San Francisco police lt. blames city's liberal policies for tying her hands amid smash and grab robberies
'We know what we need to do, let’s just have the guts to do it,' SFPD lt. says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A San Francisco police lieutenant said Tuesday that the Golden City is "spiraling" amid a troubling string of smash-and-grab robberies that have plagued local retailers ahead of the holiday shopping season.
"San Francisco, as you can see from all the video, the boarded-up shops, empty spaces for retail, is a city that is spiraling or already in the bottom of the toilet," Lieutenant Tracy McCray told Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson.
California lawmakers have come under fire for failing to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators behind the ongoing organized retail theft. Critics blame the state's liberal policies for the looting surge, specifically a law known as ‘Proposition 47,’ which lowers the penalty for theft, effectively legalizing shoplifting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McCray, who oversees the robbery unit for the San Francisco Police Department said it is "very frustrating" to watch her city deteriorate, and blamed the city's kid-glove treatment of criminals for tying her hands.
Security footage of a smash-and-grab robbery: City of Concord PD (City of Concord PD)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’m a native here, born and raised," she said. "I see all of this in real-time and it is concerning. I see this when I’m working, I see it when I’m off duty, I see this as a vice president of the union representing the men and women trying to serve the city to the best of their ability," she said. "I don’t know about our other partners, but we have a problem, let’s recognize we have a problem and let’s get to a solution."
The state's progressive prosecutor, District Attorney Chesa Boudin, is facing a recall election next summer for his actions that critics believe have led to the looting rampage.
McCray said she believes the SFPD can restore the safety and security of the city if given the chance.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I'm very confident because we have the will of 2,200 members who come in day in and day out who do their job and to make the city better," she said.
Four suspects involved in the latest smash-and-grab burglary targeted an Apple store in Santa Rosa, California on Wednesday, authorities said. (Santa Rosa Police Department )
McCray pointed to the 83,000 signatures already submitted in support of the recall against Boudin, telling Carlson that those who dismiss the move as a Republican effort should be mindful that "We don’t have 83,000 Republicans in San Francisco."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s a cross-section of people who are now fed up," she said. "We know what we need to do, let’s just have the guts to do it and stop talking about it. It’s incredibly frustrating," she continued, "but even as frustrated as we are, we are still willing to show up and to do our job and I wish our other partners in the justice system would just do theirs."