Howard Berman: “Before we get too crazy about worshipping at the alter of local government, I just want to tell the story of Los…”

“Before we get too crazy about worshipping at the alter of local government, I just want to tell the story of Los Angeles, the most under policed major urban area anywhere in the United States by far, an area with twice the geography and one-half the population of New York City, that has less than one-quarter of the uniformed personnel on the streets. In the area of the San Fernando Valley that several of us represent, an area of over 1.2 million people, there are less than 100 uniformed police officers on patrol at any given time. How did this situation come about? Somehow over the last 20 or 30 years the mayor and the city council of that city over the years allowed that situation to develop. We are talking here about wiping out the most important anticrime measure that could possibly be offered to the city of Los Angeles, a chance for them to receive a substantial amount of Federal funds if they start prioritizing and making tough decisions in order to get a local match which will put hundreds and hundreds, I would say thousands in the end, of more police officers on that street.”