Crime Rate doubles in Prince William county, despite Corey Stewart’s claims

written by Jeanine Martin February 14, 2017

Candidate for Governor and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Prince William county, Corey Stewart, claimed in a tweet this weekend that he had cut the crime rate in half in his county.

According to the Washington Post this is not factual. In 2016 the number of murders in Prince William County more than doubled. In 2015 there were 10 murders in the county in 2015 and 22 in 2016. Compare that to Fairfax county, which is three times the size of Prince William, there were 18 murders last year.

Prince William County has an interesting way to tally violent crime, from The Daily Caller:

The county government used a reporting technique that only reports the most violent crime committed during a string of offenses. For example, if someone was arrested for murder, robbery, and grand theft auto, the murder would be the only statistic recorded. The state government uses an updated system that lists each offense as a separate crime. That number reveals that violent crime went down, but only 22 percent, according to a politifact report at the time. The report also mentioned the fact that the 22 percent number was the lowest of any surrounding county, indicating that other counties had a much higher reduction in violent crime than Prince William County did in the same time frame.

Jeanine Martin

Also known as Lovettsville Lady, I am a Republican activist in the wilds of western Loudoun County.

Steve Albertson

Careful, Jeanine…reporting inconvenient facts will get you labeled “fake news” by insecure trolls who don’t like those facts.
- Rocinante
  
  Ain’t we the touchy one?
  
  Lies, damn lies, and statistics!
  
  I’ll allow the hyperbole because of Prince William rules.
  
  I would like to see the FBI regional numbers based on somebody who speaks math.
  
  What are the statistics for the counties where the other candidates got elected county-wide supervisor?
- Reinhardt Reganbacker lll
  
  Here is a fact, the best person for governor if the election were held tomorrow, Denver Riddelman.
  
  The only candidate in the race who as yet, has no stink on him. The only candidate who may not kiss the power companies ass.
  - Rocinante
    
    Yep, I’d click my heels three times if it could put Ol Riddler in as Governor, but we have that darned primary to get past.
    
    So NGH.
- Lawrence Wood
  
  A fact is a fact the problem comes in when the vast preponderance of these negative facts or acts (verified or not) are vastly and disproportionately reported on only some specific selected candidates or positions.
  
  CNN’s issue is truly the propagation of often fake news (that is actual factually incorrect positions), the NYT for example is not in the fake news business, it is more of an example of a partisan media publication that commitments fully to a single political position (Democratic progressiveism in this case) while falsely maintaining to it’s readership a veneer of impartial news and candidate coverage. TBE is clearly in the latter category (aka the NYT) which is just fine if you are willing to own up to your editorial policies and not hide behind the false espousing of political reporting neutrality.
  
  So I believe you are a little confused about what the concept of “fake news” is and is not. As an aside clearly calling out that segment of your readership that disagrees with your partisan positioning (which you have every right to publish if openly honest regarding it) as insecure trolls is not only a low class cheap shot but indicates you don’t understand the definition of internet troll either along with fake news.
  
  I have to say the kindness remark to say about your comment here is that it definitely takes a distinct tack on what I understand a “moderator” to be though I admit I don’t know the Georgetown University legal school definition of the term.
  - Steve Albertson
    
    Lawrence, let me be clear about my “low class cheap shot.” That’s aimed very squarely at a particular individual who often behaves like an internet troll and who Tweets out the “fake news” accusation every time we publish a fact he doesn’t like. Second, we publish a wide variety of opinions here, and are happy to publish anything timely, topical, and pithy you or anyone else would like to submit in support of any particular candidate or cause. I’ve even personally published things that are harshly (and unfairly) critical of me because—and this is important, so pay attention—the answer to speech you don’t like isn’t to complain, criticize, or censor…no, the answer to speech you don’t like is MORE SPEECH. That’s the only impartiality we maintain, which is a lot more than most of the mainstream news media. So, if you don’t like what we’re doing, either find someone to write things you’d like here, or start writing yourself.
    - Rocinante
      
      Part of the problem is that so many on here just don’t get subtle, not so subtle, and laser sharp barbs that we fire all over the place. Steve above had to do that one loudly, slowly, and painfully to make sure the target would ‘get it.’ Thus making my faux moral high ground sling all the more delightful.
      
