The danger of the reform imposed by the Gascón prosecutor

Your proposals go against public safety and the ability of law enforcement officers to maintain order

Photo: AFP / Getty Images

By: Alex Villanueva, Los Angeles County Sheriff 08 of April 2021

Since December last year when new District Attorney George Gascón took office, his campaign promises have turned more into nightmares than aid to Los Angeles County residents.

As Sheriff of the same county, in 2020 I noticed an increase in 36 % in homicides in the territory covered by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD).

This new year, the alarming number of homicides rose to 152%, a huge level that we can already begin to attribute to the reforms initiated by Gascón.

It doesn’t take much imagination to understand that when the district attorney begins to reduce the consequences of committing serious crimes, the criminal element that plagues the community will take advantage of the occasion, increasing his efforts to commit even more crimes than ever.

Each element of reform offered by Gascón indicates the same thing: a reduction of consequences.

For example, by eliminating consequences for crimes committed with firearms, crimes committed for the benefit of a gang and crimes involving multiple victims are no longer considered more serious than those with a single victim.

The serious implication of these reforms indicates that a criminal can kill witnesses to a homicide without having to face more consequences than his share of the first homicide – an incentive to murder witnesses.

The same is true of suspects who they are gang members. Now they can enlist minors to commit the most violent crimes with firearms since they can go free at the age of 25 years, no matter how many crimes the young man has committed.

To illustrate an example For misdemeanors, Gascón refused to charge 12 suspects who had been arrested for hiring prostitutes last week, informing LASD detectives that those crimes no longer qualify for trial under the announced reforms.

This wants To say, in clearer language, that Gascón has stated that prostitution is legal in Los Angeles County, as he opposes prosecuting cases in the Los Angeles courts.

Eliminating the death sentence has re-traumatized the families of those who have been murdered and their cases are being presented in court this year.

Case after The case reaches the media and Gascón does not want to face the simple reality: his reforms are a threat to everyone’s public safety.

These families include cases of murdered children and police officers . In short, the Gascón reforms represent a setback for the public safety of all.

We can work together on the reform for inmates who suffer from mental illnesses or suffer from a drug addiction, including increasing the county government’s ability to improve the lives of both groups.

But this cannot occur at the same time that Gascón diminishes or destroys the ability of all law enforcement officers and order to maintain public safety.

Gascón represents a clear and present danger to all and we cannot allow him to destroy the criminal justice system for the exclusive benefit of the criminal community.