The geography of crime in four US cities Perceptions and reality

Chicago’s recent mayoral primary — in which “tough-on-crime” candidate Paul Vallas beat incumbent Lori Lightfoot to advance to an unprecedented runoff — divided many on the left and prompted some to declare the election as a new referendum on the politics of crime. Indeed, Chicago is far from the only U.S. city where crime is dominating local politics, with mayoral races from Denver to Philadelphia to Akron, Ohio all consumed by issues of public safety. Hanna Love Senior Research Associate – Brookings Metro Twitter hannamlove Tracy Hadden Loh Fellow – Brookings Metro, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for…