PolitiFact.com
Statements about Crime
Lamar Smith

Lamar Smith

False

Deaths only in Mexico -- and not only along border

"In the last five years, 28,000 people have been killed along the U.S.-Mexico border."

Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott

Mostly True

He's probably set records, but exact data wasn't available

Says he's arrested more criminals, "including thousands of child predators and sex offenders," than any previous Texas attorney general.

Hank Gilbert

Hank Gilbert

Half-True

Stickers missing, though Texans might not be getting cheated

Says gas pumps in different parts of Texas are missing state inspection stickers and/or their inspections are out of date--and that's cheating consumers.

Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott

False

Only true if you look at the war in Afghanistan since 2008

"More lives have been lost because of the war with the drug cartels in Juarez alone, just a few blocks from the United States of America, than have been lost in the war in Afghanistan."

Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott

True

Gunbattle in Juárez prompted street closure in El Paso

Says a highway was closed in El Paso because of bullets flying across the border.

Bill White

Bill White

Half-True

True for getting license, but no longer for keeping

Says Rick Perry's proposal on driver licenses and high school dropouts has been state law since 1989.

Todd Staples

Todd Staples

Half-True

Six charges in one statement!

Says Democrat Hank Gilbert "has a criminal conviction for theft, has multiple years of unpaid taxes, has multiple tax liens and fines, unsafe driving convictions (and) has recently been accused of taking a bribe and is on record lying to the press this year about his criminal record."

Rick Perry

Rick Perry

Half-True

Bomb in Mexico, heard in El Paso?

Because of violence spreading from Mexico, "you’ve got bullets hitting the city hall in El Paso. You’ve got bombs exploding in El Paso."

David Dewhurst

David Dewhurst

False

Compared to what?

"Phoenix, Arizona, I'm told, is now the No. 2 kidnapping capital in the world, right behind Mexico City."

David Dewhurst

David Dewhurst

Half-True

Math is correct, but comparison is problematic

"You’ve got almost twice as many cops in New York City as you do on our entire border. That’s nuts."

Karen Sage

Karen Sage

True

Extra attention shortens stays

Says that under a new program jail "time for non-violent, mentally ill offenders has been reduced by 50 percent."

John Cornyn

John Cornyn

Mostly False

Mixed reviews, but so far violence seems sporadic

"The spillover violence (from Mexico) in Texas is real and it is escalating."

Rick Perry

Rick Perry

Pants on Fire!

Claim omits El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville and other burgs where most people live

My "border security efforts have led to a 60 percent decrease in border crime."

Cathie Adams

Cathie Adams

Mostly False

Adams fires a blank on crime rates

"Bill White spent his city billions of dollars into debt (and) saw crime rates soar while he backed gun control."

Farouk Shami

Farouk Shami

False

Innocents may have been executed, but that's not certain

"We have killed lots of innocent people in the state of Texas."

Bill White

Bill White

True

Crime is down across the nation

During his tenure as mayor, he "saw Houston’s crime rates drop to the lowest levels in more than 25 years."

Barbara Ann Radnofsky

Barbara Ann Radnofsky

Pants on Fire!

Victims aren't stuck with the bill

"The attorney general requires that rape victims pay for the rape kit."

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