With violent attacks increasing in New York, and with many crimes happening unprocessedThe firepower of state law enforcement has been directed against a truly dangerous criminal adversary: ​​a pet squirrel.

Dan Longo’s beloved pet Peanut was confiscated from his home in Pine City, New Yorkon October 30. Responding to anonymous reports of “potentially unsafe accommodation for wildlife,” the overzealous (to put it kindly) animal control officers from the Elmira Department of Environmental Conservation showed up at Longo’s house in a vehicle convoy. The DEC officers, ten in total, removed by force Peanut. After Peanut allegedly bit one of the officers, the squirrel was euthanized, apparently for rabies testing, although the squirrels”I almost never get rabies”, according to no less an authority than the New York State Department of Health. But why should we expect state wildlife workers to know such relevant things?

While the agents raided Longo’s house, they took the opportunity to roast his wife about your immigration status. Their interest in this issue is surprising, given the state’s usual course of action: Illegal immigrants have invaded New York for years and are severely taxing public services, shelter space, and even schools. “Violent Venezuelan gang members from the Aragua Train”hide in plain sight” in New York City immigrant shelters. But Longo’s wife: now there is a woman to keep an eye on.

The raid on Longo’s house lasted five hours. Longo said the experience made him feel “like a drug dealer.” I should be so lucky. New York drug dealers and addicts They can carry out their trade free of government interference. In fact, not only are they largely unmolested throughout the state, but in many jurisdictions they enjoy taxpayer-funded paraphernalia.

The DEC’s zealous attention to ferreting out lawbreakers stands in stark contrast to New York law enforcement’s approach to other crimes. Tattooed gang members roam the streets of New York with impunitynew york police seem helpless to deal with dangerous criminal immigrants, and the crime solving rate is low: 41.47 percent in New York City as a whole, 29 percent in Manhattan. In 2023, the 126,920 arrests in New York State resulted in only 58,871 convictions, a dismal conviction rate. 46 percent.

The few criminals that the police manage to arrest are usually released. sixty-six percent of those released without bail are arrested again within two years. Dantay Moore stabbed and killed a 63-year-old grandmother. Although Moore had 15 previous convictions, they let him back on the streets to kill. Guy Riverawho shot and killed NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, had nine prior felony arrests. Alvin Doris He hit an 11-year-old boy and broke his nose. Doris had nine previous arrests, including four previous assault charges. In 2023, 250 people represented 2,500 arrests in the city, and 70 percent of those arrested were repeat offenders.

TO study 2024 The New York City crime assessment shows that “violent crime categories, such as assault, are in the midst of a significant increase,” leaving many New Yorkers with “a growing sense of unsafety in their neighborhoods.” ”.

New York could dedicate more taxpayer dollars to making communities safer and helping families feel safer. The state could aggressively assist federal immigration authorities in removing dangerous criminals. It could hire more patrol officers to curb petty crime and spend more resources clearing up violent cases.

Instead, the government has found a way to make New York families feel even less safe: by demonstrating that the state can now join hands with immigrants and criminals to invade private homes and harass citizens. No New Yorker will be comfortable knowing that the DEC has taken Peanut off the streets. As for the bad guys, they don’t need to lose sleep.

Photos: Spencer Platt/Getty Images (left) / Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images (right)