As a wife and mother living in mid-country Greenwich, I am increasingly worried about the safety of my family. Two neighbors have been burglarized recently, and ring cameras have recorded other attempted break-ins. Residents in other parts of the 149th district tell me they are also gravely concerned about rising crime in their neighborhoods. I want to be sure our dedicated police officers have reasonable tools to protect our community, and this is one reason I am enthusiastically supporting Tina Courpas for State Representative.
After only two years in office, Democrat incumbent Rachel Khanna has established a clear record of eroding the safety of our community and making the job of our dedicated police force more difficult. Ms. Khanna voted AGAINST a bill requiring violent criminals under the age of 18 to be fingerprinted in the case of violent crimes such as murder, rape, aggravated assault of another minor and home invasions. (Under current state law they are not required to be.) Tina Courpas would have voted FOR this bill. Ms. Khanna voted AGAINST an amendment which would have restored police officers’ ability to request consent to search a car they reasonably believe has illegal weapons, drugs, contraband or other evidence of a crime. A longtime tool for officers investigating and preventing crimes, Tina Courpas would have voted FOR this amendment. Ms. Khanna voted AGAINST “An Act Strengthening the Protections against and Response to Domestic Violence”, which would have added murder committed during a family violence crime to the list of “Special Category” murders. Tina Courpas would have voted FOR this amendment. Domestic violence is the #1 violent crime in Greenwich.
Democrats weaponized their anti-police animus in “An Act Concerning Police Accountability” (July 2020), which expanded the civil and criminal liability of police officers and created an environment where officers may avoid enforcement actions for fear of a lawsuit or criminal conviction. Since then, Democrats have taken several additional steps to prioritize criminals over law-abiding residents, correctional officers and public safety workers. These include shifting inmates’ costs onto taxpayers, relaxing punishment by expanding compassionate release, shielding non-citizens convicted of serious misdemeanors from Federal deportation, and overburdening our corrections officers by giving prisoners a general right to have at least 6.5 hours a day outside their cells.
The results? Unsurprisingly, crime has been increasing statewide while arrests have lagged. Between 2013 and 2022, murders are up 46% and motor vehicle thefts are up 14%. (Connecticut’s total population has grown 8/10ths of a percent in that time.) Traffic stops have declined 39% between 2019 and 2022, and overall arrests are 21% below pre-pandemic levels. The State Police is operating at 73% of recommended staffing levels, with retiree projections well ahead of recruitment.
As troubling as these trends are, the Democratic majority (with whom Rachel Khanna votes 98% of the time) continues to advance extreme progressive legislation that would further undermine law enforcement. House Democrats have repeatedly moved to prohibit our police from pulling drivers over for certain “secondary” motor vehicle violations, such as taillight, headlight, license plate or registration infractions, which erode the safety of our roadways. They have also proposed expanding “clean slate” criminal record erasure to include egregious felonies such as 2nd degree assault with a firearm, 3rd degree child pornography, and failure to register as a sex offender. The Democratic majority has also sought to exclude consideration of violent criminal history from tenant screening processes, creating a risk to other tenants. These have not yet been codified, due to staunch Republican opposition, but the Democratic majority keeps trying.
All Connecticut residents deserve to feel safe on the streets, and especially in their homes. Please join me in voting for Tina Courpas for State Representative in the 149th District.
Lucia D. Jansen, resident of the 149th District
