Increase In Crime? Solution: Cut Funding to Law Enforcement

Increase In Crime? Solution: Cut Funding to Law Enforcement?

Written by John Abshire | June 30, 2022

At this point, nothing should shock me anymore. Yet I cannot help but feign a little surprise at the actions of the West Hollywood City Council. Los Angeles is seeing an increase in crime at an alarming rate. The more agencies are defunded and told to fight crime with one arm tied around their backs. The more crime will continue to ascend into the smoggy atmosphere. It is almost as if these actions have consequences, and anyone with a functional brain stem could see this coming.?

However, the West Hollywood City Council has decided to double down on the stupidity. In their infinite wisdom, they have agreed to reduce the presence of at least 5 L.A. County deputies over the next two years. This reduction was made amid an increase in crime—an increase to the tune of about 137% since the start of 2022.?

So was this done as a cost-saving measure? Was this done to balance the budget? Absolutely not. The city council voted to increase the funding for an arts festival instead. So if you find yourself being accosted by a criminal in West Hollywood, you need to call a local artist for assistance.?

In defense of the city council's decision, it was a narrow vote of 3 - 2 in favor of slashing the law enforcement budget. However, it seems there is at least some hope within the leadership of West Hollywood, as the mayor Lauren Meister was one of the two in opposition.?

The residents were not pleased with this decision as well. Mayor Meister had this to say about locals she spoke with about the decision:?

"Most of the residents and businesses I have heard from are opposed to cutting the Sheriff's budget." She added, "They are outraged that people and organizations from outside our city are dictating to Council how to run our city. The narrative that we can have 'either Sheriff's or social services,' or 'either Sheriff's or unarmed security teams' is false."?

The Mayor Pro Tem, Sepi Shyne, apparently amended the budget to create a "block-by-block" program in which unarmed security guards replace deputies. These unarmed guards are meant to supplement the police efforts in the area.?

Shyne said, "We have all talked for two years about reimagining policing, and reimagining policing means reallocating funding, and that's exactly what that means – you can't just say it without actually doing it. Period."

Well, good luck with your program. If you think a crime was bad before with armed, trained, experienced and seasoned law enforcement. Just wait until Paul Blart is out there serving and protecting on behalf of the city.?

Thankfully, many other states in the union still support their law enforcement. So I suggest that the officers losing their jobs vote with their feet. Go where you are appreciated and where you will be respected and cared about.?

And to the community and people of West Hollywood, remember who caused this when it comes time to have another local election. Good luck with your block-by-block program. You are going to need it…