More and more I’m inclined to think that the problem with repeat criminals roaming our streets isn’t due to any lack of policing, it’s because of District Attorneys who are soft on crime.
These DAs either refuse to file charges against perps who are obviously guilty, or else they release them with mere slaps on the wrist. The most recent example of this occurred in San Francisco, where DA Chesa Boudin dropped charges against a man who, after being arrested for suspected burglary, “became violent and struggled with the officers.” The man then “took out an X-Acto blade and lunged toward the officers, cutting one in the hand and knee…”.
Now, common sense would suggest that such behavior is decidedly illegal. It shows a propensity for violence, an inclination toward instability, and lack of respect for uniformed officers simply doing their job. I think most of my readers (I know I would) would comply with police if they stopped us. Even if we had done nothing wrong, I don’t think you or I would “struggle” with a police officer! That is insane, outrageous behavior.
Which is why SF Police Chief Bill Scott was so upset by Boudin’s lack of followup. “I’m disappointed with the District Attorney’s decision in this case,” he said. “These kinds of attacks are unacceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated by our criminal justice system. When they are, it sends a dangerous message that emboldens criminals to use violence — and not just against police officers.”
Here in Alameda County, our District Attorneys frequently fly under the media radar. Police, city councilmembers and mayors get the lion’s share of coverage. I’d bet that 90% of Alamedans couldn’t even name our current DA (Nancy O’Malley), much less offer an informed opinion of her performance. We, the Coalition, already have endorsed Jimmie Wilson for DA in this year’s election; in a Zoom interview with us, he suggested he would be tougher in cracking down on crime. But then, candidates always say things that they can’t or won’t achieve, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Would it be too much to expect for the public to follow the day-to-day decisions of a District Attorney? Not in San Francisco, where Boudin is famously facing a recall later this year. The good people of that city have had it with revolving doors at the jail, with creeps being returned to the streets through the inaction or cowardice of DAs, with a failure by government to punish wrongdoers. I’ve said before and I’ll say again: the prime duty of government is to keep citizens safe. Boudin’s office said in a statement that part of the reason they dropped charges against the violent perp was because of “inconsistencies in police officer statements” they made. I don’t know what these “inconsistencies” were, but I bet they were minor: one officer says the perp was wearing brown pants, the other says he was wearing blue jeans. Even with minor inconsistencies, the overwhelming fact is that the perp is a dangerous, violent felon, not the sort of person we want in our neighborhoods, but one who should be behind bars until he’s redeemable for society. What will it take for DAs to get serious about public safety?
Steve Heimoff