“We have to bring the numbers down, and we have to make people feel safe,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said earlier this month in an interview aboard a flight to Indianapolis. …

The emphasis on violent crime parallels a growing public perception that crime is spiraling out of control in some cities, with critics from both parties suggesting criminal justice overhauls have gone too far.

FBI figures released in October showed violent crime in 2022 fell to its relatively low, prepandemic level, though the numbers don’t include many unreported crimes. Yet in November, Gallup reported that a record-high 63% of U.S. adults said the “crime situation in the U.S. is extremely or very serious,” and polls show the problem is a top concern among voters heading into the 2024 election.

A WSJ/NORC poll in October found crime was essentially tied with immigration as the third most-important issue to voters, with 50% of those surveyed saying they strongly or somewhat disapproved of President Biden’s handling of crime. About 55% disapproved of how Republicans in Congress are dealing with the issue, with those surveyed showing more confidence in the ability of local police to tackle it.

The White House, meanwhile, has reaffirmed its commitment to policing overhauls spurred by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis policeman. The administration’s accountability push includes the launch last week of a nationwide database of abuse complaints against federal officers. That approach has put the wrong people under scrutiny, some Republicans say.

“You simply cannot effectively combat crime without supporting local law-enforcement officers and prosecuting criminals,” said Rep. Andrew Clyde (R., Ga.). …

Administration officials say fighting crime and policing overhauls are complementary aims. …

While much of an attorney general’s job is reassuring the public that the Justice Department is working to combat violence, the agency’s ability to meaningfully move the crime rate is limited, with the federal government serving in a largely supportive role to local police. …

Garland, a former federal violent-crimes prosecutor in Washington, has taken a personal interest in crime-fighting efforts in the District of Columbia, where police have struggled to curb the bloodshed at a time when many U.S. cities are seeing double-digit declines in homicides. …

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(Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal. Photo Credit: kali9/Getty Images Signature via Canva Pro)