Becoming a victim of a crime is on the minds of more than 60% of New Yorkers as the state suffers a crime wave caused by any number of policies coming out of Albany and Washington.
A poll released by Siena College found a combined 61% of voters are either very concerned or somewhat concerned they could become a crime victim. Siena also found 51% of New Yorkers are concerned for their family's safety when they are in public spaces, including schools, stores, or houses of worship.
“Crime isn’t just something that happens to others far away according to New Yorkers,” said Siena College Research Institute Director Don Levy. “While 87% say crime is a serious problem in our state and 57% say it is a problem in their community, a disturbingly high 61% say that they are worried about it happening to them, a majority are concerned about themselves or their loved ones being safe in public places and many are taking steps to protect themselves as best they can.”
New York newspapers read like crime blotters with murders, robberies, and assaults a daily occurrence. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced shortly after taking office that he would not prosecute quality-of-life crimes, and prosecutors have shown a proclivity to charge those protecting themselves rather than the perpetrators.
A recent case that drew headlines was the arrest of former Marine Daniel J. Penny for the death of a homeless man he subdued after threatening to harm Manhattan subway passengers. Another Bragg headline grabber was the arrest of bodega owner Jose Alba for stabbing a man who attacked him during a robbery. Charges in the Penny case are still pending, while the case against Alba was dismissed by a judge.
Crime was a top issue for voters in the last election cycle as they took issue with pro-criminal policies that eliminated cash bail, handcuffed the court system, and put law enforcement in the crosshairs with Defund the Police and other anti-cop rhetoric.
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“How many times are Democrats going to tip the scales of justice in favor of convicted criminals? Victims and law enforcement continue to be an afterthought in Albany,” said state Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay, who has led numerous Capitol press conferences and rallies pushing bills to reverse the crime wave.
According to the poll, which queried 382 New York adults over cellphones and landlines and 420 persons from an online panel, 36% feel threatened in a public place because of a stranger's behavior. The survey also found that 41% of voters have "never been this worried about their personal safety as they are today." At the same time, 9% of residents, including 16% of New York City residents, said they have been physically assaulted over the last year. The same percentage of New Yorkers say they’ve been the victim of burglary over the last year, the poll found.
“Reversing the pro-criminal policies of the Democrats who control state government has been a constant battle in Albany,” said Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano (R,C-Medford). “Leaders in law enforcement, prosecutors, victims' rights organizations, they rally with us frequently on legislation to fix the criminal justice system. But our pleas fall on deaf ears with politicians more interested in protecting the criminal element than the law-abiding residents of this state.”