Two Steps Up And One Step Back
By Mitch Berg
You might have heard the radio ads: the Minneapolis Police Federation has taken out commercials pointing out Minneapolis mayor and DFL gubernatorial candidate R.T. Rybak’s record on crime.
Not so, says Rybak (via MPR-via-MDE):
I have focused like a laser [Note: I think I’ve found a closet Michael Medved listener! – Ed.] on making Minneapolis a safe place to call home, and we’ve had some great success: in the last three years, we’ve cut violent crime by 39%, violent crime by juveniles is down 47% and murders are at the lowest level in decades. The work of Chief Tim Dolan and officers of the Minneapolis Police Department, combined with that of neighbors across our city, have made Minneapolis safer by almost every measure. These facts are indisputable.
Unfortunately, the Federation’s ad is about politics, not policing.
[Note to Mayor Rybak: Next time you or some other gun controlbot wants flog another national police chiefs’ association’s endorsement of gun control, I’ll be there to remind you you just said that. But I digress]
I’ve made a practice of focusing on getting results for the people of Minneapolis and not focusing on predictably misleading ads from the Police Federation. That’s not going to change.
Luke Hellier at MDE notes that while crime has dropped from a very dismal peak three years ago – when Minneapolis was flirting with re-achieving its “Murderapolis” label from the nineties – it still hasn’t dropped to the same level as when he was elected:
Rybak’s First Year As Mayor 2002:
Murder – 31
Rape – 254
Assault – 1184
Most Recent Full Year 2008:
Murder – 39
Rape – 327
Assault – 1977
As with Luke, I’ll direction you to check out the facts yourselves.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:11 am
How long does it take to focus a laser?
I have been trying for years to meet with Mayor Rybak, and he refuses. My husband was the commander of the Minneapolis Bomb Squad, and he was hurt by a blast during a training exercise. He is permanently disabled with a brain injury, and is unable to work.
My husband risked his life for 15 years, in some of the most dangerous assignments in the city. In the blink of an eye, all of that was rendered meaningless. The thought of a governor who would refuse to talk to injured National Guard troops and their families scares me to death, especially as a veteran, and the mother of a National Guard soldier.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:42 pm
He’s going by 2009 numbers, which are lower in almost, if not every category.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Let me advance a theory to explain the recent drop in crime reported in Minneapolis.
A neighborhood I know very well in North Minneapolis used to have houses on every lot and people living in every house. That same neighborhood a year ago began to resemble a ghost town as foreclosed buildings were boarded up and some torn down. The building to the north of me: Vacant. The building to the south of me: Vacant. The building to the west of me: Vacant. The building to the east of me: Vacant.
The Duplex to the south of me used to house perhaps 6 felons, tenants who caused mayhem on a regular basis. The police used to raid the building once a week. When the owner went bust, the felons left and wound up elsewhere. Brooklyn Center? Does Mayor Rybeck get credit for the depopulation of the city and the resulting drop in crime?
A related question is: Why does our biggest city never grow?
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Because it is surrounded by other bordering cities. 😉
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
KRod, I think he means why does the population never grow. Because it, like Saint Paul, are becoming shitty places to live. I live in Northeast, but as soon as I can find a buyer I’m moving out.
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Population growth, eh, do ya really think so, novak? Really? 😉