Mitch Landrieu Quotes

I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them…

The essence to reducing violent crime in our society is to take these people [criminals] off the street.

My 26 years experience as a police officer and official, including command of two police districts, tells me that unfortunately the only short-term response that can counter the on-street violence and offer neighborhoods relief from crime and drugs is aggressive law enforcement.... Cities and states have made police the institution of first response rather than of last resort in addressing this crisis.

Fighting crime is not cheap, because it requires boots on the ground.

Arresting people is not going to lower the crime rate

As long as I am mayor there will be law and order in Chicago.

Having the support of our communities is absolutely essential to productive and sustainable crime prevention efforts. While there are law enforcement agencies that have meaningful and transparent relationships with all segments of their communities, it is fair to say that there are other agencies that need to further enhance relationships and build trust within their communities, particularly among disenfranchised segments.

No place is unpoliceable; no crime is immune to better enforcement efforts.

The cure for crime is not the electric chair, but the high chair.

Stopping crime before it occurs is the most effective crime fighting tool of all.

We can play politics, or we can reduce crime.

If we were really tough on crime, we'd do more to stop it from happening in the first place.

We want a state of things in which crime will not pay.

Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.

To control violence [and other crime] requires a police system of professional investigations and good equipment. We don’t have it.

Trying to solve the crime problem by building more prison cells is like trying to solve the problem of AIDS by building more hospitals.

For all our policing, we understand that law enforcement is not the solution to the problem of drugs in our society.

“I’m going to stop crime in the streets.” A president is pressured to make that promise even though a President can’t do anything about street crime.

But passing by all other considerations, and contemplating merely the political institutions of the United States, I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them.

It takes a long, hard effort and sustained determination to reduce crime. We will stay the course and we are confident that the numbers will continue to go down.

Crimes happen, but some are preventable.

Regular, everyday working people in my state recognize that communities are going to have crime. They know that. The question is what do communities do about it?

There are many factors that affect crime rates. But we recognize that the main reason crime has decreased has always been - and always will be - the dangerous and stressful work done by state and local law enforcement officers day in and day out.

Putting cops on streets is the most effective way to combat crime.

I believe in community policing. And, in fact, violent crime is one-half of what it was in 1991.