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
Senators Ready Bill to Stop DOJ From Bankrolling Liberal Groups
The Senate may take steps to end a Justice Department slush fund that has channeled millions of dollars in banking settlements to outside organizations, including left-wing groups such as La Raza and NeighborWorks America. Four Republican senators—James Lankford of Oklahoma, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Utah’s Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee—said they would introduce legislation… -
news
1 Year After Steinle Death, San Francisco Unveils Immigration Policy Keeping ‘Sanctuary’ Protections
Nearly one year after Kate Steinle was killed in San Francisco allegedly by a man living in the U.S. illegally, the city has approved a new policy restricting the circumstances under which it will cooperate with immigration requests from the federal government. San Francisco’s new sheriff, Vicki Hennessy, and the city’s board of supervisors reached… -
opinion
DOJ Wants to Hide the Names of Illegal Aliens Granted Amnesty
The Justice Department is resisting a judge’s order to provide ethics training for its lawyers and is objecting to turning over to the court the names of illegal aliens who were granted what amounts to administrative amnesty (“deferrals”) in stark violation of an injunction issued by the court. On May 19, Judge Andrew Hanen of… -
opinion
Ticketing Children for Selling Lemonade Highlights Overcriminalization Problem
Some Louisianan children recently opened a lemonade stand and were ticketed for operating a business without an occupational license or paying taxes on their earnings. This not only highlights the absurdity of criminalizing children who were too young to obtain an occupational license or to even pay taxes—but also illustrates how unpredictable enforcement of arcane… -
news
Is It Time for Criminal Justice Reform? 2 Law Enforcement Groups Are at Odds
While the unusual coalition of President Barack Obama and conservative groups hold out hope for the chance at what they call the most meaningful reform to criminal sentencing laws in a generation, frontline law enforcement officials are debating what the changes would mean for their communities. Steven Cook, whose organization represents more than 5,500 assistant… -
opinion
USAID Worker’s Murder Highlights Bangladesh’s Descent Into Extremism
Bangladesh has become a hotbed for Islamic extremists, and a recent spree of murders demonstrate a move away from democracy and freedom of speech in the South Asian nation. Six men posing as couriers broke into the apartment of Xulhaz Mannan, an employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and hacked Mannan and his friend, Tanay Mojumdar,… -
news
In 2015, 19,000 Criminal Illegal Immigrants Were Released From Custody
More than 19,000 criminal illegal immigrants were released from custody in 2015, according to new figures disclosed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. The 19,723 criminal releases—as the government refers to them—represent a 35 percent decrease from fiscal year 2014. The phrase “criminal releases” can apply to a wide range of crimes, including… -
opinion
Guy Benson: The Assault on Free Speech Marches On
The political season has brought a fresh wave of free speech debates on America’s college campuses. Some students claim they need to be “protected” from even seeing the names of presidential candidates they don’t like. Fox News commentator Guy Benson, also the co-author of “End of Discussion,” sat down with The Daily Signal to discuss… -
opinion
South Africa Is Losing the War Against Corruption
Once a model for emerging African democracies, South Africa is now mired in corruption that undermines its economy, provokes social unrest, and betrays the dreams and trust of millions of South Africans. South African President Jacob Zuma easily survived an April 5 impeachment vote in parliament, thanks to the large majority party he heads, the… -
opinion
Senate Bill Would Impose 10 Years in Federal Prison for Local Crime
Say you rush into a busy airport and are late for a flight that you cannot miss. Maybe your bag has a hole in it, stuff is falling out, it’s bedlam. You get to the check-in counter and the customer service agent says “flight’s cancelled.” You’re upset. Maybe the agent snickers at you and says… -
news
Corruption Charges in Detroit Schools Spur Calls for Education Reform
Officials are calling for education reform after bribery indictments against Detroit public school officials and a supplier alleged $2.7 million in fraudulent spending, even as Michigan’s governor signed off on nearly $50 million in emergency spending. “Principals are in positions of public trust and have an obligation to act in the best interest of their schools… -
opinion
Justice Department Kept Public in Dark About Iranian Hackers Until After Obama’s Nuclear Deal
On March 24, the Department of Justice indicted seven Iranian hackers for two cyber-crimes. The charges result from the individuals’ attacks on U.S. bank websites and the breach of a New York dam’s control systems. If the Justice Department truly desires to make its point known on cyber-hacking, it should shine a light on Iran’s… -
opinion
Corruption and Lack of Economic Freedom Common Themes in Panama Papers
As The Atlantic has reported, “[d]isclosures from the Panama Papers are rocking the global political elite.” Although not all of the activities alleged in the papers may ultimately be determined to be unethical or illegal, it is instructive to look at the connections between many of the people named in the papers and the scores of their… -
opinion
More Guns Does Not Mean More Murders
According to proponents of gun control, more guns in America equals more murders and a more lawless society. Every time there is a mass killing involving guns, liberal politicians rush to call for more restrictions on guns. Those in favor of disarming the citizenry claim that fewer guns will mean less gun crime. This assertion… -
news
Sens. Cruz, Lee Accuse Justice Department of Favoring Abortion Clinics Over Churches
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah are accusing the Justice Department of pursuing “frivolous prosecutions” against the pro-life movement and having, according to the senators’ offices, “what appears to be an exceptionally heavy bias” in favor of abortion clinics over houses of worship in a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General… -
news
Ghosts of Babi Yar: A Visit to the Ravine Where Nazis Murdered 150,000
KYIV, Ukraine—Seventy-four years later, I reached up and broke off a small piece of a branch that was long and gray. It was bent in the strange, contorted ways it had blindly grown to look for light here at the cold bottom of the ravine, where the forest canopy above had turned the sunny spring… -
news
Lawmakers Urge IRS, Justice Department to Return $29K Seized from Dairy Farmers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee is urging the Justice Department, Treasury Department, and Internal Revenue Service to return money “inappropriately” seized by the IRS under civil asset forfeiture. Led by Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Ranking Member John Lewis, D-Ga., the group of 14 lawmakers also… -
news
Students in Voucher Program Much Less Likely to Commit Crimes, Study Finds
Students who participated in a school choice program in Milwaukee were much less likely to face criminal charges or convictions than their counterparts in public schools, according to a new study. The study found that after males went through a school voucher program called the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the result was a 93-percent reduction in… -
news
Why This Sexual Assault Survivor Is an Advocate for the Second Amendment
When Kimberly Corban was a 20-year-old student at the University of Northern Colorado, a man broke into her Greeley, Colo., apartment and sexually assaulted her for nearly two hours. Now, nearly 10 years later, Corban not only works with other sexual assault survivors, but also has become an advocate for the Second Amendment. In an… -
news
How a Suspected Murderer and Criminally Convicted Illegal Immigrant Avoided Deportation
Before Pablo A. Serrano-Vitorino became the suspect in a murder spree across two states, the man, a once deported Mexican living in the United States illegally, was convicted of multiple crimes, across different agencies, but still free. Serrano-Vitorino’s case involved a series of errors that kept him from being detained by federal immigration authorities, and…