The left is fond of saying that sanctuary city policies are necessary for local law enforcement to fight crime and keep their cities safe. Phoenix, Arizona, however, dropped its sanctuary city policy in 2008, and since then have seen a drop in all types of crime.
Fox News reports:
At the center of national debate, a question remains unanswered: Are sanctuary cities that protect illegal immigrants safer than non-sanctuary cities?
Sanctuary supporters claim they are.
. . . . A six-year study published last year by the University of California, Riverside found “violent crime is slightly higher in sanctuary cities.” It concluded there was “no statistically discernible difference in violent crime rates, rape, or property crime across” 55 cities studied.
And at least one city, Phoenix, saw a drop in crime after it eliminated its sanctuary city status, according to former law enforcement officials.
. . . . In May 2008, Phoenix reversed itself, becoming a non-sanctuary state. Under the policy, police had full discretion to ask suspects about their immigration status and had the freedom to call ICE.
“We saw a decrease in crime,” said Bolton. “It had a deterrent effect on folks because the risk of discovery went up exponentially when we actually enforced the law.”
Bolton served with Mark Spencer, who spent 25 years patrolling in Phoenix.
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“When we eliminated our sanctuary policy back in 2008, we saw crime, violent and stolen vehicles fall by 25 percent,” he recalled. “We saw a 20-year low crime rate. When we were allowed and had the discretion to contact our federal immigration partners, crime fell drastically.”
According to City-Data.com, which collects data from various government agencies, from 2008 to 2009 Phoenix’s murder rate fell 27 percent, robberies by 23 percent, assault by 13 percent, burglaries by 14 percent and theft by 19 percent. The numbers for each category fell the following year as well – albeit by smaller margins.
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