS%2BX6Ge%2Fxt7JbZWU3LYsLzupfomIBgHGOedF6H3GtGMF48xG12Y7%2FIGEPT3hZcVPFXGx%2FqMr0ZuCEclhppiDnfTLZgmTHHAimcLdsvxNoDdQJypxkeWGY%2FCBzRqYjuISyNfoEGtf7YI8sbb5qWKkk%2BlCgur5nNV1%2FHnj2g4biXaXk0ObC33qh8A6S3jqbCO51rnh%2Bx9XQD4KDmdIu1f5iCKgvoko69c1i8SWchopGb6ItWGTtMsCffiCv9Sf6P6ISmxrpiOpS2sMq7XU47E6j8SObDt2u4rJ8ylry7ykfRwp5MW4V3Aq5I58BbyiaNz6geoXmUsKnyMUhGw5Jq6oa%2FFmShmoINqTwLhE6vTfDTHrPP3bCwM8XQpywu9NpCsK%2BJGH9tZ4tiKRQImR0oSwwsRrsOsIo69t7aPKe3TXiwjkLCT0Wgc8h8mqJHj93K0M3Gqzbo0INCJYIt%2BXnxlC432Bg06dYbGvmEMa63i%2FZ8B89FjVPYNgoVnqOPlEgUI5y%2FGSC9FOogJU4zAvfdBNbrf6fYUZ8c6kdLQa29QIwvkcdXVqOcUnS2bJ6YlUYJWOgLbJDDomYe22lgaEHRU2S5CdidK9RpBhmJ3ZJkLrwb0PIpYuPD0rMIMQzK75VYlGb6a4yuoyO3%2Bs%2BiqMeoH%2BSVRJd0%2F04VsqSqMM0sWHR9eBt18CSYmCp2EU%2BcUu3Cahss0tmWTeN7dPWuw3vC%2F3uxg8sjTvYa1%2BdvSqkrqaC47damRmpKmZ3JKLONEB0fFFBVbuf%2BAz03axcV4IWZyELYJwvodQI%2B2Lnf6THc5PcsH2wANtOjO1K26ZvGI79I%2FXQGUUy93WdfWQgvVLms6%2BTj1fo3rZnClhi568m%2Foie3nn2pujg7MIKmvb4GOrABFTxidY7AfuK8iAhSPIfQYPqVmE1CsMk4SvZtPQTpuCNGi%2BzluUs4OSHPU2%2F3iQR2YxGWcc2D%2F7w7RW4c7z2CbYwFfcn1oUGMkSJEPQ8mfnA5GxvK6tdLQ4ZmosvHqQVra4Gqbm01p9fdSqZSE88ZaML2rgxnk9tAgjJ%2FgfIpNd0jtXVARHO%2FFoQyDcbCOZKIC3jMpjADz4mycfVWjWqRuCs67u7ZsH9VzJAsHKZ1ECc%3D&amp;X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&amp;X-Amz-Date=20250310T213220Z&amp;X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&amp;X-Amz-Expires=300&amp;X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUPUUPRWET3A6LL3S%2F20250310%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&amp;X-Amz-Signature=cbcaca8c50566903d8b6d9f3ecbf2bae77c6f71d2c7eed3f888cd39d303afa41&amp;abstractId=5150459\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported<\/a> &ldquo;a 15% decline in outdoor nighttime street crimes and a 21% reduction in outdoor nighttime gun violence following the streetlight upgrades.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rick Perry. (Jacquelyn Martin\/AP photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The scholars calculated that lighting upgrades were responsible for about one-fourth of that reduction. Violent crime was falling throughout this period across the city as the crime wave caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns and the post-George Floyd protests subsided. But crime fell faster than expected in the blocks where Philadelphia replaced the old yellowish high-pressure sodium bulbs with new brighter, whiter LED lights.<\/p>\n<p>Importantly, the newly lit blocks didn&rsquo;t see an extra reduction in <em>indoor <\/em>crime, only <em>outdoor <\/em>crime, which suggested the lights really did make a difference. Also, these blocks saw a reduction in daytime crimes (smaller than the night-time reduction), which suggested the lights generally made a neighborhood less attractive to criminals.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3335684\/an-oral-history-of-crimefighting-that-works\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>AN ORAL HISTORY OF CRIMEFIGHTING THAT WORKS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Something even more important might be happening here: brighter, less scary streets may have brought residents out of their homes more, increased neighborly interactions, and thus made the neighborhood safer and better connected.<\/p>\n<p>It turns out that good city lights can do a lot of good.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2034431\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2034431\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>City lights and crime \u201cRick Perry\u2019s Strange Sex Story\u201d was the New York Times headline. The columnist, Gail Collins, said Perry further proved he was \u201can absolutely terrible secretary of energy\u201d by arguing \u201cthat fossil fuels would protect women from sexual assault.\u201d Perry, a conservative Republican from Texas, was an official in President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2774,"featured_media":2413165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/YL.RickPerry.031925.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2413164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/YL.RickPerry.031925.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413164","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\/2774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}