We all need to cry a giant “boo-hoo” for the Mesa Police Department as it struggles with its worse crisis in 40 years: less crime! What a catastrophe. Oh, the department has weathered many a storm through the years—budget cuts and layoffs, citizens screaming bloody murder over its sanctuary policies, a revolving door of police chiefs using the state’s third largest city as a steppingstone to higher office. But who would have thunk the unthinkable: less crime to fight! Why that’s not fair. It almost makes residents want to hold up a bank or two just to give police some work.
What your Aug. 3 article, “Mesa crime keeps falling,” fails to reveal is that crime has been dropping like a rock since the passage of SB 1070, the trend-setting bill that allows officers to inquire of a suspected person’s legal status. Illegals driving drunk, victimizing neighbors, shooting up the town, have all dwindled since many have fled the scene for greener pastures. Let’s give due where due is deserved.
Not to be outflanked, Mayor Scott Smith to the rescue. In spite of his admission that the drop in crime happened when the public safety budget was slashed, he’s now proposing the restoring of previous staffing levels! That’s right. Smith’s math tells him that since crime plummeted when police enforcement was cut, it just makes sense to increase police ranks and throw more money away now that we have the lowest crime rates since 1963.
But good news is on the way. According to writer Groff, “Mesa arrested 18 percent more suspects in the first half of this year for … homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and vehicle theft.” So, things are looking up at the MPD, and job security is threatening to return, thanks to stalwarts in the city who know how to keep our police busy: crime or no crime.
PJ O’Malley
Mesa
chatmandu002 posted at 8:44 am on Wed, Aug 8, 2012.
Enforce all the laws all the time.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 4:34 pm on Wed, Aug 8, 2012.
Just looking at the Crime Statistics from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (statistics for this Study are provided by all the County Sheriff Departments and the individual City's Police Departments)......the Letter Writer's premise that ....SB1070...has had a......huge undeniable...."downward effect" on crime in the State of Arizona. Thank you Governor Jan Brewer, Russell Pearce, Kirk Adams and the Republican Legislatures of Arizona for making our Great State of Arizona safer for it's "Legal" Citizens and their Familes.
2011 (the first year that SB1070 was in effect);
Total Crime = 17,029
Violent Crime = 1838
Murders = 18
Rapes = 131
Robberies = 497
Aggravated Assaults = 1192
2006 Statistics (when "Sanctuary City" Illegal Alien Open-Door Policies were in effect);
Total Crimes = 23, 426
Violent Crimes = 2,084
Murders = 26
Rapes = 203
Robberies = 308
Aggravated Assaults = 1347
2005 Statistics (Sanctuary City, Open Door Illegal Aliens Policing Policies = ditto);
Total Crimes = 26,403
Violent Crimes = 2280
Murders = 29
Rapes = 194
Robberies = 460
Aggravated Assaults = 1597
downtownresident posted at 4:49 pm on Wed, Aug 8, 2012.
Kinda shoots 40 caliber holes in their supposed need to hire more cops, doesn't it?
Arizona Willie posted at 9:51 am on Thu, Aug 9, 2012.
But it re-inforces the need to clean out invading aliens.
Once Joe started vigorously enforcing immigration laws -- crime took a major drop.
Despite what illegal lovers will claim -- there is a direct correlation.
VofReason posted at 12:54 pm on Thu, Aug 9, 2012.
Well what do you want them to do, there are a lot of empty offices and that great big new expensive Police Station they built in downtown Mesa. If there is a lot of open spaces in there, it will start to look like it was a bad idea to build that thing.
fae4now posted at 11:02 pm on Thu, Aug 9, 2012.
Sorry Willie, but there's only a direct correlation if the statistics bear that out to be fact.
I would be interested in reading up on whatever factual information you can offer to support your statement.
Meanwhile, I think I'll just sit back and ponder just who you would blame for every problem if all the illegals actually left the state.