Truth Watch: Thomas Stith’s Misleading Mailer

DURHAM – Thomas Stith's campaign mail piece accuses Mayor Bill Bell of not having a clue on fighting crime, but the reality belies the claims made in the piece.

"Thomas knows what the facts are but has chosen to ignore them for the sake of his campaign," Mayor Bell said. "This piece is delusional, particularly coming from someone who has sat on the city council for longer than I have. He claims he is running against the status quo when in reality, he IS the status quo."

According to the latest police stats, violent crime is down more than 10 percent in Durham since last year. Robbery is down 18 percent. Aggravated assaults are down, as well.

Since Mayor Bell took office in December 2001, crime has dropped:

Murder: Down 11 percent
Robbery: Down 19 percent
Violent Crime: Down 5 percent
Property Crime: Down 11 percent
Overall: Down 10 percent

CLAIM: "Durham's total crime risk is twice the national average."

TRUTH: Stith omits the fact the "national average" he references includes municipalities of all sizes – including small rural communities – not cities the size of Durham.

MORE TRUTH: According to the FBI, Durham's per capita violent crime rate continues to be below the average of cities of similar size, like Richmond, Va., and Rochester, NY. Additionally, the FBI admits Durham's 2006 data cannot be fairly compared to previous years' data because of improvements made to Durham's reporting structure. (Federal Bureau of Investigation Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, January-December 2006)

CLAIM: "Growing Gang Problem with an estimated 1000 percent growth in gang participation since Bell was sworn in as Mayor."

TRUTH: The only reason we know how many young people are even in a gang is because of the enhanced (Gang Net) database enacted during Mayor Bell's tenure in 2004. Prior to his taking office, the police had no way to accurately say how many gang members there were, so Stith's "estimated 1000 percent growth" is calculated by starting essentially at zero.

CLAIM: "Thomas is the only candidate who has offered a real plan to fight crime, curb gang violence, and reduce illegal drugs in our communities."

TRUTH: Stith's ‘plan' is a regurgitation of many of the crime-fighting policies Mayor Bell has had in place for years. And Stith offers no explanation for how he'll pay for new officers and new programs. Will he raise taxes? Will he cut existing programs?

CLAIM: "A new get-tough stand from city hall to fight crime"

TRUTH: Mayor Bell and the Durham Police have worked hard to fight crime – upgrading key systems, deploying innovative new approaches, and enacting critical data management strategies that have improved transparency and accountability. Under Mayor Bell's leadership, the police have re-deployed in Durham to target the neighborhoods where they are most needed – fighting crime on a block-by-block basis.

CLAIM: "More police officers on our streets."

TRUTH: When Thomas Stith had an opportunity to put more police on our streets earlier this year, he voted AGAINST it. He voted against a budget that would have added 12 new police officers and declined to offer an explanation for his vote against funding 12 new police officers. (Source: Durham City Council Minutes, 06/18/2007)

CLAIM: "Strict enforcement policies to curb gang violence." "Intensify specialized police teams focused on gangs." "Prosecute gangs under federal RICO laws." "Gang intervention programs for young teens."

TRUTH: During Mayor Bell's term as mayor, Durham is already pursuing a three-point approach: Intervention, Prevention, and Enforcement to deal with gangs. During Mayor Bell's tenure, the police department has created a database of gang members to assist police in identifying suspects, flushing out accomplices, and prosecuting repeat offenders.

MORE TRUTH: Mayor Bell insisted that the police department report back to the council on violent crime and gang activities more regularly so that the public would get a more complete picture of the criminal and gang situation in Durham.

MORE TRUTH: Under Mayor Bell's leadership, Durham pursues gang prosecutions through every available legal channel, working with the FBI and state authorities to ensure criminals get what they deserve. Durham police and prosecutors feel strongly that prosecuting local gang members under RICO laws requires far more time and money than is needed for this level of crime. Rather than waste taxpayer money, we're achieving the same high level of justice by working with several task forces of federal, state and local law enforcement officials.

MORE TRUTH: Mayor Bell created a Mayor's Summer Youth Work Program that helps gets approximately 400 youth jobs in the community during the summer – introducing many of them for the first time to the world of work and getting them off the streets and giving them experience and skills they'll use to stay off them.

William V. Bell Campaign Committee
P.O. Box 12535
Durham, NC 27709
(919) 768-2398