Criminologist In Scott Walker Ad Says Governor 'Misrepresented' His Views

[kpete]

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) most memorable -- and controversial -- recall ad is one that goes after Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) for a scandal where violent crimes in the city were underreported. But a criminologist quoted in that ad says the governor misrepresented his views and is "absolutely wrong" to blame the mayor for the problem.

"This 2-year-old spent six days in intensive care after being severely beaten," says the Walker ad's narrator. "But Tom Barrett’s police department didn’t consider it a violent crime." The ad then shows crime statistics and asserts "violent crime is up" in Milwaukee.

The ad is based on an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that found more than 500 incidents since 2009 "were misreported to the FBI as minor assaults and not included in the city's violent crime rate." It was enough of a difference to mean that Milwaukee's violent crime rate had gone up, not down, as public officials were touting.

Sam Walker, a criminology professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, was quoted in the piece saying the scandal raised questions about the Milwaukee Police Department's procedures.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/02/scott-walker-ad-criminologist_n_1564717.html

[WillyT]

1. K & R !!!