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An opinion column in the Las Vegas Sun says a mix of prevention programs, victim support, and extra resources for law enforcement has helped reduce violent crime in Pennsylvania.
The writers, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Nick Wilson from the Center for American Progress, report that violent crime has fallen 16 percent statewide and homicides are down 39 percent since Gov. Josh Shapiro took office in 2023.
They present the state’s recent bipartisan budget as a possible example for other places.
According to the column, Pennsylvania more than doubled funding for its Violence Intervention and Prevention program, raising the total to $62 million. Part of that funding is $11.5 million for a program called BOOST, which keeps young people involved in mentoring and other support activities outside regular school hours.
The authors also point to more help for people who have been harmed. The new budget includes $4.5 million for the Victims Compensation Assistance Program and adds $12 million for rape crisis centers.
State leaders have continued to push Congress for more stable federal Victims of Crime Act funding.
Prevention is only one part of the picture, the writers say. Over the last four budgets, the state has funded more than 2,000 additional local officers and state troopers. Extra grants have also gone out through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
A new program known as the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods effort, or VICTIM, receives $2.5 million in state grants plus another $1 million from a private foundation.
The goal is to help departments clear more shootings, other violent crimes, and older cold cases. The money is meant for better evidence technology, training and keeping detectives, stronger data systems, and a requirement that at least 10 percent of the funds reach smaller rural agencies.
Authors’ Broader Point
Davis and Wilson argue that supporting police and investing in communities do not have to work against each other. They note that rural counties have seen smaller drops in homicides than urban areas and say modern tools and reasonable caseloads for investigators matter. They describe the overall approach as bipartisan and potentially useful for other states.
The piece is an opinion column, so it reflects how the authors read the numbers and the policy choices that were made. Crime statistics can shift for many reasons, and different time frames or methods can produce different results.
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