Dear Editor,
Contrary to the rhetoric being spewed by right-wing radicals, the facts are clear. After years of Democratic leadership, crime is down in Westchester County. That’s one reason why I’m supporting Dana Levenberg, who’s running to represent us here in New York State’s 95th Assembly District.
Westchester’s overall crime rate is 68% lower than the national average – violent crime is 61% below the national average, and property crime is 70% below the national average – based on data released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
In fact, violent crime in Westchester has dropped every year from 2017 to 2021 as compared to each prior year. Total crime (property crimes and violent crimes) are all down when comparing 2017 to 2021 (with a brief spike in property crime in 2020 – but even this spike was still lower than 2017’s numbers).
Westchester County’s Department of Public Safety looked back at all crime committed from 2017 to 2021; there was a significant decrease across the board:
- Property crime decreased by 16.7%
- (Burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft)
- Violent crime decreased by 22.9%
- (Murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault)
- Index crime decreased by 20.4%
I’m supporting Dana because she supports practical, evidence-based strategies for promoting public safety, like police and community partnerships. She’s also been a strong supporter of remedial education programs for incarcerated persons, which are a tried and tested way to reduce the likelihood that someone will commit crime again after they’ve served their time.
This year, we need to look at the cold hard facts, and ignore the typical election-year Republican rhetoric. Early Voting begins on Saturday, October 29 and runs through Sunday, November 6. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.
Sincerely,
Colin D. Smith
Westchester County Legislator, District 1
