Today, there was a meeting at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in regards to public safety concerns amongst the Chinese Community due to increased crime.
It was a very professional meeting held by the association with many speakers on the topic of public safety voicing their concerns. There was discussion on having more police officers in Chinatown and closed circuit video cameras on Stockton St. being installed in approx. six months.
That will be of help but the problem is bigger than that as the President on the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association stated in a previous article, “I believe there is a cycle of crimes that relate to this starting with illegal drug use. Since Prop 47 when felony drug possession and felony property crimes were changed to misdemeanor crimes it had reduced the length of the prison sentence too, in some cases, a citation and probation. Couple that with extreme reformist district attorneys declining to prosecute crimes, dismissing criminal charges, and offering lenient plea bargains is another issue. Lack of consequences has emboldened criminals. The ease of illegal drug use with highly addictive drugs perpetuates car break-ins to fund the habit and in some cases it perpetuates violent acts because of the effects of the illegal drugs. And on top of that, there is organized crime taking advantage of San Francisco’s leniency on crime. All of this puts San Franciscans in danger,” says Ken Lomba.
As I listened to every speaker at the meeting, I realized the Chinese Community understands the issue. They also have identified the problem that we, the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, have discussed in previous articles. Simply put San Francisco is too soft of crime.
There are a lot of good ideas and suggestions to better public safety but there are two primary ways to fix this problem going forward. One, in our immediate future is the district attorney election.
We agree with a recent article about “the rule of law .” Please see the below article about the SF District Attorney election in November written by Quentin Kopp.
”San Francisco voters face an important election regarding the rule of law on November 5, 2019. The incumbent District Attorney, a 2011 political appointee who, while admitted to the State Bar of California, has never tried a case in a courtroom, won’t seek another term. There are now four choices: the two best with genuine experience in criminal law and belief in law enforcement are Leif Dautch and Nancy Tung. The two worst are Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin, a champion of illegal immigration which results in more work for public defenders at taxpayer expense, and Suzy Loftus, the City Hall establishment favorite, weaned on the public trough as the Sheriff’s attorney, who doesn’t prosecute crimes. ”
Click here: Quentin Kopp, 2019 RUMINATIONS OF A FORMER CITIZEN SUPERVISOR
Retrieved from http://www.westsideobserver.com/columns/quentin11.html
Two we need to tighten up some of the changes that occurred with Prop 47. When don’t necessarily have to reverse Prop 47, but we do have to amend some of the changes and take a stronger stance on some of the crimes. This is in progress, see “Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2020.”
If these changes are made, the pendulum will move from being extremely lenient on crime to a well balanced approach on crime. This would improve public safety.
“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”