ANGELES, WHERE THE NUMBER OF
SHOOTING VICTIMS HAS SPIKED 50%
COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
JOINING ME NOW FOR HIS FIRST
MSNBC INTERVIEW LAPD CHIEF
MICHAEL MOORE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
OF COURSE THE NUMBERS ARE UP.
THINGS WERE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN
LAST YEAR.
BUT YOU SAID THAT THE CITY OF
LOS ANGELES HAS LOST A DECADE OF
PROGRESS IN BEATING BACK CRIME.
WHY IS THAT?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT THE
SYSTEMS OF OUR SOCIETY HAVE ALL
BEEN BROKEN DOWN, ALL BEEN
GREATLY IMPACTED BY THIS
PANDEMIC.
WE KNOW WHAT WORKS IN LOS
ANGELES.
WE LED THE COUNTRY IN CRIME
REDUCTION OVER THIS PAST DECADE
AND SHOWN THAT POLICE MATTER AND
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS THE
LEADING ASPECT OF CRIME
PREVENTION, AND THAT CRIME
REDUCTION ALSO IS TIED TO
EFFECTIVE POLICING, IDENTIFYING
THOSE THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE
VIOLENCE, BRINGING THEM BEFORE
THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND HOLDING
THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
ALL OF THAT IN THIS LAST YEAR
HAS BEEN TERRIBLY AND
DEVASTATINGLY IMPACTED.
WEVE SEEN EVERY PART OF SOCIETY
BROKEN DOWN, DISENGAGED,
ISOLATED, AND WHAT WE SEE ARE
RESULTS NOT ONLY IN LOS ANGELES
BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO MOVING
FORWARD IS REMEMBER WHAT WORKS,
THE STRATEGIES THAT HAVE PROVEN
EFFECTIVE.
JUST A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, THIS
CITY HAILED A TENTH YEAR IN
CRIME REDUCTION, 300 HOMICIDES
OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR AND
RECORD LOWS, GOING BACK TO THE
60s, TO FIND THE LEVEL OF CRIME
AND VIOLENCE WEVE EXPERIENCED.
WEVE SEEN IT WORK, WE KNOW IT
CAN WORK.
WEVE GOT TO ROLL OUR SLEEVES UP
AND GET EVERYONE INVOLVED AND
GET BACK TO HAVING OUR
INTERVENTIONISTS IN THE STREETS
AND US COMMUNICATING, SEEING
EACH OTHER.
AND THE COMMUNITY NOT GIVING UP,
RECOGNIZING THE POLICE ARE HERE,
WERE HERE TO HELP AND SUPPORT
YOU, WERE HERE IN A MANNER
THATS GOING TO BRING SAFETY TO
OUR COMMUNITIES AND LETS ALL
WORK TOGETHER IN THAT
ENGAGEMENT.
>> ABSOLUTELY, SIR.
LAST YEAR THE LAPD LOST NEARLY
600 COPS, BUT YOUR BUDGET ACTUALLY TICKED UP 3%.
ACTUALLY TICKED UP 3%.
WHERE IS THAT MONEY GOING?
>> IN POLICING TODAY, THEY LOOK
AT THE DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING
SPENT RATHER THAN THE PHYSICAL
STAFFING.
THE STAFFING NUMBERS IN THIS
DEPARTMENT WERE CUT BY 600 LINE
PERSONNEL, 250 ADDITIONAL
CIVILIANS, AND YET THE COST OF
POLICING WENT UP.
THATS DIRECTLY TIED TO LABOR
AGREEMENTS AND TO THE COST OF
WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A
PROFESSIONAL POLICE OFFICER,
JUST AS THE REST OF AMERICA HAS
A 2% OR 3% COST OF LIVING RAISE
OR ADVANCEMENT IN THEIR
SALARIES, THE POLICE ARE NO
DIFFERENT.
SO WE SAW A 3% INCREASE, A
PHYSICAL HEAD COUNT GO DOWN BY
HUNDREDS.
NOW, IM THANKFUL THIS THE CITY
COUNCIL UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF
MAYOR GARCETTI HAS MADE THE
INVESTMENT TO ALLOW US TO START
HIRING AGAIN.
WERE GOING TO HIRE 740 LINE
PERSONNEL THIS NEXT YEAR,
CLASSES IN OUR ACADEMY START
WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH.
THATS GOING TO HELP US STEM THE
TIDE OF ATTRITION, BUT ITS
IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO
FOCUS ON THE MORALE OF OUR
PEOPLE.
