GUEST COLUMN
(Brett Sutton) – When Nevada’s Legislature decided to adopt California-style criminal justice reforms in 2019, there were plenty of reasons to think it would spell trouble for Nevada’s residents and businesses. Now, after a few years, it should be unsurprising that our crime rates are beginning to mirror that of California.
Recent examples from across the state demonstrate the way our struggle with crime is more than mere numbers on some FBI statistics report. A couple in Reno reportedly had their business repeatedly burglarized with no arrests made, despite clear surveillance video of the suspects and the getaway cars. A small business in Las Vegas has been targeted four times over the last year by thieves — again, reportedly with no arrests despite ample surveillance video of the events.
Indeed, local headlines are dominated by such stories in much the same way national headlines are dominated by California’s ongoing struggle with flash mob thefts, drug activity and violent crime.
Unfortunately, in both states, recent reforms haven’t been focused on better policing in an effort to keep citizens and business owners safe — they’ve been focused on reducing prison populations by adopting increasingly lenient penalties for criminal behavior.
In 2019, Nevada passed Assembly Bill 236, which upped the threshold for felony theft from $650 worth of stolen goods to $1,200. At the time, Democratic Assembly Leader Steve Yeager justified the increase during an interview with Nevada Newsmakers by lamenting the fact that someone stealing an iPhone might otherwise be convicted of a felony and be sentenced to a longer sentence.
California, of course, has long been the trailblazer in policies aimed at giving criminals more leniency within the legal system — with tragic and predictable results.
In 2023, a convicted felon who had a long history of armed robbery, weapons charges and prior felonies was released after serving a mere six months of his five-year sentence through a program that awards convicted felons “time credits” and allows them to return to their local communities under the supervision of local police departments.
He ended up gunning down a young Selma police officer in broad daylight shortly after his release, bringing national attention to the obvious consequences of California’s failed criminal justice reforms.
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp is one of the few outspoken public officials in that state to directly call out Governor Gavin Newsom and the state’s Legislature for their role in creating an environment for such criminal activity to thrive.
“The governor and certain members of the California Legislature have created a warped system,” Smittcamp argued after the shooting.
The system in California has, indeed, been warped — and, unfortunately, over the last several years there have been a great many politicians in Nevada eager to emulate that warped system here in the Silver State.
On Jan. 10, Smittcamp will join Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks in a Reno town hall to discuss what lessons Nevadans can learn from California’s overzealous attempts to reform the criminal justice system. It’s the type of discussion that is needed now more than ever as Nevada’s crime rates continue to buck the national trend and climb faster than the U.S. average.
Before we blindly follow in the footsteps of a state known for its “progressive” criminal justice reforms, we should first ask what role those policies have played in the state’s struggle to keep its businesses, residents and communities safe. After all, if we’re not prepared to endure California-style levels of crime, why would we look at The Golden State as anything other than a warning?
Brett Sutton is a board member of Keystone Corporation and an attorney and mediator whose practice is focused on labor and employment law.
7 Worst Habits of Highly Unelectable People
- Picking the wrong race
- Picking the wrong district
- Picking the wrong issues
- Picking the wrong time
- Picking the wrong consultants
- Picking unnecessary fights with the media
- Picking door-knocking over fundraising
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“I don’t understand much about politics…” – Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 1/2/20
Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com. You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com. His views are his own.
