This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Cookie Policy
Accept
Sign In
The Wall Street Publication
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: ‘Deeply troubling’: Last year’s record homicide spike continuing into 2021
Share
The Wall Street PublicationThe Wall Street Publication
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.
The Wall Street Publication > Blog > Trending > ‘Deeply troubling’: Last year’s record homicide spike continuing into 2021
Trending

‘Deeply troubling’: Last year’s record homicide spike continuing into 2021

Editorial Board Published November 11, 2021
Share
‘Deeply troubling’: Last year’s record homicide spike continuing into 2021
SHARE

Criminal justice experts are warning that the rise in homicides in 2020, the biggest one-year increase in 60 years, is continuing into this year.

FBI statistics show that homicides jumped by nearly 30% last year compared with 2019, from 16,669 to 21,570. A report released this week suggests the trend is rising.

The Council on Criminal Justice report shows that the number of homicides in 22 cities was 4% higher during the first nine months of this year than in the same period in 2020 and 36% higher than in 2019.

“Homicide increases above and beyond normal seasonal changes remain deeply troubling and require immediate action from policymakers,” the D.C.-based nonpartisan think tank said.

The report notes that the homicide numbers are significantly lower than the nationwide historical peaks of the 1990s, but the surge in some cities has been staggering.

Los Angeles recorded a 16% increase in homicides from January to September, from 259 to 301. Homicides in Louisville, Kentucky, are up 24%, from 119 to 148. Austin, Texas, recorded an 81% increase, from 32 to 58.

While some cities are reporting increases in homicides, others are breaking records. In the past 30 days, Indianapolis broke its homicide record of 215 set last year. Tucson, Arizona, broke its record of 79 in 2008, and Portland, Oregon, broke its record of 67 in 1987.

Cities that bowed to activists’ demands to cut police budgets in 2020 are now scrambling to reverse those changes.

In Portland, where violent political protests have been fixtures on streets for months, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced a public safety plan on Nov. 3 that includes adding 200 police officers to the force. The department has 917 allotted positions, more than 100 of which are vacant.

“Many Portlanders no longer feel safe in their city,” said Mr. Wheeler, a Democrat. “Business owners have closed up shop for fear of doing business in high-risk areas. Commuters fear for their safety, whether taking public transit or going by foot. Parents are scared to let their children play outside.

“There is such a thing as too few officers … and we’ve reached that point.”

The proposal to put $5.2 million back into the Portland police budget was made 16 months after the city cut $15 million from it. Activists nationwide were calling for policing reforms after the May 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minnesota police custody.

In the District of Columbia, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, offered a proposal this summer to restore $11 million to the Metropolitan Police Department budget to hire 170 more officers after budget cuts in 2020.

“Last year, unfortunately, we saw a $15 million reduction in [the police] budget, and because of that reduction, we have not been able to keep the hiring pipeline in full effect,” Miss Bowser said during a public safety briefing July 28.

The city of more than 705,000 recorded 192 homicides this year through Tuesday, an increase of 12% from the 171 homicides during the same period last year.

The D.C. Council in August approved $5 million of the mayor’s request for restored police funding and redirected $6 million into “violence interruption” programs.

Police Chief Robert J. Contee III warned the council that without the funding for new hires, the department was on track to have only 3,460 police officers by next September. That would be “the smallest police force our growing city has had in more than two decades,” he said.

As the number of officers in the city declines, crime statistics across several categories, including homicides, are surging.
Greggory Pemberton, president of the D.C. Police Union, told The Washington Times that the city is on pace to surpass the 198 killings recorded in 2020 — the highest number in 16 years.

The increase in killings, he said, has “a direct correlation to the reduction in [the] number of police officers.”

“The way to fix this is to immediately begin hiring as many officers as the academy can handle,” Mr. Pemberton said.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat, issued an executive order on Oct. 29 allowing $10,000 hiring bonuses for new police officers and $25,000 hiring bonuses for experienced officers through the remainder of 2021.

Ms. Durkan said the order was necessary to address staffing shortages and public safety concerns. “Previous attempts to get [the city] council to consider an ordinance to operationalize these measures has failed,” she said.

The Seattle City Council rejected Ms. Durkan’s request in July to reinstate a 2019 incentive program for hiring officers. In August, the council cut $3 million from the police department’s $400 million budget.

The Pacific Northwest city of more than 737,000 has recorded 35 homicides this year, down from 52 during the same period last year. The mayor, however, noted in the October order a 35% increase in reports of gunshots.