      So just to make it crystal clear: TBE would kill for Lawrence Wood essays and I would kill for Lawrence Wood to run for high GOP office. (If he doesn’t like Richmond we’ll move the RPV HQ or he can be 10th District Chair.)
      - Joseph
        
        Partially. I think it is also that they do get the barbs but they are choosing to be faux outraged anyway.
        
        Any criticism is perceived as an attack. TBE has had overreactive comments launched against it no matter which candidate is discussed.
      - Rocinante
        
        Ya try and do something nice for people…
    - Lawrence Wood
      
      Just cover everyone fairly and factually with some semblance of balanced content allocation and I have no problems.Perhaps as a suggestion, you are free to accept or reject, if you in the future have an individual requiring critical input it might be best to do offline or at least not use generalized comments to do so. Your call of course.
Downstater

Your blog has pretty much turned into the “anti-Corey all the time” blog.

Why isn’t your article entitled “Despite Stewart’s Best Efforts, Crime Rises in PWC”, and then go on to detail how criminal illegal aliens handed over to ICE by co. officials during the Obama administration can now not be tracked. Also detail the huge and disproportional influx of illegals into the co. when libbies threw up roadblock after roadblock to stop enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. It might also be helpful to show stats as to economic disparity between FFX and PW, if that applies (you are the journalist here). Also show the very dramatic and rapid demographic changes in the county in the last number of years.
- Franklin Fogle
  
  Since when is reporting the news accurately by quoting facts spittle-worthy? Somehow, I cannot see how rocket science is involved in deducing that murders more-than doubled in one year: “There have been 22 homicides in Prince William in 2016, compared with 10 last year”. Perhaps if you’d read the linked-to WAPO article . . .
  - Downstater
    
    While that may be a true fact, it is the spin blaming Corey that I am pointing out, especially given his fierce stand on law and order and against illegal immigration, which was met with much interception by the previous justice dept.
  - Rocinante
    
    Since you quote the Post as a source. I no longer trust Fake News until they show me they no longer have an agenda.
    - Franklin Fogle
      
      So, you claim that everything not in agreement with your ideology is “Fake News”, and that TBE “is a sanctuary blog for Libertarian fabulists”. Okay, let’s see if you can spin this to your advantage:
      
      “MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Law enforcement officials in Prince William
      County say 2016 has been a difficult year, with an unusually high number of homicides. Twenty-two people were slain this year in the northern Virginia county, which has 450,000 residents. Last year, there were 10 homicides in Prince William”.
      
      http://wtop.com/prince-william-county/2016/12/prince-william-county-had-record-22-slayings-in-2016/
      
      As you can see, it didn’t come from The WAPO, but from Prince William County PD via the AP, so, everyone must have an agenda . . . a Libertarian agenda, and that most assuredly makes those cops Libertarian fabulists, whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.
      - Rocinante
        
        1) My initial response was to your rhetorical questions about quoting facts from news. My rhetorical answer was when the news media is no longer biased.
        
        2) Everything that is not aligned with my ideology is wrong until I (rarely) and/or they (regularly) are corrected.
        
        3) Your source above is a radio station citing an AP report that came from the Washington Post.
        
        When I went to the PWC-PD web site, the latest crime stats were found for 2015.
        
        I’ll trust the Observer and the Times before the circular referentists of the Fake Stream media.
        
        4) Libertarian fabulists are those who maintain the libertarian fantasy world has a place in modern day politics other than tickling mood centers of some brains and being electoral spoilers.
      - Franklin Fogle
        
        Oh, for heaven’s sake — will you stop calling everyone liars, including the Prince William Police Department that, as you claim, did not post homicide stats from 2016? Here’s the homicide stats you claim they didn’t publish, which The WAPO took from Prince William PD’s website:
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/12/29/Local/Graphics/Homicides1975-2016.pdf
        Now, since you claim that everything that is not aligned with your ideology is wrong until you are rarely and/or they regularly are corrected, pray tell: How long can a self-serving over-pressurized gasbag such as yourself walkabout before realizing that you are regularly wrong? And even when someone points that out, you’re ego-bound to pronounce yourself 100 percent right?
        I’ve worn saltwater-soaked swim trunks gritting my privates with coarse beach sand that irritated less than you, especially when your level of honesty rivals that of Al Gore.
      - Rocinante
        
        Lighten Up Franklin,
        
        I claimed I couldn’t find them, went to the web page, looked on the stats page, only saw through 2015.
        
