Under zero dollar bail, destructive L.A. robbers freed almost instantly

California’s lack of bond, also known as zero dollar bail policies, has been widely criticized by local safety advocates and SJ’s own police sergeant. Analyzing a Los Angeles smash-and-grab case from last December, it becomes clear why. Rob Hayes reports how 14 (13 of them adult) criminal suspects were released after a day in jail. The crime? Roughly $338,000 in stolen property; $40,000 in damages to the stores. To receive daily updates of new Opp Now stories, click here.

Los Angeles police recently announced the arrests of 14 suspects in a series of smash-and-grab robberies across the city.

And not one of them spent more than a day in jail.

Zero-bail policies meant the suspects were quickly released from custody after they were arrested and booked for the crimes. One was a juvenile. All remain free while awaiting their court cases to work through the system.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore says city businesses were hit with a a spree of 11 smash-and-grab robberies over a span of 10 days in November. About $338,000 in property was stolen, as well as $40,000 in damage incurred by the stores.

Moore points the finger at the current zero-bail policy, designed to reduce jail populations during the pandemic.

Moore says auto thefts have been up for the past two years - the first rise, he says, in decades.

And Mayor Eric Garcetti says violent crime has crept up 3.5% this year.

He says the criminal justice system and judges need to scale back the zero-bail policy.

"There are people who need to be behind bars," Garcetti said…

This article originally appeared in ABC7. Read the whole thing here.

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Image by Jeff Stapleton