As a victim of a violent crime myself, I intimately understand the harm that crime has on our society.  Our state government cannot look at the state police as a place to balance the budget with cuts, nor should our gang enforcement programs be on the cutting room floor.  We know that a poor economy correlates with higher crime rates, so it is particularly necessary to prioritize public safety when the economy is contracting.  It is also apparent that this was the wrong time to disregard the will of the voters by suspending mandatory minimum sentences for property crimes.  Although government often does not value prosecuting property crimes, numerous studies show that prosecuting EVERY crime helps reduce ALL types of crime.  It remains a problem, preventing and prosecuting crime is a core function of state and local government, and that obligation simply cannot be ignored.
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