Murders Spike to All-Time Highs in Democrat-Run US Cities

Philadelphia, which recorded the highest number of the 12, had more than 500 homicides in 2021, the most it's had since its previous record homicide year in 1990. Of the dozen cities, five broke records set in 2020. At least three, including Philadelphia, Louisville, Ky., and Portland, Ore., were the site of mass protests and riots following the murder of George Floyd and the police shooting of Breonna Taylor. All have Democratic mayors.

Former law enforcement officials have suggested the homicides are due to the dwindling number of police officers, declines in arrests, and the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Retirements by law enforcement officers rose 45 percent from 2020 to 2021. And the FBI reported in September that the United States saw its largest yearly increase in homicides ever—a 30 percent jump since 2020. FBI crime data also show arrests are down nationwide. In 2020, there were only 7.63 million arrests, the fewest in 25 years.

"Nobody's getting arrested anymore," Robert Boyce, a retired chief of detectives for the NYPD, told ABC News. "People are getting picked up for gun possession and they're just let out over and over again."

The problem of declining arrests comes on the heels of efforts made by progressive district attorneys who favor diversionary programs and community-building to locking up criminal defendants. The attorneys criticize the use of cash bail in the justice system, which they say criminalizes poverty.