From The Center for American Progress:
Ensuring the safety and security of the public is the government’s most fundamental responsibility. Every person, no matter who they are, deserves to be safe and free from violence where they live and work. Many cities are successfully reducing crime by pairing stronger accountability strategies that deliver swift and certain consequences with proven prevention programs that stop crime before it happens. No amount of violence is acceptable, and the nation can make even more progress to reduce crime by applying lessons learned from what has worked to reduce crime locally.
Rather than focusing on what works to stop crime, in its first year, the Trump administration has removed effective crime-fighting resources from local communities. By firing career prosecutors,1 asking Congress to cut billions of dollars from federal law enforcement,2 pulling law enforcement agents off drug trafficking and child sexual exploitation cases,3 and terminating funding for local crime prevention programs,4 the Trump administration is weakening the enforcement of our criminal laws.
Recently, we have seen that poorly trained U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers endanger the lives of Americans across the country,5 in sharp contrast to well-trained traditional law enforcement who serve all communities and have been helping drive crime rates to historic lows. It’s an important lesson for the country.
Historic progress with strategies that work
In 2025, cities including Baltimore, Chicago, and Philadelphia recorded historic lows in the number of murders by providing law enforcement with the necessary tools and resources to stop crime, by improving the justice system to deliver swift and certain punishment, and by investing in community violence intervention and prevention programs.6 We know these strategies work because they are successfully reducing crime in cities across the country.
Continue reading here.
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