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Maryland Today | Commentary: Fighting crime requires local, data-driven…

While combating violent crime may be a national priority, real solutions are not being found at the national level – or even at the citywide level. In a new essay in NewsweekThomas Abt, Director of the University of Maryland Center for Violence Reduction and associate professor of research in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, writes, for example, that in most U.S. cities, half of all murders occur on 3% of streets.

[UMD, White House Representative Address Gun Violence Reduction Efforts]

That means local decision makers need data and a deep understanding of the specific places and people that crime-fighting efforts should focus on – a reality that requires science-based, community-focused local strategies, he argues.

According to a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris poll, voters rank “crime and drugs” as one of the most important problems facing the country. It's no wonder, then, that candidates from both parties are struggling to appeal to Americans on crime. “Make America Safe Again” was the theme of the second day of the Republican National Convention, and Democrats have hailed the recent drop in violent crime as a victory for the Biden-Harris administration.

Unfortunately, these national conversations often ignore a critical factor in reducing crime: local, fact-based, community-based solutions.

Public safety is heavily influenced by local politics, history, economics, culture, and populations. This means we need locally tailored solutions that work from the bottom up. Fortunately, several overarching principles, grounded in reliable research and data, can guide local actors in developing and implementing solutions that are most effective for their own communities.

Read the rest In News week.

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