LETTER: Republicans, Democrats and crime

In his Dec. 20 letter (“What crime?”), Richard Strickland opines that the “conservative playbook” is to scare people about rampant crime so that they will vote for Republicans, indicating that Republicans are tougher on crime than Democrats. Facts are facts, opinions are opinions, no matter one’s political affiliation. Here are facts:

Crime is rampant. Period. Democrat leaders in the Democrat-led cities are the ones compiling and releasing the current crime statistics. Rapes and robberies are markedly higher in the past 12 months in Democrat-led cities. FBI and Department of Justice statistics confirm it.

Crime is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It is an issue that affects everyone, and pointing out the rise in crime is the responsibility of both parties to keep the public informed.