After days of looting and vandalism and a barrage of criticism for failing to stop it, Los Angeles police have significantly increased their presence in affected neighborhoods and deployed more aggressive tactics to arrest those responsible for burglarizing businesses.
Police also have enforced overnight curfews to sweep streets clear in startling, militaristic shows of force, at times without any apparent effort to distinguish between passive bystanders and those engaged in crime.
“When violence escalates, including assaults on officers, arson, widespread looting … the department needs to resort to a stronger message,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the civilian Police Commission on Tuesday.
“We are not going to stand for looting,” said Asst. Chief Robert Arcos, in a separate interview. “We are doing all we can to make arrests immediately.
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