Fighting Crime & its Causes
Another thing I’ve been hearing from the people of Tucson is that property crimes are soaring, and they want something done about it. It’s true–Tucson’s property crime rate is roughly twice the national average, and has recorded the nation’s highest property crime rate two years running.
I’ve been broken into, and most of my neighbors have. You probably have, too. When your home is burglarized, you feel violated. Your sense of safety is shattered. You want something done.
What has Fred Ronstadt done? He’s made it worse. During his tenure, the number of police officers per person in Tucson has slipped to the point where we are the worst of any city in the nation. And on top of that, he has consistently called for cutting the community services programs that can reduce the causes of crime.
As a councilmember, I will be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. I will put more police officers on the street to reduce these property crimes, and I will fund community services programs which keep people from turning to crime in the first place. It’s a much better investment to spend a little bit of money keeping people out of trouble, than to spend a whole lot of money locking them up.
