Point of View: Crime is surging in SoCal (editorial)

LOS ANGELES, CA (FOX 11) - For 2015, violent crime was up almost 20% and property crime up more than 10%. So why would we change the law to let potentially 25,000 more serious offenders out of our jails and prisons?

Yet that is precisely what Governor Brown wants to do.

His so-called public safety and rehabilitation act proposes to significantly reduce incarceration time covering a list of serious crimes. Those crimes include assault, drug trafficking, detonating a bomb, burglary, arson, and criminal gang participation, to name a few.

Repeat offenders who were convicted of these crimes would not automatically have to serve extra time for prior offenses.

Many criminals, for example, would only have to serve time for their latest crime.

All this defies common sense by putting more criminals on the street when crime is on the rise. There is little deterrent if criminals realize that, no matter how many times they re-offend, they will serve no extra time. The practical effect of this Brown initiative would allow many career criminals to endlessly commit new crimes with little consequence. They would only be finally stopped when they were convicted of a more violent crime, such as murder.

Governor Brown, get a grip on reality and withdraw your backing. This is one big mistake that would have dire consequences for all law-abiding citizens.

Thanks for listening.

I'd like to hear your Point of View. You can email me directly at pov@fox11.com.

Bob Cook
VP and General Manager, FOX 11

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