Candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney Eric Sapetto Siddall slammed District Attorney George Gascón’s failure to secure additional resources to combat the rampant smash and grab retail theft happening throughout Los Angeles.
The deadline to secure state funding to combat organized retail theft passed today and counties from all over California applied and received grants. Despite a dire need for additional resources to fight back against organized retail theft, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office was not on the list of grant applicants or recipients.
“George Gascón’s failure to secure additional resources from the state to combat smash and grab robberies is just another example of his negligence and inability to lead. As criminals carry out these brazen robberies, the district attorney’s office should be utilizing every tool to put a stop to these crimes. Once again, Gascón didn’t even show up. His incompetence failed all Angelenos,” said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall.
Related: Governor Newsom Triples CHP Support to Assist Los Angeles in Organized Retail Theft Crack Down
Surrounding prosecutorial offices, including the district attorney’s offices of Ventura, Orange, and Riverside applied and received state grant funding. Further, law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department also received grants. The one notable exception was the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office that failed to even apply.
Governor Gavin Newson recently announced the investment to combat organized retail crime across California saying, “With an unprecedented $267 million investment, Californians will soon see more takedowns, more police, more arrests, and more felony prosecutions. When shameless criminals walk out of stores with stolen goods, they’ll walk straight into jail cells.”
“If people are breaking in, stealing your property, they need to be arrested. Police need to arrest them. Prosecutors need to prosecute them, ” said Newsom. “Judges need to hold people accountable for breaking the law. These are not victimless crimes, and I have no empathy for these criminal elements.”
1 Comment
Some elected seem hell bent on making it harder for small business to survive. Either by actively causing more hardship or passively doing nothing when bad actors steal from the businesses creating higher prices for consumers.