Top Union Pacific official blasts far-left policies over ‘spiraling crisis’ of rail theft, threatens to leave Los Angeles

A high official with Union Pacific revealed final week that the corporate might transfer its rail operations from Los Angeles County except legislation enforcement stops thieves from raiding delivery containers.

Final week, a viral video confirmed how thieves are pillaging by delivery containers within the notorious Logan Heights neighborhood. Tens of hundreds of destroyed packages littered the world across the rail tracks.

What are the small print?

Adrian Guerrero, basic director of public affairs, sent a letter to Los Angeles County District Lawyer George Gascón demanding his workplace cease the “spiraling disaster of organized and opportunistic legal rail theft.”

Shockingly, Guerrero revealed that “over 90 containers are compromised per day.”

“Since December 2020, UP has skilled an over 160% enhance in legal rail theft in Los Angeles County. In a number of months throughout that interval, the rise from the earlier yr surpassed 200%. In October 2021 alone, the rise was 356% over in comparison with October 2020,” Guerrero defined. “Not solely do these dramatic will increase signify retail product thefts – they embrace elevated assaults and armed robberies of UP workers performing their duties transferring trains.”

Nonetheless, the precise crimes usually are not the one concern. Guerrero defined that far-left legal justice insurance policies have exacerbated the issue and emboldened criminals.

Criminals are caught and arrested, turned over to native authorities for reserving, arraigned earlier than the native courts, fees are decreased to a misdemeanor or petty offense, and the legal is launched after paying a nominal advantageous.These people are typically caught and launched again onto the streets in lower than twenty-four hours. Even with all of the arrests made, the no-cash bail coverage and prolonged timeframe for suspects to look in courtroom is inflicting re-victimization to UP by these similar criminals. In truth, criminals boast to our officers that fees might be pled all the way down to easy trespassing – which bears no critical consequence. With none judicial deterrence or consequence, it’s no shock that over the previous yr UP has witnessed the numerous enhance in legal rail theft described above.

In response to Guerrero, UPS and FedEx, which make the most of Union Pacific’s rail companies, are in search of to divert their enterprise away from Los Angeles County — and Union Pacific could be a part of them.

“Like our clients, UP is now considering critical modifications to our working plans to keep away from Los Angeles County,” Guerrero wrote, including that such a “drastic change” would considerably affect the nationwide provide chain.

Guerrero went on to say that Union Pacific understands “the well-intended social justice targets” of Gascón, however demanded he “maintain these criminals accountable.”

How did Gascón reply?

In response, Gascón’s workplace claimed they’re dedicated to making sure the protection of Los Angeles County’s infrastructure. In a statement, the workplace additionally mentioned many instances usually are not prosecuted attributable to “inadequate proof.”

“Some instances introduced to our workplace by Union Pacific have been filed, corresponding to housebreaking and grand theft, whereas others have been declined attributable to inadequate proof. We make charging selections primarily based on the proof,” the assertion mentioned.

Nonetheless, Guerrero defined in his letter to Gascón that regardless of over 100 criminals having been arrested whereas actively vandalizing trains, Union Pacific “has not been contacted for any courtroom proceedings.”

Supply: TheBlaze