Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
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news
The Murder Case at the Center of Trump’s Immigration Policy Has Begun
The illegal immigrant who shot and killed Kate Steinle in 2015 will go on trial for second-degree murder this week, bringing a conclusion to a case that sparked harsh anti-immigration rhetoric from President Donald Trump and Congress in 2016. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 54, claims his killing of Steinle was an accident, saying that a… -
news
Jeff Sessions Approves New Tools to Annihilate MS-13
Attorney General Jeff Sessions officially designated the MS-13 gang as a priority threat Monday, allowing Department of Justice task forces to use every available law to bring down the international organization. The new designation allows Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces to dismantle MS-13 using tax laws, drug laws, gun laws, and “anything else that… -
news
Ukraine’s Combat Veterans Dig in for the War Against Corruption
KYIV, Ukraine—Thousands of protesters massed in front of Ukraine’s parliament building Tuesday, underscoring a simmering level of frustration among Ukrainians—particularly the country’s war veterans—with the slow pace of anti-corruption reforms that has persisted since the 2014 revolution. According to initial estimates, Tuesday’s protests drew about 6,000 people. The chief rallying cry was a demand to… -
opinion
In Our System, Punishment Should Fit the Crime
Violent crime did increase in the United States in 2016. But not everywhere. Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis have all suffered a large increase in murders the past few years, while communities like Omaha, Austin, and Miami have seen crime go down. There are many explanations for why crime increased in some cities but declined… -
opinion
Weinstein Scandal Reveals Truth About Hollywood’s Feminism
Five years ago at the Democratic National Convention, I went to a Planned Parenthood rally, where one speaker was TV actress Lisa Edelstein. “Do not go to the polls alone,” she told us. “Drag somebody, if she’s a woman especially, because those women are going to vote for Obama—if they know what’s good for them.”… -
opinion
Why Does the Left Ignore Black-on-Black Crime?
Let’s throw out a few numbers so we can put in perspective the NFL players taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Many say they are protesting against police treatment of blacks and racial discrimination. We might ask just how much sense their protest makes. According to The Washington Post, 737 people… -
opinion
Criminal Justice Reform Is Alive and Well in Congress
In response to a rumor that he had passed away during a trip overseas, Samuel Clemens (better known as Mark Twain) responded, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The same could be said of criminal justice reform. Last year, despite significant bipartisan support in Congress, criminal justice reform crashed on the shoals of… -
opinion
‘We Already Have Laws Against Murder’: Gov. Matt Bevin Explains Why Gun Control Isn’t Answer
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, spoke to The Daily Signal’s Genevieve Wood about the call for gun control following the terrible shooting in Las Vegas. Watch the video above to get his take. And if you want to see his full Daily Signal interview, watch this: -
opinion
Here’s the Truth About Gun Control and Crime
“The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots. Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get,” Hillary Clinton tweeted. “Our grief isn’t enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening… -
opinion
Rushed Legislation Is a Thriving Industry in Washington. How Our Criminal Code Suffers as a Result.
A recent poll of senior congressional staff suggests what many Americans have long suspected: Lawmakers don’t have enough time and resources to do all of their work well. The poll, released in August by the nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation, found that most respondents believed “senators and representatives lack the necessary time and resources to understand,… -
news
Conservatives Balk at Talk of Trump Amnesty Deal With Democrats
President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders asserted that they haven’t reached a deal to give legal status to those who came to the country illegally as children—but one seems to be pending. “It’s a negotiating trick, and one that Mr. Art of the Deal has fallen for,” @MarkSKrikorian says. “We’re working on a plan—subject to… -
news
Deputy Attorney General Says Rule of Law Is About ‘Character of the People’ Enforcing the Law
The Constitution’s 230th anniversary is Sept. 17, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says it is incumbent on the American people to help preserve the rule of law as the Founders intended. “On Constitution Day, it is appropriate to keep in mind that although the power of the federal government is vast, it is expressly… -
opinion
North Carolina’s Golden Opportunity to Tackle Predatory Criminal Code
It may only be September, but lawmakers in North Carolina have a key opportunity to do some spring cleaning. Like in many states, North Carolina’s criminal codes are overburdened by an excessive number of crimes, thereby feeding into the problem of overcriminalization. The state also suffers from an extremely powerful and overly prohibitive occupational licensing… -
opinion
Do We Need 641 Penalties for Nonviolent Drug Crime After Punishment?
Federal laws and regulations carry more than 600 restrictions that may be applied to those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, according to a new government report. The report from the Government Accountability Office, published last week, contains the results of a yearlong study of what are called federal “collateral consequences”: civil restrictions on the rights… -
opinion
In Positive Turn, Justice Department Prosecuting Wrongdoers Rather Than Cutting Deals to Win Fines
Federal prosecutors have accused a group of U.S. postal workers servicing the Atlanta area of taking bribes in exchange for delivering shipments of illegal drugs. U.S. Attorney John Horn said, “For cash in their pockets they were willing to endanger themselves and the residents on their routes and bring harmful drugs into the community.” Contrast… -
opinion
Betsy DeVos Stands Up for Due Process Rights in Campus Sexual Assault Cases
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced in a speech Thursday that she will roll back an Obama-era “guidance” document that drove colleges to implement Star Chamber-like tribunals to mishandle sexual assault cases. The guidance forced colleges to weaken already minimal due process protections for those accused of rape and sexual assault, and threatened schools that refused… -
news
Trump’s Justice Department Still Defending Obama Contraception Mandate
Advocates for religious liberty are dismayed that little has changed with respect to the Obamacare contraceptive mandate, even after President Donald Trump signed a religious freedom executive order earlier this year. “I believe the president is committed to religious freedom and that Attorney General [Jeff] Sessions is a good man. But their goals simply haven’t… -
opinion
Why Are Trump’s Justice Department Appointees Protecting the IRS?
Various media sources have reported that federal District Court Judge Reggie Walton has ordered the IRS to finally respond to various legal requests for information and documents made by the conservative tea party organizations that sued the agency. But the question that no one is asking is why that order was even necessary, and why… -
news
Trump Justice Department Ends Operation Choke Point
Republican House members announced Friday that the Justice Department has ended the controversial Obama-era program targeting payday lenders, gun shops, and other legal businesses, in response to several House Republicans who requested Operation Choke Point be shut down. “This is no way for law enforcement to operate,” House Republicans say. “We share your view that… -
news
Hate Crime or Domestic Terrorism? How Charlottesville Federal Legal Case Could Proceed
The federal civil rights investigation into the weekend violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, could involve domestic terrorism and hate crime charges and isn’t limited to the driver who plowed his vehicle into a crowd of people, according to the Trump administration. Speaking on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday, “It…