A police spokesperson said Tuesday that 224 of the department’s 1,347 allotted officer positions are unfilled.

National Police Association spokeswoman Betsy Brantner Smith told The Times that the nation has a police recruitment and retention crisis.

The retired police sergeant said the crisis is “primarily in blue cities and counties” that decided “to vilify the entire profession based on the actions of one police officer in Minneapolis.”

“What followed were police officers nationwide treated by the media, and often by their own cities, as criminals and racists for simply doing their jobs, while crime, especially homicides, rose to record numbers,” Ms. Brantner Smith said.

As a result, law enforcement members “in cities like Portland, Chicago, Seattle, Tucson, New York and more either left their police departments for the suburbs, rural America or other pro-police areas or left the profession altogether, leaving many urban areas with a shortage of officers,” she said.

She said the association “finds this is unacceptable and dangerous, not just for police officers, but for the citizens they have sworn to serve and protect.”

Sign up for Daily Newsletters

TAGGED:TrendingWall Street Publication
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Pandemic, supply shortages transform Black Friday into monthlong event Pandemic, supply shortages transform Black Friday into monthlong event
Next Article Storytelling podcast shares American Muslim experiences since 9/11 Storytelling podcast shares American Muslim experiences since 9/11

Editor's Pick

California dwelling of lacking child’s mother and father searched; father has served time for youngster cruelty

California dwelling of lacking child’s mother and father searched; father has served time for youngster cruelty

San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigators on Sunday, Aug. 17, searched the house of the mother and father of the infant…

By Editorial Board 9 Min Read
Farmer Needs a Spouse: John Sansone and Claire Dinette Break up!
Farmer Needs a Spouse: John Sansone and Claire Dinette Break up!

Studying Time: 2 minutes It's sadly over for one more actuality tv…

4 Min Read
Meri Brown Hints at “Accusations, Heartbreak” in Instagram Publish
Meri Brown Hints at “Accusations, Heartbreak” in Instagram Publish

Studying Time: 3 minutes Meri Brown seems to be going via it…

5 Min Read

Oponion

Why Your Firm Might Be Struggling In The Massive World Of Enterprise

Why Your Firm Might Be Struggling In The Massive World Of Enterprise

In the case of the massive world of enterprise, occasions…

July 7, 2025

Shady NYC mayor loses key deputies after alleged soiled cope with Trump

4 high deputies for embattled New…

February 18, 2025

Hyundai’s ‘first-ever, 3-row’ EV underneath manufacturing at new Georgia plant

Hyundai Motor Firm President and CEO…

March 30, 2025

Stock Futures Slip, Pointing to Worst Week in Nearly Year

Stock futures declined Friday, putting the…

October 1, 2021

U.S. Inflation Hits 39-Year High

U.S. inflation reached a nearly four-decade…

December 10, 2021

You Might Also Like

Gregory Hatanaka Teases His Biggest Films Yet with No Regrets and The Shout
EntertainmentTrending

Gregory Hatanaka Teases His Biggest Films Yet with No Regrets and The Shout

If you know indie cinema, you know Gregory Hatanaka. The veteran director, producer, and distributor has spent decades zigzagging through…

6 Min Read
Okay So I Clicked on “Castle” at 2AM and Things Got Weird
Trending

Okay So I Clicked on “Castle” at 2AM and Things Got Weird

Princess. Dragon. Kingdom. Knight. Wait what? So I'm on this website called Embeddings.fyi at like 2 in the morning because…

6 Min Read
Best YTT Yoga School a Journey from Student to Teacher: Transformative Yoga Retreats in Asia
LifestyleTrending

Best YTT Yoga School a Journey from Student to Teacher: Transformative Yoga Retreats in Asia

In recent years, Bali has become a global epicenter for yoga education, attracting aspiring teachers and seekers from every corner…

7 Min Read
Inside the Blueprint: How a Ground-Breaking CCUS Review Is Shaping the Race to Net Zero
Trending

Inside the Blueprint: How a Ground-Breaking CCUS Review Is Shaping the Race to Net Zero

Author, Jean Chantel The 2024 review article “Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Technologies: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Advanced CCUS…

6 Min Read
The Wall Street Publication

About Us

The Wall Street Publication, a distinguished part of the Enspirers News Group, stands as a beacon of excellence in journalism. Committed to delivering unfiltered global news, we pride ourselves on our trusted coverage of Politics, Business, Technology, and more.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?