Silver State Times

With crime on the rise in Nevada and across the nation and "Defund the Police" movements persisting, Americans are reportedly more concerned about crime now than at any other time during the 21st century. According to poll results, the subject of crime is a hot topic among right-wing voters and left-wing voters alike, and the recall of progressive San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin may be a sign that crime is a potent issue in municipal elections.

According to a CNN report, violent crime continues to be on the rise in many communities, while the network’s Harry Enten maintains that crimes such as theft happen with more frequency, which makes people feel as if things are spiraling out of control in big cities, including Los Angles, San  Francisco and Chicago. Indeed, the network noted that theft is up in all categories compared to the same period in 2021. Moreover, CNN reported that a Gallup poll earlier this year found that Americans’ overall dissatisfaction with national policies to control crime is at the highest level this century. 

"Crime is one of the few issues where public opinion has tilted toward the conservative position in the country as a whole,” Enten said on CNN. 

According to CNN, citing the Gallup poll, 72% of Americans are unhappy with efforts to curb crime, up from 65% last year and 49% two years ago, and the dissatisfaction is across the political spectrum, with 87% of Republicans unhappy and 65% of Democrats also expressing displeasure. 

“Registered voters, by a 16-point margin (50% to 34%), said they trusted the Republican Party more on crime than the Democratic Party,” CNN’s Enten said in the report.

Gallup wasn’t the only pollster to tap into the growing unease among Americans about crime. An  ABC/Washington Post poll also revealed displeasure from respondents from both parties, according to CNN, which noted it was the only non-economic issue in which Republicans hold an edge over Democrats outside the margin of error. 

Moreover, CNN also reported that with the successful campaign to recall Boudin in San Francisco, even progressives in that liberal city are feeling the heat from voters.

Boudin, a Democrat, had been in office for two years before 60% of the voters in the city voted to oust him last week, according to the Associated Press. 

Crime also remains a big problem in Nevada, where thecentersquare.com reported that the state had 460 violent crimes for every 100,000 people, above the national average of 399 violent crimes per every 100,000 people. 

Nevadans also are fearing for their safety, with a Wallet Hub report in April noting that Las Vegas has the 11th highest increase in homicides since the pandemic among major cities.