Fraud is defined as deceit, trickery — the act of deceiving or misrepresenting. Donald Trump and the Republican Party claim crime was out of control during the Obama administration. President Trump claims that electing Democrats will increase the amount of crime. Those are just words. What do the experts and the evidence show?

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the crime rate peaked in 1993. It started sharply dropping in 1994. By 2001, it was at about half the 1993 rate. There was a drop in all areas. By 2016, the crime rate had dropped again to about half the 2001 levels. These drops occurred during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Clearly, President Trump and the Republicans are making fraudulent statements, since this information is readily available. I wonder if scaring the public is all they think they have to offer in this area.

Why are the crime rates falling in places like New York City? New York, with a Democratic mayor, has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, the lowest for big cities. The answers, they found, were not more guns but investment in a focused use of police, community involvement, significant support for individual safety nets, and a holistic approach to families struggling with poverty and other factors.