Los Angeles has a new man to handle the most challenging job in
our city: chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Unfortunately, William Bratton inherited a mess he might not be
able to fix.
Plagued by years of scandal and a constant barrage of criticism
from the media under former chief Bernard Parks, the LAPD gained a
nation-wide reputation for being hotheaded, racist, and callous.
While the media are in part to blame because they apply a double
standard to our men and women in blue, most of the city’s
problems come from dumb policies and illogical rules of
engagement.
As a result, the crime in Los Angeles continues to rise, and the
LAPD is put in a difficult situation where it is handcuffed by an
inefficient bureaucratic organization that puts its officers at
constant risk of losing their jobs.
The entire system needs to be overhauled, but until state and
federal laws are revised, there are many things Bratton can do to
make Los Angeles safe again ““ especially in the areas of
drugs and guns.
Ever since Ronald Reagan’s war on drugs began, inner city
gangs have grown stronger. Though the brilliant Reagan was usually
smart in his economic policy, he completely failed to realize that
the drug war would create far worse problems than it has solved,
namely the perpetuation of inner city gangs.
Prohibition created Al Capone, and the drug prohibition has
created a far more lucrative black market. As long as drugs mean
easy money and gang life offers rewards for abandoning a crime-free
lifestyle, the gang problem will never cease. Wasting valuable
manpower and funds cracking down on drugs will only serve to make
drugs more profitable, thus strengthening the gangs.
Gangs also survive by spreading fear throughout the
neighborhoods they call their turf. Protection rackets and beatings
are common occurrences. Yet Chief Parks was loathe to issue
licenses to carry concealed weapons as a means of self defense. As
a result, people who were trying to do their best to live in a
horrible neighborhood were forced to remain victims of violent gang
warfare.
An interesting anecdote from Larry Elder’s book “The
Ten Things You Can’t Say in America” tells of a
frightened Sharon Stone who calls the police as an intruder tries
to get into her house. After more 9-1-1 calls and still no police,
she runs to retrieve a shotgun, cocks it once, and the intruder
runs off into the night.
Now if the police are slow to run to the aid of Sharon Stone in
a relatively safe neighborhood, it is ludicrous to think that the
reaction will be any swifter in the war zones of gang violence.
Therefore, the people need the power to protect themselves while
they wait for the police to arrive. The new chief should liberally
give out licenses to law-abiding people who demonstrate gun
proficiency.
Los Angeles has many problems. Failing school systems are
trapping our children in a perpetual state of inability. We have an
idiotic governor who cites terrorism as the reason to deny
driver’s licenses to immigrants, which would have given them
an escape from the cities and a means to fair better
economically.
But we do have a new strong leader of the police force.
Hopefully William Bratton will use clarity of thought to empower
people to protect themselves and take power away from the
city’s criminal elements.