Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said he's working to "more aggressively" go after criminals and seek "full prosecution" as the city sees an alarming spike in violent crimes.
During a virtual news conference on Tuesday, Moore spoke candidly about the increase in crime and said he's increasing patrols to curb the violence.
"Right now, I believe that the efforts of the last year and a half or so created at least a perception of a more permissive environment," said Moore. "For people that have the ability to go out and engage in this type of conduct we are talking about here with no consequence."
Zero-bail policies mean, in some instances, suspects are quickly released from custody after they're arrested and booked for the crimes. The current zero-bail policy was designed to reduce jail populations during the pandemic.
"Two years ago, a person arrested would be in custody and set to be arraigned in 72 hours," said Moore. "Today, that process is, with the zero-bail, that person is in and out back in the community and their next court appearance is an arraignment that's four or five months out."
Moore said homicides have gone up about 50% since 2019 and aggravated assaults have gone up about 16%.
