Right On Crime Executive Director and former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman recently appeared on Fox Business with host Dagen McDowell, where he dicussed dangerous repercussions of politically motivated criminal justice policies.
Some brief excerpts:
Dagen McDowell, Fox Business: Everyday, it’s another story, and it’s more gruesome and just as horrific as the last. And these leaders really don’t give a flying damn about the victims or law abiding residents.
Brett Tolman, Right On Crime: Dagen, you’re so right. I mean, you have policymakers that are placing value on the appearance and the emotion of what is current and any movement that sways them.
At its very heart, government’s most important role is to keep its citizenry safe, and they’re failing. They’re failing because they’re implementing policies that are not thoughtful. They’re not best practices that are working. And they’re not considerate of the dangers that men and women are facing as the crime rises. And we’re seeing it because that message is very loud and clear, clear from these woke politicians and that is “we don’t take seriously crime because we don’t want to appear like we’re disparately treating individuals in our inner cities versus you know, other places in the country.”
McDowell: Police officers being murdered in the line of duty from Connecticut, down to Georgia. And what you’re already seeing at a rapid retirement and an escalating problem recruiting new officers. And so this only gets worse.
Tolman: It’s almost at epidemic levels, right now. I was with authorities in Texas who were outlining that in some areas, they’re down 30% to 40% on their staffing for law enforcement. You have corrections facilities, some are down as low as 60% deficient. So we have a powder keg waiting to go off in this country if we don’t make it a priority to implement sound criminal justice policies.
McDowell: In these cities like in New York City, despite the recent Supreme Court ruling, you can’t get a concealed carry permit. You’re not allowed to protect yourself. There’s no way you can protect yourself. And I guarantee you, if you defended yourself in an attack and hit an assailant, you’re going to be the one who gets arrested, not the actual perpetrator.
Tolman: Well, in fact, we saw that very thing happen in New York, right? The storefront owner who tried to protect himself and stabbed the individual that went behind the counter. He came at him. And we are seeing policies that are causing our citizens to say, “Okay, if you’re not going to do something, I’m going to do something about it.” I would have a bat if I lived in that neighborhood. I would do everything I could to protect myself and my family. And that’s why they’re doing it.