Washington State Sets Record for Annual Number of Murders
Washington state experienced a record-high number of murders in 2022, according to a report by the Washington Sheriffs and Police Chief (WASPC).
According to WASPC, 394 murders were committed in the state during the year 2022. This is a 17 percent increase from 2021 and a whopping 96 percent increase since 2019. The report also showed that Washington experienced an 8.5 percent increase in violent crime, an 18 percent increase in robberies, and a substantial increase in the number of stolen cars.
Washington’s record-breaking levels of crime can largely be attributed to the state’s “defund the police” efforts that exponentially increased since the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020. In 2021 the Seattle City Council voted to cut nearly 20 percent of the city’s police department budget. This vote was largely due to the pressure put on state politicians by activists who accused the police force of being systemically racist.
“Countless videos of black and brown lives lost here in Seattle and across the country shows us that not everyone feels safe in our community, and not everyone is safe,” Seattle City Council President M. Lorena González said back in 2020. “When I look back in this moment of time, I want to be able to tell my daughter, who I’m currently holding in my arms, that I did the right thing and that I voted on the right side of history.”
Washington has consistently ranked last in the country for law enforcement staffing for the last 13 years.
Last January, President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, Mike Solan explained in an interview with The Post Millennial that a substantial portion of the police force in the state has been quitting because of legislation enacted that restricts them from enforcing the law.
“Crime is here to stay, unfortunately,” Solan said, “Since 2020, we’ve lost 500 cops and counting, and I think that’s a recipe for disaster, which is the impetus in my view of crime sweeping this city.”
