This is the reason interview where we go deep with the artists, entrepreneurs, politicians, and visionaries,

who are making the 21st century more libertarian, or at least more interesting, by challenging worn-out ideas and orthodoxies.

I'm Billy Binion, guest hosting for Nick Gillespie.

Our guest this week is Jeff Asher, a nationally recognized crime data analyst and former CIA

employee who now leads the firm AH Datalytics.

Asher, who also publishes a substack, Jeff Illytics, has made a name for himself documenting

crime trends city to city across the country.

During our conversation, we discussed the substantial crime decline we've seen over the last

couple of years,

what people and the media get wrong about the crime debate, and potential reasons why

2025 may have just seen the lowest murder rate ever recorded. And now, the reason

interview with Jeff Asher. Jeff Asher, thank you for talking to Reason. Thanks for having me.

So you are one of the more meticulous crime analysts out there right now.

You, you know, I've used your data many a time you document crime trends, city to city.

And so I want to start kind of broad and ask, what do you think people most get wrong about crime, especially when

considering that the subject, you know, it attracts a lot of public attention?

So I think two things.

One is that we've sort of created a feedback loop typically where either crime is rising or the data is wrong.

And so I think that typically it creates a lack of willingness or a desire.

I don't know, desire is probably too strong a word but

just a general sense that that crime is usually going up and things are usually getting worse

and sometimes that's true and I'm the first one to talk about it when it is but frequently

...