A police union in Los Angeles called out the city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti’s call to cut power at “party houses” amid the coronavirus outbreak, telling the liberal mayor to tap his own “civilian staff” to enforce the order.
The Police Protective League said on Twitter over the weekend that Garcetti “wants to reimagine policing” and should use his own civilian team to respond to these homes and “let officers deal with the rise in shootings and killings in L.A.”
SUBURBIA FIGHTS BACK: ANTIFA PICKS WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD
“We need a leader and not a political contortionist,” the tweet read.
Jerretta Sandoz, the vice president of the police union, told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that the responsibility to kill the power at these homes should not rest with the men and women in law enforcement and indicated that Garcetti intends to use the department as political pawns.
“He wants to use police officers when it benefits him politically,” she told the paper.
Garcetti announced last week that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will be told to cut power when there are “egregious” cases of large parties at private residences. Health officials in the city say these parties pose a threat to the community during a time the state has seen an uptick in coronavirus cases.
“If the LAPD responds and verifies that a large gathering is occurring at a property, and we see these properties reoffending time and time again, they will provide notice and initiate the process to request that [the Department of Water and Power] shut off service within the next 48 hours,” Garcetti said.
FOLLOW TODD STARNES ON TWITTER
The city had a few high-profile parties, including one that ended with a fatal shooting at a party inside a Mulholland Drive mansion. NBC News also reported that there was a “first responders” party at a bar in Hollywood where social distancing guidelines were disregarded.
PROFESSOR: 2+2=4 REEKS OF ‘WHITE SUPREMACY PATRIARCHY’
The Times reported that the police union’s public rebuke stems from a growing tension between Garcetti and law enforcement. The paper reported that officers said Garcetti has praised their handling of the protests in private, but criticize them on television.
The union summed up their recent beef with Garcetti in a Facebook post that read, “Noise complaints and house parties? He should send in someone with a clipboard, not cops.”