        You cited WaPo as an authority, I challenged, you cited WTOP as being AP; I pointed out WTOP channeling AP channeling WaPo is hardly citing authority.
        
        I did indeed actually think I made a mistake once, but I was wrong.
      - Franklin Fogle
        
        Hockeyballs. You didn’t even read the WAPO article cited by Jeanine before blathering about imaginary political agendas. If you’d bothered to actually READ the article she linked to, you’d have SEEN this highlighted entry:
        
        [A listing of Prince William County homicides from 1975 to 2016]
        
        That would have taken you to the .pdf I sent you from The Prince William PD.:
        
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/12/29/Local/Graphics/Homicides1975-2016.pdf
        
        Even when you are so often wrong, you try to convince yourself and others how you were 100 percent correct, which makes you an insufferable subterfuge-laden, overstuffed haggis. Therefore, I’m sticking to my accusation that your level of honesty rivals that of Al Gore.
        
        And — BTW — don’t tell me to “lighten up” when you can’t even READ.
      - Rocinante
        
        Cool story Bro.
        
        I posted on YOUR comment, I referenced YOUR sources and I simply question the journalistic integrity of a publication that received a govt contract for more than twice its valuation.
        
        BTW, your Washington Post thinks very highly of Al Gore.
- Jeanine Martin
  
  That’s funny because just this week we’ve been accused of being anti-Ed Gillespie, anti Frank Wagner, anti-Denver Riggleman and now anti-Corey Stewart. Check the blog posts over the last week.
  - John Massoud
    
    Means you’re doing your job. Keep up the good work Jeanine.
    - John Massoud
      
      Rocinante – does this qualify me as being a shill for TBE? Because I read this online newspaper daily and I agree with 90% of what they write, and the 10% where I disagree is at least reasonably thought out – even if I disagree with the writer.
      - Rocinante
        
        Shill would be praising TBE as the voice of balance, clarity and harmony while getting a buck a word from every SBT article and a healthy share of TBE’s Clinton Foundation-like ad revenue.
      - John Massoud
        
        TBE is NOT supposed to be the voice of balance and clarity. TBE is for partisan conservatives and libertarians to learn news in the Commonwealth which we’d not get from any other source.
        
        TBE is a much better source of Virginia political information than say – Bearing Drift. When the Bearing Drift calls Dave Brat the most useless Congressman in Va (forgetting Beyer and Gerry Connolly) – how they call themselves a conservative news source is beyond me.
        
        Again I don’t always agree with TBE – but even when I don’t agree, I find the writers have a reasoned thought process behind what they say.
      - Rocinante
        
        So that makes you not a shill. I’ll concede ‘reasoned thought process’ on a column by column basis, but the comments are often better than some articles, so they got that going for them.
        
        And you’re going to get libertarians if you don’t clean up the food scraps or allow crevices in dark places. I keep reporting this to the management, to no avail, often another one pops up leaving an article or two.
  - John Massoud
    
    For the record I don’t think you’re anti or pro anything or anyone. Just reporting facts as they come to you, and we the readers shall decide as we choose to!
  - Rocinante
    
    Yes, because you are fair and balanced — if everyone hates you, you are doing a good enough job. c.f. Whitbeck, Comstock, Stewart.
    - Rocinante
      
      And Hedlund, he truly is campaigning for most hated.
- Rocinante
  
  Same theme against President Trump during the primaries and convention.
  
  TBE wallows in the ideal and not the real. And drama pulls eyeballs.
  
  It is a sanctuary blog for Libertarian fabulists, constitutional conservatives (swap compassionate for conservative, equally vapid) and Frank Capra hobbyist politicians.
  
  But it’s a fair and fun forum with excellent curation and more than a passing knowledge of 10th and RPV gossip.
  
  And Cardinal Findlay has yet to disapprove of our antics.
Downstater

An old related link on your site “Border crisis kids being housed in Prince William” from 2014.
NOVA Conservative

The conservatives in PWC are already calling on Corey to resign his position on the Board. https://sheriffofnottinghampwc.blogspot.com/2017/02/corey-stewart-you-cannot-serve-two.html
- Rocinante
  
  That’s the conservatives in PWC? Clearly Corey needs to resign like Ken did.
  
  You want Corey out? Try to take him out in a primary or party contest.
  
  Fret not, he has to resign anyway after November to move to executive accommodations in Richmond.

Crime Rate doubles in Prince William county, despite Corey Stewart’s claims

Your life will be better if you click one of these