When Los Angeles County first enacted stay at home orders, the Los Angeles Police Department reported a 23 percent drop in crime. The number of calls they received dropped about 10 percent. Crimes also decreased at the same rate.
“The rest of the month of March and into the beginning part of April, we enjoyed that, if you will, that pandemic peace dividend. We saw crime rates drop and we saw fewer traffic collisions,” Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore tells Inside the Issues. “Now, that's all changed. As we left April into May, we saw our call volumes return to more traditional levels, as did a number of other crimes and other types of activities, including our traffic load.”
He says the number of property crimes have been reduced but the department is responding to more COVID-related matters like reports of large gatherings or people not adhering to social distancing measures.
“We will respond to those calls and we will track those calls and we will meet with people at the location and will educate them, inform them about their responsibilities relative to the safer at home [ordinance], about the safeguards that are needed, and we’re going to encourage their compliance,” he said. “If we come back to a location a second or third time, it can result in enforcement action against the homeowner or against the business.”
Pt. 2 of Our Interview With Chief Moore
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti recently released an order that requires people to wear a face mask or covering when going outdoors in the county.
Chief Moore says the department is asking people to comply with officers should they be asked to put on a mask. He explains the officers have been instructed to educate people on the importance of wearing a mask, inform them about their responsibilities relative to the safer at home ordinance and encourage compliance.
With the recent reopening of L.A. County beaches, Moore responds to concerns over enforcement. Officials have said they are to be used for activities like surfing, swimming or running, but people are not allowed to bring umbrellas, ice chests or chairs.
“We don't want you laying out on the beach, we want you to use it for activity and not sunbathing,” he says.
They have deployed resources to have a “presence to engage, educate and seek voluntary compliance of people going to the beach.” If people don’t comply they would issue a citation and would make a physical arrest as a last resort.
“We wanted there to be a consequence and not just a hollowness, that we look at people and say you have to leave and then we'd walk away and we would have people that were in a blatant disregard for the order,” he said.
Chief Moore says he has weekly calls with police officials in Chicago and New York to discuss how they respond to the pandemic.
“One of the issues we've seen is that agencies who have tried to take enforcement action, arrests or citations for people not wearing a mask or not exercising social distancing, have really suffered in the court of public opinion,” he said.
He encourages people to do their part and continue to wear face coverings or masks outside their home and practice safe social distancing as the effort to open society and businesses continues.
“Let's start taking and opening the aperture and allowing more of us to get back in public settings and get back a little bit more of what our new normal is, but I can't stress enough that as we do that, we still need to pay attention to the rules,” he says. “The question I have is that in Los Angeles … [has] served as truly high concentrations of not just infection but mortality. What is our new normal, in this region, in the next three to six months? Many of us believe it's going to be the dawning of face masks and covering while we're in public for the foreseeable future. So, get one, find one that’s fashionable and have it be a part of your day-to-day.”
Let Inside the Issues know your thoughts and watch Monday through Friday at 8 and 11 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.