Reacting to Ferguson and complaints about broken window policing, Los Angeles changed a number of property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Plus, the Police Commission overruled the Chief's conclusion an officer-involved shooting was justified.
As a result, the number of people in prison is down, as is police morale. See a City Journal article by a pseudonymous LA cop.
Would you guess crime is up? Of course you would, as would I. And we'd both be correct.
When the brass don't support the police they start playing it safe, ignoring suspicious stuff and people, responding only to 911 calls. This does little to disincentivize criminals who default to their normal behavior and, viola, more crime.
Presumably the people of LA will need to tire of the ugliness and demand better law enforcement. No one knows how long this process will take or how many of their fellows will have to die who otherwise would have lived.
