LAPD Chief Blames Surge in Violent Crime on Pandemic Stress While Ignoring the Obvious
by Patriot Outlook
October 5, 2020
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When elected officials jump on the “Defund the Police” bandwagon and refuse to support law enforcement officers who are doing their jobs, instead defending criminals, it’s not surprising that criminals see that as a signal that they can carry out their misdeeds without much fear. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Los Angeles.
In a Facebook live video, LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva shared some sobering statistics about an increase in violent crime in his jurisdiction:
5.79 percent increase in criminal homicide
7.11 percent increase in aggravated assaults
23.93 percent increase in grand theft auto
7.63 percent incrase in arson
In Los Angeles County, the Sheriff’s Department covers all of the unincorporated areas in the county in addition to 42 contract cities and county hospitals, courts, and other facilities.
Villanueva has vocally opposed any cuts in his department’s budget while four out of the five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors are in lock-step with Black Lives Matter talking points and undermining the efforts of law enforcement to build relationships in the community, put criminals behind bars, and keep gangs from taking over the streets.
The LAPD serves the City of Los Angeles, and they’re seeing a wave of violent crime too. On Friday LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a press conference that there’s been a “spasm of violence” in South Los Angeles, with 11 shootings and two murders between Tuesday and Friday.
Last week was not an anomaly, nor is the violence limited to South Los Angeles, according to Chief Moore:
“Yesterday, following a spasm of violence, some 11 shootings and two homicides just since Tuesday here in these very neighborhoods, that was on top of an increase in shooting violence and homicides that are occurring in other areas of the city as well, leaves us this morning with 39 additional homicides as a city versus last year, 101 additional shooting victims from a year ago.
“This is a pace of shooting and violence that we’ve not seen in years, and it has grown from an effort that began or – and issues that we saw in June and July, and now has continued to accelerate. And this week I fear, given the velocity, is, where is the lid on this? Where is the top?”
The violence has continued over the weekend.