Great Lakes Wire

A recent survey conducted by OnePoll found that residents in Michigan and across the nation are increasingly concerned about crime. 

The poll found that 52% of Americans feel concerned about their personal safety on a daily basis, even in their own homes, as reported by Study Finds.

The top four instances that people report feeling afraid in are dark streets, unfamiliar neighborhoods, parking garages, and hailing a ride or taxi. Over 40% of people polled said they do not feel safe when they are home alone.

A Gallup poll conducted in early 2022 revealed that 72% of Americans were dissatisfied with the country's policies to reduce or control crime.

In response to these increasing fears, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced a bill that would "clarify and strengthen violent crime laws," according to a news release from his office. These crimes include murder, carjacking, bank robbery, and kidnapping. Grassley and 24 Republican colleagues recently urged Congress to pass the bill. 

"Crime is skyrocketing in communities across the country," Grassley said in the news release. "Carjackings, homicides, attacks on law enforcement are all up. We have a duty to ensure that penalties for federal offenses serve as a deterrent and that any ambiguity from split court decisions is rectified so that perpetrators can be held accountable.

"Unfortunately, we don't yet have bipartisan support to advance these modest, but meaningful, reforms. American communities are suffering under a scourge of lawlessness, so I hope we get some cooperation soon and I'll keep reaching across the aisle to get it."

There were 478 violent crimes in 2020 for every 100,000 people in Michigan, according to The Center Square. This number represents the third-highest violent crime rate in the Midwest and the 10th-highest nationwide. The violent crime rate in the state climbed by 9.3% from 2019 to 2020 – nearly double the national increase of 5%. 

Violence in Michigan tends to be highly concentrated in certain cities, such as the Detroit metro area, where there were 1,088 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2020. "The Detroit metro area alone accounted for nearly 40% of all 47,641 violent crimes committed in Michigan" during that year, The Center Square noted.