THE DEVASTATING IMPACT IS ABOUT
100 OF THEM LEFT EARLY BECAUSE
OF WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE STATE
OF POLICING WHERE THEY FEEL
RIDICULED, UNAPPRECIATED AND
DEMORALIZED AND A NUMBER OF THEM
CHOSE TO LEAVE THE FIELD
ENTIRELY, NOT JUST GO TO ANOTHER
AGENCY OR ANOTHER PART OF THE
COUNTRY, BUT TO LEAVE THE
PROFESSION.
WE CANT AFFORD THAT.
POLICING IS TOO IMPORTANT FOR
PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE NEED MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE
HERE AND THEIR HEART IS THEIR
LARGEST, MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT
OF THEM AND THAT NEEDS TO BE
ENCOURAGED.
WE KNOW ACROSS THE COUNTRY WE
NEED TO SUPPORT POLICING.
BUT THE RHETORIC AND SOME OF THE
HARSH AND MEAN WORDS AND REMARKS
AND STATEMENTS OF THE
ANTI-POLICE AND DEFUND MOVEMENT
HAS REALLY TAKEN A DEVASTATING
IMPACT ON THE MORALE OF OUR
PEOPLE.
MOVING FORWARD, WE WANT TO
ENSURE THAT OUR PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO HOLD
THEM ACCOUNTABLE, WERE GOING TO
HOLD THEM TO THE HIGH STANDARDS
OF THIS PROFESSION, BUT WERE
GOING TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR
THEM FOR DEDICATED SERVICE.
WE NEED A COURSE GOING FORWARD
THAT IS BUILT ON POSITIVENESS.
THIS DEPARTMENT HAS LED AMERICAN
POLICING IN ITS REFORMS AND WE
BELIEVE THAT, WHETHER ITS THE
GEORGE FLOYD BILL OR OTHER
REFORMS, THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
IT AND WHERE LAPD IS AT, WEVE
ADOPTED MANY OF THOSE PROVISIONS
LONG AGO.
WHAT YOU SEE AS CRITICISM OF
POLICING IS MANY TIMES ISOLATED
AND IN UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES AND
NOT UNIFORM TO THE ENTIRE
PROFESSION.
>> GOOD POLICING IS GOING TO
KEEP OUR CITIES SAFE.
I KNOW ACTIVISTS WANTED YOUR
OFFICERS TO STOP RESPONDING TO
MINOR TRAFFIC INCIDENTS AND
MENTAL HEALTH CALLS.
YOURE DOING THAT.
IS IT WORKING?
>> WELL, ITS JUST IN THE EARLY
STAGES.
WERE DIVERTING HUNDREDS OF
CALLS TO MENTAL HEALTH
PROVIDERS, BUT WE NEED TO
INCREASE THAT VOLUME.
WE NEED TO GET MENTAL HEALTH
WORKERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, OUT IN
THE FIELD, DOING OUTREACH AND
ENGAGEMENT.
THE DIRTY SECRET IN THIS COUNTRY
IS THAT OUR MENTAL HEALTH
RESOURCES ARE DESPERATELY OUT OF
TOUCH WITH WHAT IS REALLY
NEEDED.
WHAT WE NEED IS NOT JUST
OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT 24 HOURS
A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, BUT WE
NEED SAFE PLACES FOR PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING MENTAL ILLNESS TO
RECEIVE TREATMENT AND GET THEIR
LIFE IN ORDER IN A PRODUCTIVE
WAY.
AND RIGHT NOW THAT IS A 911
CALL, SO THEN WHEN SOMETHING
UNFORTUNATE HAPPENS BECAUSE OF A
LACK OF TRAINING OR BECAUSE OF
JUST A TERRIBLE SITUATION THAT
HAS DEVOLVED OUT OF CONTROL, WE
LOOK TO THE POLICE AND HOLD THEM
ACCOUNTABLE.
SO HERE IN LOS ANGELES WE ARE
ESTABLISHING RESOURCES,
OUTREACH, ENGAGEMENT, PATROLS
THAT HELP INTERCEDE AND DONT
REQUIRE A COP AND THATS GOING
TO ALLOW US, I BELIEVE, TO STAY
FOCUSED ON MATTERS THAT POLICE
ARE BEST SUITED FOR AND TO
IDENTIFY THESE ALTERNATIVE
SERVICES THAT ALLOW THE TYPE OF
PUBLIC SAFETY THAT WE WANT.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT SEVEN OUT OF
TEN WANT AND NEED POLICING,
EIGHT OUT OF TEN SUPPORT
COMMUNITY POLICING.
THE SAME NUMBERS ARE ASKING FOR