If you're a cop, why do your job if the people are just going to be released with no consequences? Police can't do anything if the DA refuses to prosecute.
Why is police choosing not to make arrests (at high physical risk to all involved) in cases where the DA has announced intent to not prosecute “not doing their job”?
The public demands that police only focus on the worst offenders, everyone demands that use of force is eliminated, and the DA announced intent not to press charges for victimless crimes like property theft.
How would it be appropriate for police to take action in that scenario? If that chase ends in a tackle and the thief is harmed, and the government would have just let the dude go, how is that in any way consistent with the government’s interest?
Responding to clear direction from political leadership and the public is not “protest”, if anything failing to do so would be.
Actually, no, the problem isn't so much with the police as with the district attorney's office. The police can arrest these people, but it's entirely pointless when the DA won't prosecute them and they're back on the street in 24h with no penalty for their crimes whatsoever. I can't blame the police for not even bothering to arrest people they know will be let go immediately.
The police are only as competent as the laws are. If the criminals know that they will be released the same day with no consequences then there is no point in catching them.
I don't want to defend the cops, but when the DA expressly states they aren't going to enforce certain laws, then its really not their job to arrest people for that anymore. At that point the DA has made is clear that its not a legitimate grounds for arrests even if the law is on the books.
If I were a cop I wouldn’t expend any effort to chase down a criminal if I know the DA is gonna shirk their responsibility. What’s the point? Law enforcement doesn’t work if the law isn’t enforced.
Same way I’m not gonna do any extra work in the office if I know my manager doesn’t care.
Imho this is about priorities not deciding to not enforce the law. If the cops have nothing to do and a law is broken they should invetigate. They don't get to sit on their buts complaining about the da
With the way incentives are set up right now, there’s no reason to. For all practical purposes, police are completely immune to any consequences of unjustified killings– DA’s never ever prosecute cops and internal affairs departments are do-nothing bodies designed only to make it look like there’s some accountability– so there’s no reason to not always use the maximum amount of force “just in case”.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you about the DA, but it seems like in your specific case the problem is more that the police themselves are acting indifferently.
Police have limited resources. It would be inefficient of them to spend much time investigating crimes that the DA has clearly stated he will not prosecute. It makes much more sense for them to investigate crimes that might actually lead to prosecutions.
The real problem is that the cops face no recourse for blatantly defying a law they're suppose to follow - these are people that are, after all, suppose to enforce the law.
because we, as progressive city, shouldn't hurt criminal's feelings, they are people too. Also what's with this gestapo idea of telling other people what they cannot do at their wish in public? /s
Sarcasm aside - only that much can be done by the police if there is no point in doing it. Let's not forget about DA office with revolving door, making sure anyone apprehended will be released and at the same place tomorrow without any consequences to their actions.
Police abstention because other parts of the justice system are non-functional is, beyond any moral or ethical concerns, a certainty.
Every time a police officer arrests someone they're risking life and limb. Whether you like cops or not, you've got to see that aspect of it. Why would you take that risk when you know the system is being operated so that there is literally no difference between if you make the arrest or not?
reply