G.O.P. Attacks Bragg on Crime at a Hearing in New York

New York is statistically safer relative to its population than other places in Republican and swing states, such as Jefferson County, Ark.; Robeson County, N.C.; Montgomery County, Ala.; and Bibb County, Georgia, according to Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Fox News — Massive Crime Spike Stems from Social Unrest, COVID Lockdowns Destabilizing Communities: Expert

Professor Jeffrey Butts, the director of John Jay College’s Research and Evaluation Center, said that in some respects conservatives and liberals are on the same page with gun control. “The far left and the far right are actually pitching the same story,” he said.

San Francisco Chronicle — Crime Statistics and Politics are a Deadly Mix

“Sadly, I’ve dedicated my life to using facts and data to influence crime policy. I don’t think we’re any better at it than we were 30 years ago,” Butts said. He has seen both Democrats and Republicans try to use crime stats to scare voters. It’s hard to stop them because “politics was way out ahead of information and the facts.”