As you well know, crime in most metropolitan areas is up, particularly when compared to rates from before COVID and George Floyd’s death. But now, things are so bad in some areas that police departments have to advise residents not to wear certain things to avoid getting mugged or worse.
That’s right. In Los Angeles, the Department has recently issued a statement warning both residents and those visiting the city to not wear expensive jewelry in public nor to drive costly vehicles, among other things.
In a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department put out on March 22, they warned that there “has been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry while in public.” Basically, “if it is visible, it can be a target.”
And so, the advice is to leave your jewels and your Lamborghinis at home.
Additionally, the LAPD has reminded the public of a few other tactics that might serve to keep them safe when out in public. You know, things like traveling in groups, being aware of your surroundings, staying in well-lit areas, and never trying to play the hero.
They also advise you or anyone in Los Angeles to “After shopping, make it a habit to take a different route home and pay attention to vehicles and pedestrians behind you. If you think you are being followed, change your route and call the police.”
Unfortunately, it has come to this, even in well-populated, high class, and only open in broad daylight areas.
As LA Police Chief Michel Moore says, the point of all this is to keep the residents of LA “vigilant.” And to be sure, it’s never a bad idea. After all, you never know where a bad guy might be lurking, just waiting to take your expensive jewels off your neck and steal your car.
However, there is a slight problem with all this, isn’t there?
Sure, it’s a good thing to stay “vigilant” and be mindful of your surroundings, especially in large cities. But when you have to warn the public to do so, it signifies that the police department themselves are ill-equipped to keep you safe should you momentarily have a lapse in safety protocols.
Moore says that his department is “tracking” the increase in crimes and is constantly on alert for both suspects and the vehicles they are associated with. Additionally, he says there is a dedicated task force, and additional detectives have been brought on to handle the increase in robberies.
However, it just isn’t enough, apparently.
There is also the fact that once these criminals are caught, there is little, if anything, holding them accountable for their actions. Thanks to LA’s left-leaning District Attorney George Gascon and his soft on crime approach, the city has instituted a no-cash-bail policy that more often than not allows criminals to be put right back on the streets after their crimes, sometimes before the paperwork regarding their case is even filed, as the UK Daily Mail noted.
For example, last December, 14 suspects were arrested for taking part in a series of smash and grab robberies amounting to some $338,000 in stolen merchandise and another $40,000 or so in property damages. And yet, by the end of the very same day, Chief Moore reported that “All the suspects taken into custody are out of custody.”
So, while they and hundreds of others are free to walk the streets, free to strike again, you are being told that you literally need to hide your jewels, your car, your expensive clothes. Oh, and take a different way home and never travel alone…
Last year, the head of the LA Police Protective League even issued a statement warning people to not even come to LA, saying it was like a 365-day allowed “Purge” movie that the Force could do nothing about.
Basically, it’s an admittance of failure on the part of the LAPD, although their hands have been severely tied. They know they can’t do much about the growing crime rate, so their only option is to warn you of the dangers and hope that you listen to their advice.
And those like George Gascon see no problem with this…
