2024: The year voters restored law and order.

In 2024, law and order regained popularity in the U.S., as voters rejected progressive district attorneys' soft-on-crime policies and voted to increase police budgets, which had been reduced by the defund police movement.

In November, the progressive crime agenda, largely backed by liberal megadonor George Soros, faced a series of significant losses, as voters rejected progressive prosecutors and their lenient policies, which contributed to the rise of crime in the U.S. As a result, alleged drug dealers, thieves, and repeat offenders were released back into society within hours of their arrests.

The rejection of soft-on-crime policies

In November, Prop 36 was approved by California voters with every county supporting the measure that aimed to reinstate strict drug and theft penalties.

In Los Angeles, District Attorney George Gascón, who was backed by Soros, lost to former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman in the election, with crime being a major concern for voters.

In 2020, Gascón was appointed to office during a time of reckoning over police misconduct and calls for criminal justice reform. His directives, including the abolition of cash bail, the refusal to seek the death penalty, and the refusal to prosecute underage defendants charged with violent crimes as adults, resulted in two recall attempts as voters accused him of allowing criminals to run wild in the city.

Gascón's policies were perceived as a "middle finger" to crime victims by residents. According to Cully Stimson, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation and co-author of "Rogue Prosecutors," the progressive prosecutor movement's "Achilles heel" is the "invalidity and lack of common sense" that leads to rising crime rates.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was recalled, despite her soft-on-crime approach, less than two years after taking office.

Oakland Democratic Mayor Sheng Thao, who faced criticism from her constituents due to rising crime, was removed from office following a successful recall effort with 65% of the vote.

In San Francisco, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins won the election, defeating Ryan Khojasteh, who was backed by former district attorney Chesa Boudin. Meanwhile, San Francisco's Mayor London Breed lost her re-election campaign as crime remained a major concern for voters.

In Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties, Georgia, District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez was removed from her position by 20%. This occurred in the same county where nursing student Laken Riley was allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant who had been arrested and then released prior to the crime.

In May, Nathan Vasquez, a longtime prosecutor in Oregon, defeated his boss, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, in a nonpartisan primary election. Vasquez ran on a tough-on-crime platform and received endorsements from several police groups, crime victims, and business owners. Residents in the City of Roses were frustrated with Schmidt's revolving door policies, which they believed were exacerbating crime and creating a sense of lawlessness. Vasquez's victory was seen as a victory for those who believe that Americans are finally turning away from the woke left's approach to crime.

Since 2022, the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund's policy director, Sean Kennedy, has identified approximately 75 Soros-linked prosecutors. Out of this number, over 30 have left office, while 20 have been replaced by traditional district attorneys.

The end of the defund police movement

In response to protesters' calls to "defund" or "dismantle" police departments in 2020, local and federal politicians enacted legislation to shift police funds to other organizations and alter police tactics following George Floyd's murder with the goal of reforming the criminal justice system.

As crime rates increased, Americans pushed back, and now, four years later, some residents are frustrated with the state of crime and are seeking more power and funding for law enforcement in the 2024 election.

In November, Colorado voters approved a ballot referendum that allocated $350 million of the state's budget for law enforcement recruitment, training, and retention. Prior to this, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston had reduced the police department's budget by $8 million in order to fund programs for the increasing number of migrants arriving in the city.

Proposition 314 in Arizona legalized crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally as a state crime, in addition to being a federal crime, and granted police officers greater authority to arrest those who do so.

In Dallas, Texas, voters supported pro-law enforcement initiatives by passing Proposition U, which received more than 50% of the vote and aims to increase funding for the police department, mandating it to maintain a force of 4,000 officers.

In Burlington, Vermont, community leaders are actively seeking ways to increase the city's police presence and improve police resources after the force was partially defunded in 2020.

The Fraternal Order of Police's national vice president, Joe Gamaldi, stated that the renewed funding is a positive step to demonstrate support for law enforcement, ensure they are adequately funded, and provide them with the necessary resources to perform their duties.

In response to the defund police movement, voters have shown their support for law enforcement through their actions.

This report was contributed to by Audrey Conklin, Michael Dorgin, Andrew Mark Miller, and Christina Coulter from Planet Chronicle.