I don't think I said that public safety wasn't a legitimate concern, nor that upticks in crime aren't concerning. I was giving a broad view analysis of the uptick in comparison to the coverage as well as the fact that the real solutions to steeply reduce crime (hint: it's not adding more police to a dept that already has as many police as some nations' standing armies and a bloated budget as well) is not on the agenda of mass media.
As an example, take the coverage of all of the mass shoplifting that was happening. A concern to be sure, but infinitely small compared to the trillions wasted in unecessary wars, and tax avoidance over the past 20+ years. Which do you think gets the overwhelming bulk of the coverage and why? Extreme crime, food insecurity, homelessness and most societal ills are a choice a society as rich as the US is makes as acceptable to preserve capital being in the hands of as few as possible.
I'm not waving away increases in crime, nor am I not taking into account the effects it has on real life victims. However, if we truly want to be solution based, it starts with in depth analysis of the issues, what would be most effective in crime reduction and not sensationalism.