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A trendy Los Angeles County community has voted to reduce law enforcement funding despite escalating crime and public backlash.
The budget for the next two fiscal years will leave West Hollywood with four fewer Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol, WeHoville reported.
The budget was approved by a narrow3-2 vote with Mayor Lauren Meister dissenting as well as Councilman John Erickson.
“I’m not going to vote for the budget if we cut the sheriff’s (funds),” Meister said, according to the news outlet. “First of all, nobody has the gun problem that we have in this country. You can’t expect us to have a public safety team where most of the people aren’t armed in order to defend our citizens.”
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A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol car outside the West Hollywood station. On Monday, city officials voted to reduce funding for the sheriff’s department.
(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)
Over the past few months, residents and business owners have voiced opposition to cutting the police budget amid a crime wave across the county.
Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne amended the budgets to re-allocate funds for sheriff’s deputies to the Block by Block program, which staffs unarmed security ambassadors who provide the city with supplemental law enforcement services.
“What we know now is our residents want foot patrols. We need to be fiscally responsible And we have all talked for two years,” she said. “Reimagining policing means reallocating funding. You can’t just say it without actually doing it. Period.”
Deputies will be removed in the coming months. Fox News has reached out to the council and the sheriff’s department. Crime in West Hollywood has been an ongoing concern for many. In March, media reports said crime skyrocketed 137%.
That included murder, rape, burglary, aggravated assault, arson, and human trafficking.
