CNBNews

GUEST OPINION

New Jersey's crime problem is out of control, police are failing to bring offenders to justice, and our elected leaders are hiding the truth.

This is an issue I brought up in March, when most New Jersey police departments failed to participate in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program.but it is still a problem.

Despite a dozen proposed laws to increase crime penalties, criminals are not being caught in the Garden State. In Newark, 94% of crimes reported to police remain unsolved. In New Brunswick 91 percent. In Jersey City, 92%. In West Orange, it's 89%. In Princeton, it's 87 percent. In Woodbridge and Edison, it's 85 percent, but those numbers have not been updated since May 2021.

The entire State Legislature was up for election twice since the last timeUniform Crime Report figures were accurately disclosed on the New Jersey State Police website.

Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin owe New Jerseyans the truth about the state's crime problem, but instead, they are hiding the data.

Since May 2021, there have been a dozen or more proposed New Jersey laws to increase penalties for a variety of crimes, including stolen car trafficking,  theft, carjacking, robbery, aggravated assault, eluding law enforcement, straw-purchasing firearms, and possession of firearms, high-capacity magazines or ghost guns. Such laws won't do any good if criminals are not caught but Governor Murphy thinks keeping you in the dark is acceptable.

The most important duty of any public official is keeping you safe. But telling the truth is also critically important.

New Jerseyans deserve better. You deserve police who bring offenders to justice and you deserve the truth, but it is up to you to fire the liarslike Governor Murphy. Please join us by signing our petition to insist that government officials tell the truth about crime.

Lisa McCormick
https://www.democratsfor.us/