Within minutes of his inauguration Monday, new Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe unleashed a volley of orders targeting crime. The tone-setting move reflects a national trend. After a period of relaxed sentencing laws, a tough-on-crime approach is back in political favor in the U.S. Republicans and Democrats alike are promoting anti-crime initiatives as a new year of lawmaking gets underway in state capitols. That comes after voters in several states approved ballot measures in the fall imposing stricter penalties for crimes ranging from shoplifting to deadly drug dealing. Kehoe, a Republican who cruised to election, took the oath of office at noon. Soon afterward, Kehoe said he issued orders aimed at capturing dangerous fugitives, boosting pay for veteran state law enforcement officers and training them to assist federal immigration authorities. He also said he ordered immigration-status data to be collected on people facing criminal charges. “Too many Missourians don’t feel safe, and too many Missourians aren’t safe,” Kehoe said. “When people are afraid for their lives and their family, they cannot be productive, and they will not prosper.” In some states like Missouri, the anti-crime measures are intertwined with efforts to crack down on those living in the U.S. illegally, mirroring an emphasis of President-elect Donald Trump. Many also propose tougher penalties for trafficking fentanyl, a synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually in the U.S. Other measures go beyond that. Some seek stricter sentences for sexual offenses involving children, violent crimes or retail theft rings, which have gained attention from social media videos showing shoplifting crews rampaging through stores. In Maryland, Democratic state Sen. Ron Watson is sponsoring legislation he said would let prosecutors file felony charges against everyone involved in a group theft if the total value exceeds $1,500, even if each person stole less than that. Criminals “have become emboldened because they can get away with things and pretty much get a slap on the wrist,” Watson said. “Violent or nonviolent, a crime is a crime. And that crime needs to be punished.” Drug crimes in the spotlight Utah state Rep. Matthew Gwynn, a Republican, is among many lawmakers targeting fentanyl traffickers. Gwynn said his bill would impose heftier penalties for selling large quantities of illicit fentanyl than for other drugs like heroin and methamphetamine. The federal government and many states have backed away from 1980s policies that imposed harsher sentences on crack cocaine than powder cocaine, as civil rights activists noted a disproportionate impact on minorities. But Gwynn, who is police chief of the Salt Lake City suburb of Roy, said sentencing enhancements for fentanyl are justified. “I believe fentanyl to be almost terroristic in nature because of the amount of people it can kill,” Gwynn said. Many types of crimes rose during the coronavirus pandemic. More recently, the rates of violent crimes and many property crimes have trended back down, though shoplifting remains above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank. But people’s sense of security isn’t necessarily tied to statistics. High-profile crimes such as the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, the burning of a woman on the New York subway or the fatal shooting of a health insurance executive outside a New York City hotel can impact perceptions of public safety. “When you […]