Los Angeles County residents may feel a quieter atmosphere leading up to Thanksgiving this year. In past years, large-scale retail thefts were frequent around this time, leaving the community feeling unsafe. However, such incidents seem to have subsided this year.
“We must rebuild trust,” said Nathan Hochman, the newly appointed District Attorney of Los Angeles County, at a town hall meeting. In last November’s election, Hochman won by a large margin, defeating his rival, former District Attorney Jascon.
On Thursday evening (23rd), Hochman met with local elected officials and residents in the city hall of Diamond Bar in eastern Los Angeles County to introduce his work since taking office.
He first thanked the organizers, the “Community Safety Fund Foundation” (TACF), the “Chinese American Association of Abacus Mental Arithmetic” (CAAA), and various attendees including Diamond Bar Mayor Deng Jiayou.
Hochman stated that rebuilding trust between the District Attorney’s Office and prosecutors, as well as between law enforcement, victims, and prosecutors is his top priority. His approach involves reviving the concept of accountability, ensuring that there are consequences for crimes and handling each case and defendant in a sensible and intelligent manner.
Hochman mentioned that from his first day in office, he discarded Jascon’s leniency policies – his “political agenda.” Jascon had issued nine special directives declaring certain crimes not worthy of prosecution, leading to the growing influence of gangs in Los Angeles County and deteriorating public safety.
At the same time, Hochman sent a clear message to prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, and crime victims: law enforcement agencies are free to act, and the District Attorney’s Office will fulfill its duties and act in accordance with the law. In the past, suspects arrested by police were often released once they reached the District Attorney’s Office, rendering the efforts of law enforcement futile.
Hochman is confident that after taking office, the morale of the over 800 prosecutors in Los Angeles County has greatly improved.
Meanwhile, Hochman has also strengthened cooperation and rebuilt trust with law enforcement. During Jascon’s tenure, officers felt that the District Attorney was more interested in prosecuting them rather than cooperating, resulting in a backlog of 14,000 detention cases in Los Angeles County, affecting the morale of law enforcement. Presently, the backlog has been reduced to under 4,500 cases, a decrease of nearly ten thousand cases in ten months.
In last year’s election, Californians who could no longer tolerate worsening public safety passed Proposition 36, aiming to crackdown on criminals. Since January of this year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has partnered with law enforcement to bring serious charges against over 2,000 habitual and repeat offenders. Individuals convicted of drug offenses twice are also facing serious charges and mandatory treatment.
Los Angeles County has added two key prosecution charges this year – crimes related to street protests and wildfire crimes.
In June of this year, there were multiple violent incidents during federal immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles, leading to a curfew in downtown. Regarding this, Hochman stated, “When you attempt to turn speech protected by the First Amendment into illegal conduct, whether it’s firing commercial-grade fireworks at officers, driving vehicles into police lines, throwing bricks or concrete blocks at patrol cars and setting fires, from my perspective, you will be arrested, prosecuted, and punished.”
Hochman’s speech received applause from attendees.
Mayor Deng Jiayou revealed in an interview after the meeting that Hochman is the first high-level elected official to meet with voters in Diamond Bar, which is akin to presenting a governance report. He stated that Hochman “insists on the rule of law,” and “he approaches cases based on law and facts, not any political ideology, which is greatly appreciated by the local residents, and they strongly support him.”
Deng Jiayou noted that Hochman emphasized multiple times during his report that he would cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies, which sets him apart from other officials in Los Angeles County, reflecting his independence as an elected official rather than an appointed one.
David S. Chi, a Chinese-American police officer from Los Angeles County who attended the meeting, stated that the issues Hochman addressed are directly relevant to the people. “We in Los Angeles are fortunate to have such a hardworking and responsible prosecutor,” he said. He also praised Hochman’s tough stance on repeat offenders, hoping it would make potential offenders more cautious.
Chi also mentioned that the morale of the entire police department (LASD) has improved this year because “finally, someone is taking action.”
That evening, the City of Industry Police Department also shared security information and crime prevention techniques with residents. ◇