Debate over policy vs. funding dominates violent crime hearing in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A congressional field hearing held in Charlotte Monday morning turned emotional and, at times, contentious as families of violent crime victims shared painful stories and lawmakers clashed over how to reduce crime in communities.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held the hearing just weeks after Iryna Zartuska was fatally stabbed while riding Charlotte’s light rail. The incident brought renewed focus to concerns over repeat offenders and public safety.

Steve Federico, of Waxhaw, who testified about his daughter, Logan Federico, who was murdered this year, gave moving testimony, saying:

“She was 5’3, she weighed 115 pounds…bang…dead…gone.”

Lawmakers also heard from Mia Alderman, who lost her granddaughter, Mary Collins, saying in part: “Justice delayed is justice denied, and time is stealing our justice.”

But while the pain was shared, the solutions were not.

Democrats and Republicans on the subcommittee could not agree on the best way to move forward. Democrats pointed to a need for more funding, especially for local prosecutors. Charlotte Congresswoman Alma Adams argued the city is severely understaffed, saying they only have the budget for about 80 prosecutors when the case load calls for 140.

Rep. Ross added:

“Which in turn leads to high turnover, and not moving cases along quickly enough.”

But Republicans argued the problem isn’t money, it’s policy. They placed the blame on liberal judges and magistrates, who they claim are too lenient on repeat offenders.

Rep. Edwards pushed back on the funding argument:

“That’s typically what we hear with any problem that I’ve faced in Washington DC, give me more money and I’ll fix it.”

Rep. Moore added:

“This is not a money issue, this is a policy issue, this is a choice that is made often by magistrates.”

Rep. Adams criticized the hearing itself, calling it political theater:

“The hearing for me is not really about public safety. It’s about my colleagues trying to paint Democrats as soft on crime, and we’re not.”

Republicans said they are working on legislation that would withhold certain federal funds from cities where courts fail to keep violent criminals behind bars. But how long that might take, or whether it could pass, is still uncertain.