(Originally published in WND.)
With police forces across the country struggling to staff at even minimal levels and crime skyrocket in major cities, one would think politicians would recognize the needed service police provide their communities.
The problem is that leftist politicians despise admitting when they are wrong, even when the evidence shows them contrary information.
In Los Angeles, things seem to have gotten so bad as the police union negotiates with the city that Los Angeles Police Protective League Vice President Jerretta Sandoz seems to be encouraging the more than 9,000 LAPD officers to find work elsewhere.
On a Facebook post that has since been deleted, she wrote about some of the problems police officers face, including hostile City Council members, a ban on displaying the “thin blue line” flag and the lack of a “great” contract, according to the Los Angeles Times. Sandoz also advised police officers to find a job in a community where the political leaders “understands your worth.”
“Go somewhere that respects the work you do and you don’t have to beg for a great contract,” she wrote. “Go somewhere that has a city council or city manager that openly acknowledges the great work you do. Go somewhere that doesn’t have two or more city council members who hate you (no exaggeration).”
This is not something citizens of L.A. want to hear. They have to live amid the increasingly unsafe communities and streets. They want to hear that the LAPD is hiring more officers and cracking down on crime. Even the liberals in cities like Los Angeles are growing tired of losing their property and lives because more isn’t done to fight crime.
The LAPD has lost about 1,000 officers since 2019, or about 10% of its force. This is happening as crime is increasing, meaning the workload on the remaining officers is growing, making it less likely crime can be curbed. For instance, since 2019, homicides in the city are up 45 percent.
The problem is that message hasn’t reached the liberal politicians. “[Sandoz] encouraged those leaving the LAPD to go where there weren’t council members wanting to abolish the police and filled with hate toward law enforcement,” a union spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We are down over 1,000 officers, and we keep losing officers due to low pay, increased workload and the public hate from anti-police fringe groups. We also suffered a major data breach that expose the personal information and photos of every officer, even those working undercover. They are posted on a website, and our officers are being harassed.”
Although the current contract has expired, a new contract is not expected to be reached until August. It is likely to be favorable toward police officers, since the city needs to do what it can to retain at least its current force.
However, money will only go so far. If the politicians and activist groups continue to act as if police are the enemy, they will take Sandoz’s advice and find work where they are appreciated.
