“Don’t shop alone.”
LASD Public Service Announcement – Christmas – 2024
One of the few positive claims made by the current sheriff is the “fact” that a number of violent crime categories have reduced under his administration. Digging deeper into the numbers and what they truly mean is a major factor that needs to be addressed when discussing the sheriff’s claims. Afterall, with the well-known critical personnel issues affecting how many people are available to patrol our station areas, it seemed odd that crime would go down without the department being able to field as many cars and personnel as required. Did having fewer cops in the field equate to a reduction in crime?
One of the first things we need to immediately address is what exactly has been going on over the past few years. The first thought that comes to mind is the COVID pandemic that swept the nation in late 2019. I’m sure it’s something that none of us who lived during that time will ever forget, with the social disruption and loss of freedom of movement. We were effectively locked in our homes until well into 2022.
A quick review of a few crime figures shows what happened after people were finally allowed to leave their homes again. The numbers below represent a comparison of the years 2022 and 2023. Since the current sheriff entered office in December of 2022, these numbers represent his first full year in office. They are not encouraging.
Homicides UP 8.9%
Strong Arm Robbery UP 11.3%
Daytime Residential Burglary UP 9.7%
Nighttime Residential Burglary UP 6.7%
Petty Theft UP 11.8%
Auto Theft UP 7.6%
Arson UP .2%
The second period I reviewed was a comparison of 2023 and 2024 crime statistics. These numbers represent the sheriff’s second full year at the helm of the department.
Homicides DOWN .5%
Strong Arm Robbery UP 8.0%
Daytime Residential Burglary UP 10.0%
Nighttime Residential Burglary UP 2.0%
Residential Burglary (Unk Time) UP 6.7%
Petty Theft UP 13.6%
Arson UP 3.8%
Again, not the stellar numbers we would like to have seen.
The third timeframe reviewed is a comparison between early 2024 and 2025. It’s a short period, but it gives us a look at what we can expect in the upcoming months.
Homicides 0% (24 murders for each year at this point)
Strong Arm Robbery UP 6.1%
Daytime Residential Burglary UP 45%
Nighttime Residential Burglary UP 29.6%
Residential Burglary (Unk Time) UP 44.5%
Petty Theft DOWN 4.1%
Auto Theft DOWN 16.0%
Arson UP 32.9%
As you can see, residential burglaries have gone through the ceiling. What is not shown in these numbers is the fact that many nighttime residential burglaries are defined as being “home invasions”, since people are generally home during this period. Home invasions are inherently extremely dangerous and likely to result in violent encounters between the burglars and residents. The fact that they went up nearly 30% should be concerning to all of us.
Additionally, the rise in reported arson crimes of nearly 33% is an eye-opening reminder that there those among us who would do life-threatening, horrible things to either settle a grudge or extort others for financial gain.
The last set of numbers represents a comparison of calendar years 2023/2024, and 2024/2025. These numbers appear to be the most significant and relevant to our review of the claims being made by the sheriff.
Homicides DOWN 11.2%
Strong Armed Robbery UP 6.9%
Daytime Residential Burglary UP 17.0%
Nighttime Residential Burglary UP 5.2%
Residential Burglary (Un Time) UP 13.5%
Petty Theft UP 10.8%
Arson UP 7.2%
Okay, so what does this all mean? As you may have all realized by this point, the numbers (statistics) are only part of the story.
Now let’s look at the reality of today’s world. Over the past few years, thanks in part to Proposition 47, people have been subjected to being accosted by a record number of wandering drug addicts, alcoholics, petty thieves, gangs of thugs, and those suffering from mental health issues, who wander our streets, seemingly at will. People are having their jewelry ripped from their bodies and being followed home by those who rob and assault them.
As a result of these unsettling social issues, it’s no surprise that people are choosing to stay indoors and at home more than before, only choosing to wander into public when accompanied by protective groups of friends and family. This is keeping in line with the LASD Public Service Announcement (PSA) issued during the Christmas season last year, when we were warned not to shop alone when venturing out to buy our gifts. This was the first time I can ever recall being told “Don’t shop alone.”
How did we come to this?
I believe this debacle is the result of the proverbial “perfect storm” of events. Using the passage of Proposition 47 in 2014 as the starting point, we can point to a continuing onslaught of negative social issues, including the COVID pandemic, the liberal policies of the sheriff’s career-long BFF and mentor, D.A. George Gascon, the inability to hold petty crime suspects accountable, poor/non-existent leadership of the department, crumbling morale among the rank and file, degrading of the department CAD (computer assisted dispatch) and 911 systems, chronic personnel shortages, anti-cop, anti-law enforcement activists and anarchists, worn out radio cars and buses, exhausted personnel being forced to work soul-sucking amounts of overtime, and fiscal mismanagement. It’s a long list of failures on the part of this sheriff.
In the final analysis, it appears to me that the sheriff’s “facts” surrounding the apparent reduction in crime amounts to an artificial reduction only. In short, I believe that this illusion of crime reduction is the simple fact that people are hiding in their homes out of fear of the culture of criminality that has gained a foothold in LA County.
I can’t help but have faith in the voters of LA County that they are finally awake and paying attention to what is going on. Afterall, Proposition 36 passed statewide this past election. As enacted, this proposition rectifies several problematic issues presented by Proposition 47. Another positive development, at least in my eyes, is the fact that the voters overwhelmingly rejected the insane super-progressive policies of Gascon and sent him packing. It was clear that he was more concerned about the feelings of the criminals who entered the criminal justice system than the victims of their crimes.
I firmly believe that the Sheriff’s Department is in dire need of sweeping reform and a change in leadership. I think the voting public sees this as well.
Only time will tell.
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