Crimes increase while student learning decreases

It’s no secret that crime has worsened throughout Washington in recent years, thanks to laws passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature and a decrease in the number of law-enforcement officers in many communities.

While we’ve seen a spike in many areas of crime, retail theft and other retail crimes are especially a problem.

Retail crimes hurt not only stores and shops, but also consumers because these crimes force retailers to raise prices. The Legislature, the governor and the attorney general need to take action to greatly reduce retail crime in Washington.

From 2019-20, the value of good...