According to senior LAPD officials, the shift against police has been steady and growing for some time. It is at a point where it is very difficult for police to not only arrest criminals, but to ensure even those who committed serious crimes are locked away.
Los Angeles is current overseen by a reform minded District Attorney and a number of politicians who are focused on stopping mass incarcerations, not only due to the local situation but also as a response to things happening throughout the U.S. – George Floyd and others. As such, they have modified the law to not only make it difficult for police to make arrests that will stick, but also worked in a focused way to winnow away the police authorities and capabilities.
There were two recent initiatives from the DA and elected officials that have caused a great deal of concern within the police ranks.
- Helicopters: There is a movement to do away with the use of helicopters by the police. The argument contends that the use of this tool supports racist policing as it is primarily used against the African-American community and neighborhoods.
- Police response is that this tool, which is crucial for them to do their job – especially due to a shortage of officers – is focused on the most violent areas of the city – notably South Central. And, South Central is primarily inhabited by African Americans.
- Canines: Similar to the helicopter issue, politicians are attempting to do away with the ability of the police to use canines in support of their operations. The argument is the same on both sides of the aisle.
For police, the “weaponization” of these narratives not only makes their jobs that much harder, but almost impossible. Should either or both of the aforementioned narratives come to fruition, the ability of police to respond to acts of violence in a timely and effective way will be greatly limited – even more than it is at present.
As for trends in crime – violent crime is up across the board in Los Angeles. Among the targets are high net worth individuals and tourist who are actively targeted in high-end areas of the city. These types of crimes, which have been dubbed “follow home” attacks, involve an individual being targeted at a high end restaurant, store, or location. They are usually wearing expensive jewelry, watches, handbag. A spotter will identify them in a store and call out to an attacker(s) on the street. They generally will follow the individual to their car, in a quiet area, and rob them. But in many cases, they will follow the person to their home/Airbnb, wait until they get to the door, then not only rob but undertake a home invasion.
These types of crimes had spiked from 2018 through COVID, however, LAPD did undertake an initiative to respond and arrest those involved. While numbers have come down – it remains an active concern for police. What undermines police efforts is the revolving door for those arrested. It is hard to keep them incarcerated unless they have a long track record of such crimes.
The latest trend among local gang members and criminals is less the traditional type of crimes and more white collar/crypto schemes. In circa 2014/15, police noted that the majority of criminal behavior was focused on traditional crime, such as bank robberies. However, over the ensuing period, criminals realized that if they conducted these types of acts, they not only would realize moderate financial gains, but when caught they would be imprisoned for long periods of time.
As such, the white collar/crypto crimes have become more popular as they can realize much larger financial gains with very little jail time – if at all – when they are caught, since cryptocurrency can be harder to track. Police have noted that the sophistication of these criminals has increased greatly, with it being more noted during the pandemic when PPP and unemployment claims fraud exploded.
Another trend that has continued without any real change is known as “flocking.” In this instance, a criminal will knock on a victim’s door in a nice neighborhood, ostensibly selling magazines or candy. Once the door is open, the door-knocker and their friends will force their way into the house and conduct a home invasion.
Street gangs also continue to represent the lionshare of the violence for police. Many gangs are multi-generational affairs – with some having a history stretching back more than six generations. They are also seeing the influence of transnational groups – such as MS13 as growing – worsening with not only the current economic situation, but the growing numbers of illegal immigrants entering the country,
And finally, police have noticed a spike in homeless related crime. This takes many forms - from homeless on homeless attacks, to criminals entering homeless tent cities and undertaking attacks, to emotionally disturbed homeless people attacking resident/tourists throughout the city. There is also rampant drug use in these locations, which propels the violence and concerns. While this has been a focal point for the new Mayor, the political winds do not allow the police to take any real action unless problems are already underway.
In discussing how they are trying to deal with these issues, senior police officials concede that their hands are tied and they are doing their best to keep the bad guys guessing and off their games. However, it is difficult with the force currently short by more than 1000 officers since 2020. As for the ability to hire and train new recruits, while the police force is trying to increase the numbers, they are finding the Generation Z is not keen on this type of work – making it difficult to address the current significant shortfall.
Suffice to say, crime is not trending well, no matter which coast you are near. And expectations are that it will continue to increase. We at Brosnan Risk Consultants are prepared to help you and your company protects what matters most. From guarding to investigations and intelligence, we can provide you with the insights needed to understand the threats and the expertise and experience to mitigate them.
