In My Opinion: Crime By The Numbers

By enabling Lawlessness, you're allowing future Lawlessness

Most of the information I will present comes from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting data.

In 2022, Bangor saw zero homicides. In 2023, there was one. In 2024, there were five homicides!

Lawlessness breeds Lawlessness. By enabling certain behavior, other nefarious

entities see opportunities. This is why we've seen an uptick in drug dealers coming from

Mass, Conn, and NY. If the policies don't change, it's not a matter of if, it's when gangs like

MS-13 will establish a presence in our city. If you think I’m being an alarmist, look and see who the Border Patrol arrested in Rangeley, May of this year.

For the previous statistics, I went back five years. Now I'm going back ten. From 2015 on, there were no kidnappings. Then 2022 came around. Since then, we have not had one, not two, but seven reported kidnappings!!!!

And with the drug trade comes property crimes. Bangor has one of the highest property

theft rates in the state. In fact, Bangor is well above the national average.

Look at the arrest data for the Penobscot County Jail. A few years back, you would see

possession charges. Now I'm not making light of these charges-it's still illegal, but NOW

you're seeing aggravated trafficking. This is not the college kid selling a few party drugs

as a side hustle. These are hard-core drug dealers with guns and little sense of morality.

Meaning they will kill you grave-yard dead and think nothing of it.

Our police men and women are not social workers, and although the BCAT team takes

many calls off their backs, they don't take them all. Our police would be better served in

community policing, stopping crime before it starts.

Our crime is rising!

Our drug issues are increasing!

And criminal elements are making their way to our city!