Hidden in this WSJ article, the truth comes out…
“Today, officials are more attuned to the fact that some of these offenders suffer from mental illness, and furthermore, convictions could lead to deportation for undocumented immigrants, Mr. Vance said.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/manhattan-d-a-aims-to-stop-prosecuting-subway-fare-evaders-1505403036
Police arrests are plummeting across California, fueling alarm and questions – lowest in 50 years.
In 2013, something changed on the streets of Los Angeles.
Police officers began making fewer arrests. The following year, the Los Angeles Police Department’s arrest numbers dipped even lower and continued to fall, dropping by 25% from 2013 to 2015.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego Police Department also saw significant drops in arrests during that period.
The statewide numbers are just as striking: Police recorded the lowest number of arrests in nearly 50 years, according to the California attorney general’s office, with about 1.1 million arrests in 2015 compared with 1.5 million in 2006.
It is unclear why officers are making fewer arrests. Some in law enforcement cite diminished manpower and changes in deployment strategies. Others say officers have lost motivation in the face of increased scrutiny — from the public as well as their supervisors.
The picture is further complicated by Proposition 47, a November 2014 ballot measure
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-slowdown-20170401-story.html
AC