When elected officials jump on the “Defund the Police” bandwagon and refuse to support law enforcement officers who are doing their jobs, instead defending criminals, it’s not surprising that criminals see that as a signal that they can carry out their misdeeds without much fear. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Los Angeles.

In a Facebook live video, LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva shared some sobering statistics about an increase in violent crime in his jurisdiction:

• 5.79 percent increase in criminal homicide
• 7.11 percent increase in aggravated assaults
• 23.93 percent increase in grand theft auto
• 7.63 percent incrase in arson

In Los Angeles County, the Sheriff’s Department covers all of the unincorporated areas in the county in addition to 42 contract cities and county hospitals, courts, and other facilities.

Villanueva has vocally opposed any cuts in his department’s budget while four out of the five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors are in lock-step with Black Lives Matter talking points and undermining the efforts of law enforcement to build relationships in the community, put criminals behind bars, and keep gangs from taking over the streets.

The LAPD serves the City of Los Angeles, and they’re seeing a wave of violent crime too. On Friday LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a press conference that there’s been a “spasm of violence” in South Los Angeles, with 11 shootings and two murders between Tuesday and Friday.

LIVE: LAPD Chief Michel Moore will discuss the uptick in violent crime in South Los Angeles. https://t.co/cQAY0J1QwF

— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) October 2, 2020

Last week was not an anomaly, nor is the violence limited to South Los Angeles, according to Chief Moore:

“Yesterday, following a spasm of violence, some 11 shootings and two homicides just since Tuesday here in these very neighborhoods, that was on top of an increase in shooting violence and homicides that are occurring in other areas of the city as well, leaves us this morning with 39 additional homicides as a city versus last year, 101 additional shooting victims from a year ago.

“This is a pace of shooting and violence that we’ve not seen in years, and it has grown from an effort that began or – and issues that we saw in June and July, and now has continued to accelerate. And this week I fear, given the velocity, is, where is the lid on this? Where is the top?”

The violence has continued over the weekend.

Last night was a tragically violent night in Los Angeles.

Together, we must confront this challenge and vehemently reject this trend—we will not let those that wish to tear at the fabric of our city succeed. pic.twitter.com/SN9BX6ebbH

— Chief Michel Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore) October 4, 2020

At the press conference, Moore said he believed the stress brought on by coronavirus shutdowns is fueling the violence:

“We are social animals,” Moore said. “We exist as an entity that works better when we work together. And this pandemic is interrupting all of that. And it’s assisting — in my belief — to fueling that, not just here in Los Angeles but across the country.”

Many of us agree with that sentiment, and it’s true that violence has increased over the summer and fall in cities across the country. Moore is leaving out the common denominator shared by these cities: they’re controlled by BLM advocates who are taking action on calls to defund the police and who are more focused on social justice than actual justice.