Two Detroit police officers are being hailed as heroes for stopping a kidnapping during a routine traffic stop. Quick thinking and good police work on the part of the officers led to four siblings, ages 5 to 11, being rescued.

After pulling over a car for running a red light, the driver told the officers that she was in a hurry to get the kids to school. Upon questioning, however, the woman could not tell the officers which school the children attended.

Sensing something amiss, the officer asked the woman to exit the vehicle. The officers then asked the eldest child in the car if they knew the woman. The child shook his head “NO!” in response, confirming the officers’ suspicions that something was very wrong. 

Thank goodness these children knew to trust police officers rather than fear them.

These four young children are now home safe thanks to the good instincts and work of Officers Flannel and Parrish of Detroit’s Eighth Precinct.

The woman had also stolen the car in which she was attempting to kidnap the four children. Detroit police arrested and charged 37-year-old Stephanie Marie Binder:

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, 37-year-old Stephanie Marie Binder is charged with four counts of kidnapping — child enticement, four counts of unlawful imprisonment, one count of unlawfully driving away of an automobile and one count of receiving and concealing stolen property — motor vehicle.

Sadly, this type of crime happens all too often in the failed city of Detroit. 

Detroit Is Crime City

The once-great city of Detroit has unfortunately become a failed metropolis riddled with crime and broken promises.

In fact, the Motor City is the second most violent city in the country with 2,248.4 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, behind only Memphis.

Detroit’s crime rate increased 10.25% from 2019 when authorities reported 13,034 violent crimes. Some more of Detroit’s chilling crime 2020 stats

  • Murders rose 19% (328 murders total)
  • Aggravated Assault rose 21.7% (11,518 total)
  • 676 rapes
  • 1,484 robberies

Crime rose nationally in 2020 amid calls from the media and activists to “Defund the Police.” Cities across the nation cut police budgets falling outcries. But crime skyrocketed. Politicians in Detroit have proposed cutting up to $39 million from the budget and reallocating it to address “root causes of crime.”

But voters have largely rejected efforts to cut police funding. Minneapolis, where protests around the death of George Floyd sparked a global movement, soundly rejected a proposal to completely dismantle the local police department

In my opinion, these “Defund the Police” movements are causing more harm than good. The solution is not to dismantle law enforcement and hamstring them in what they can do.

Here in California, where local prosecutors have openly said they will not prosecute petty theft, looters are ransacking stores and malls on a weekly basis. 

Defunding the police won’t lead to reductions in crime, it is only emboldening criminals to continue to offend. We are turning our great cities into boarded-up wastelands in the name of political correctness and slogans.

The backlash will be fierce as well. Voters are going to elect politicians who will be tougher on crime than ever before. And the cycle will repeat itself. 

More Jobs, Less Jail

Here’s a thought: let’s create more opportunities for people to avoid a life of crime. Make it easier for people to get jobs, start businesses, and own homes here in America.

The same people who complain about the “root causes of crime” often support licensing and criminalization of everyday life, turning people just trying to make a living into petty criminals.

And let’s stop denigrating work in this country and start listening to Mike Rowe. Every politician, from federal to local, should be forced to sit in a Mike Rowe lecture on the value of skilled trades.

Why aren’t we teaching trades to more kids in school?

Not every kid needs to be learning about mitochondria or the War of 1812. College shouldn’t be a barrier to earning a good living. There are so many good jobs out there that pay well and offer security without requiring four more years of sitting in an academic classroom. 

Encourage America’s youth learn to work with their hands AND their minds. Imagine what this country might be like if more students graduated high school armed with the skills to earn a living?

Read next: Mike Rowe Says America Takes Essential Work ‘For Granted’ – Here’s Why We Have 11 Million Open Jobs

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