Anyone paying attention should realize that violent and non-violent crime has seen a massive spike in our state over the last two years. This rise in crime has become a big election issue in this year’s gubernatorial race, but the incumbent governor would have you believe that it’s not that bad after all. In fact, Gov. Walz believes that Minnesota is one of the safest states in the country. Sadly for us, that’s no longer true.
In an interview with Esme Murphy of WCCO at the Minnesota State Fair, Gov. Tim Walz claimed that “there are 45 states with higher crime rates than Minnesota.” That would put Minnesota among states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, which are some of the safest places in the country. If this were true, there would be no need for Governor Walz to worry about spiking crime ahead of the November election—and yet pesky voters are still making it an issue! What’s the deal?
According to David Zimmer of the Center for the American Experiment, Gov. Walz’ claim is stretching the truth more than a little bit. “No matter how you manipulate the statistics, you can’t get Minnesota into the top five or even top ten states when it comes to protecting citizens from crime,” Zimmer said in a statement.
As of 2020, Minnesota ranked 27th in the United States with crimes like murder, rape, and aggravated assault.
Gov. Walz’s claim is not only false, but makes his promised future actions puzzling. While touting that Minnesota is among the 5 safest states, the Governor has also called for an increase in police presence in the metro area. In a press conference held just days before new crime reports were released, Walz vowed to put more police on the streets.
The Governor must reconcile his statements. Are we one of the safest states? Or do we need more police in our cities? Will the Governor provide clarity? Or will we get more of the same political rhetoric on crime that we’ve experienced over the last two years?
