CNN Panel Agrees It ‘Doesn’t Feel Like Crime Is Down’ Despite New FBI Report Harris Is Celebrating

CNN host Kasie Hunt and her panelists agreed on Tuesday that data may show major crime is down, but it does not “feel” that way in numerous cities.

The FBI released new crime data on Monday, showing that violent crime decreased by 3% in 2023 compared to the prior year. Violent crimes like murder, rape, assaults, and hate crimes decreased in 2023 while vehicle theft rose by more than 12% for the year.

In a statement released Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris declared that Americans are “safer” today than when she and President Joe Biden took office.

“Today’s new data submitted to the FBI confirms that our dedicated efforts and collaborative partnerships with law enforcement are working; Americans are safer now than when we took office,” she said.

Hunt and others agreed on Tuesday’s CNN This Morning, however, that many voters don’t share Harris’s feelings on crime.

CNN political commentator Karen Finney said the “challenge” of celebrating decreases in crime is that in cities like Washington D.C., crime is a daily concern for residents.

“I think it is important to talk about the declines in violent crime. The challenge though, I think on the issue is, whereas those statistics are correct, in our daily lives, we’re still like, I hear in D.C., we‘ve got carjackings. We’ve got people getting mugged and then middle of the day,” Finney said.

“It doesn’t feel like crime is down in a lot of places,” Hunt responded in agreement, later noting she’s been warned about renting certain vehicles because they will be more appealing to car jackers in the city.

Republican strategist Brad Todd earlier argued Harris would be wise to avoid crime becoming a central issue to her campaign. CNN political commentator Jonah Goldberg also pointed to Covid as the thing that “upset the apple cart” and argued it changed how crime was dealt with by police on a daily basis and things still haven’t evened out.

Axios correspondent Alex Thompson argued spikes in numerous crimes during the Covid-19 pandemic is likely fueling people’s feelings about crime as statistics are gradually moving back to pre-pandemic levels.

“The other thing I think the reason why the feeling is because you saw a huge spike during Covid and the fact is that we‘ve seen a steady decline, but now crime is only about back to where it was in 2019, which is why I think that the vibes, the feeling is because we have this spike because of the pandemic,” he said.

Check out the exchange below:

KAREN FINNEY: “Whereas those statistics are correct in our daily lives, we’re still — like I hear in D.C., we’ve got carjackings, we’ve got, you know, people getting mugged in the middle of the day.”

KASIE HUNT: “It doesn’t feel like crime is down.”

FINNEY: Exactly. I agree, but we should say if murder rates are down, that is a good thing. But it is the crime that we interact with on a more day to day basis that I think makes us feel like it’s not down, and I think that’s the challenge. And the problem with talking about that at the presidential contest level is that’s really about what’s going on in cities and states. One of the things that President Biden did do is put more police on the streets. Kamala Harris was part of that, but hat’s having mixed effect, I think, in different communities.”

ALEX THOMPSON: “Well, and the statistics did show that carjackings were one of the types of crime that did go up in 2023. The other thing, I think the reason why the feeling is because you saw a huge spike during Covid. And the fact is that we’ve seen a steady decline, but now crime is only about back to where it was in 2019, which is why I think that the vibes, the feeling is because we have this spike because of the pandemic.”

HUNT: “And, Jonah, it matters not just what’s going on in your own community and what you personally experience, but also what you read about, what you’re consuming via news media or on TikTok on your phone and there is — I mean, car jackings are one that, I mean, I get warnings not to rent certain classes of cars because they get stolen all the time.”

Watch above via CNN.