Remember hearing all the terrible news about Phoenix being the kidnapping capital of America?
After all that hype, it looks like the Phoenix Police Department inflated numbers for “border-related” incidents in an attempt to win $1.7 million in grant money from the federal government.
The attempt appears to have been to benefit from deception, but we wonder how the money was worth the damage. The statistics were repeated by politicians and officials all across the country and undoubtedly hurt the Valley’s reputation as a great travel destination.
Let’s be honest, when vacation time rolls around and you have a whole country to fly to, would you consider the place you know to be the “kidnapping capital of America?” Not likely. Unfortunately the Phoenix Police Department didn’t seem to care about this.
With big-name attractions like Spring Training, the nearby Grand Canyon and Sedona, as well as the lovely weather, there’s no reason to let lies steer people away.
This deception will only make it harder to make a case for this state on the national level. As a result, our economy suffers from this lack of foresight by those in power.
By dubbing Phoenix the “kidnapping capital of America” tourists are less likely to come to the state.
This is not the first time that Arizona has shot itself in the foot, either. Last year after Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., called for an economic boycott of his own state because of the law. People have chastised him for being irresponsible and accused him of hurting his own state.
The same can be said for those who decided to inflate the kidnapping statistics at the Phoenix Police Department. How is it fair to other states that need the money more than we do? Certainly our situation is exceptional due to our position on the border, but if we are not the “kidnapping capital of America” then we should gladly renounce that title and the money that goes with it.
Yes, the money may be desperately needed, but the dishonesty that went into trying to get it cannot be rewarded. Phoenix cannot be seen trying to cheat other cities or states out of valuable money at a time when states are aching for assistance from the federal government.
Aside from making our way into national headlines once again, this also sets a dangerous precedent for the immigration debate that rages in Arizona.
The very real possibility exists that lawmakers may use these fudged statistics to push for further, more extreme immigration laws like the ones that would mandate proof of citizenship when registering children for school or being admitted to a hospital — both of which have made an appearance in the current legislative session.
We deserve to be able to trust the information we hear about our home. This kind of damage to our image and credibility is nothing short of irresponsible.
