The Vera Institute Plays the Blame Game With ZERO Facts
In a sharp opinion piece, Mississippi bail agent and President of the Mississippi Bail Agents' Association, Mike Morrison, criticizes the Vera Institute of Justice’s July 17 article, “Out-of-Control Federal Law Enforcement Is Undermining Public Safety.”
In a sharp opinion piece, Mississippi bail agent and President of the Mississippi Bail Agents' Association, Mike Morrison, criticizes the Vera Institute of Justice’s July 17 article, “Out-of-Control Federal Law Enforcement Is Undermining Public Safety.” The article claims that increased federal law enforcement under the current administration is “undermining public safety.” Morrison argues that Vera’s piece relies on selective anecdotes from four fatal shootings in Memphis involving federal agents, while ignoring significant crime reductions. According to Memphis Police Department data and statements from local officials, crime dropped nearly 40% year-over-year after the Memphis Safe Task Force began operations in September 2025, with homicides down 53%, and the homicide clearance rate rising from 40% to 81%. The task force made over 10,000 arrests, seized 1,708 illegal firearms, and located 154 missing children.
Morrison further contends that Vera erases crime victims, downplays violence against federal officers, and fails to disclose its own financial stake in immigration-related federal contracts. He describes Vera’s article as advocacy rather than objective research, noting that the organization’s narrative contradicts measurable public safety gains achieved through enforcement. Morrison concludes that true accountability requires telling the full story, including both enforcement incidents and the broader successes in reducing crime and protecting communities. An excerpt from Mr. Morrison's article is below as well as a link to the full article.
Vera Says Federal Law Enforcement is Out of Control; The Memphis Crime Numbers Say Otherwise
Vera’s latest attack on federal enforcement erases crime victims, buries a 40 percent crime drop in its own showcase city, and never mentions the nine-figure federal contract riding on the outcome.
On July 17, the Vera Institute of Justice published a piece titled “Out-of-Control Federal Law Enforcement Is Undermining Public Safety.” It was written by Alex Pareene, a career political blogger from Gawker and The New Republic who now carries the title “Senior Writer” at Vera. Keep that in mind as you read it. This is not research. There is not one piece of original data in it. It is an opinion column wearing a research institute’s letterhead — and it is built on omission from the first sentence to the last.
