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Truth distorted by Arizona funhouse mirrors

By The Arizona Republic's E.J. Montini

Hucksters at Arizona's political carnival have decided that the best way to con suckers out of their votes is to hold the truth in front of funhouse mirrors until it is distorted beyond all recognition.

“I've got to tell you, we sometimes wonder where people come up with this stuff,” said Phoenix Police Department spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson.

Thompson is the department's point man whenever some wide-eyed out-of-town reporter asks about Phoenix being the “kidnapping capital” of the nation, hemisphere or universe.

Like, for instance, after Sen. John McCain was asked recently on NBC's Meet the Press if there soon would be comprehensive immigration reform. He answered, “Not until we get the border secure. By the way, on that issue, why is it that Phoenix, Arizona, is the number two kidnapping capital of the world? Does that mean our border is safe? Of course not.”

(McCain puts us behind only Mexico City.)

Is it true?

"The media created that,” Thompson said, “and then people started running with it without any factual basis."

A few years back the Phoenix PD allowed a network news crew to follow a task force within the department that deals with kidnapping and other violence used by drug and human smuggling cartels. Back then the police estimated that there were over 300 cases of criminals kidnapping other criminals or illegal immigrants. Did that make Phoenix the "kidnapping capital?”

“It's not that simple," Thompson said. "The fact is, we aren't afraid to talk about the problem here, unlike a lot of places. Does anybody have any idea how many kidnappings there are in Mogadishu (Somalia) or Caracas (Venezuela) or Bogotá (Columbia)? Not only that, but for the past several years the numbers in Phoenix have been going down. So far this year we've seen a drop of 30 percent. Do you hear any politicians talking about that?"

So, should regular folks be afraid to walk the streets?

“A lot of people wonder if it's safe here,” Thompson said. “It is."

Not to those trying to get elected.

Gov. Jan Brewer says that the majority of illegal immigrants crossing into Arizona are involved in drug smuggling. Is that true?

A spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol said recently that there have been over 170,000 apprehensions of illegal immigrants in the Tucson sector in this fiscal year. Roughly 1,000 were the subject of drug prosecutions.

Does that sound like a majority?

The problems we have with border security, criminal cartels and illegal immigration are real. Exaggerating them has nothing to do with finding solutions but with frightening people.

For instance, in trying to explain her vote for SB 1070, State Sen. Sylvia Allen sent an e-mail that read in part, “In the last few years 80 percent of our law enforcement that have been killed or wounded have been by an illegal. The majority of people coming now are people we need to be worried about.”

According to Thompson, the number of Arizona officers killed by the actions of illegal immigrants is closer to 20 to 24 percent, depending up on how far back one goes. “As for injuries,” he added, “where does that number come from? You'd have to look at every single report.”

He isn't aware of anyone who has done so.

Have Arizona officers been killed by illegal immigrants? Yes.

Is even one too many? Yes.

Is it OK to distort facts, demonize people or use police deaths to score political points?

God, I hope not.

(Column for July 4, 2010, Arizona Republic)