Pa. House Republicans introduce anti-crime bills as party pushes crime wave narrative
As former President Donald Trump paints a bleak picture of crime in America in his campaign to return to the White House, Pennsylvania House Republicans on Monday announced they plan to introduce a package of wide-ranging anti-crime bills.
During a press conference in the state Capitol's Main Rotunda, lawmakers outlined the first piece of their four-part plan, which focuses on crime prevention.
The other three aspects, which House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler said lawmakers will detail in coming weeks, involve policing, prosecuting and punishing criminals.
"Public safety is a human right, and one of the main responsibilities of government is to keep people safe," Cutler, of Drumore Township, said. "And the effects of violent crime have been deep in our communities."
One proposal outlined Monday , introduced by state Rep. Craig Williams of Delaware County, would create an advisory committee at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to promote "crime stopper" programs led locally by nonprofits. Lancaster County Crime Stoppers , for example, is run by citizen volunteers working to reward anonymous police tipsters.
The second proposal , introduced by state Rep. Valerie Gaydos of Allegheny County, would establish a statewide framework for launching neighborhood watch programs and training their volunteers.
The GOP push on crime comes despite the Federal Bureau of Investigation finding in its most recent Uniform Crime Reporting data that violent crime reports decreased nationally by about 10.3% from the first six months of 2024 compared to 2023. Specifically, the FBI found that reported murders dropped by 22.7%, cases of rape by 17.7%, robberies by 13.6% and aggravated assaults by 8.1%.
Those statistics come after a spike in nationwide crime during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Williams on Monday said statistics showing crime is down are "great fallacies" and claimed people are underreporting crimes out of fear of facing retaliation.
House Republicans cited a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that found just 11% of the state's law enforcement agencies participate in the FBI's three-year-old National Incident-Based Reporting System .
While reporting to the FBI database is inconsistent, state law requires local police departments to report crime data to the Pennsylvania State Police every month or risk the loss of funding and grant opportunities. That data shows crime statewide this year has consistently fallen month-by-month compared to last year .
As of August, violent crime offenses in Pennsylvania dropped 26% between 2023 and 2024. Murders declined 32%, rapes 34%, robberies 22% and assaults 27%.
Political points
Trump has accused his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, of being soft on crime during her time as district attorney of San Francisco and attorney general of California.
Similar attacks have trickled down into local races, now reaching Harrisburg.
Democrats looking to defend their slim one-seat majority in the state House are eying Williams and Gaydos as potentially vulnerable Republicans this year, according to Spotlight PA .
While Cutler is not facing a Democratic opponent this year, he's charged with helping the party win a majority in the chamber through his position as party leader. He said Monday that House Democrats "have taken a position that is easy on crime."
House Democrats declined to comment on the Republicans' legislation.
