Friday’s broadcast on CNN’s “Don Lemon Tonight” featured San Francisco Police Chief William Scott stating that the San Francisco D.A. had refused to prosecute certain crimes and cut the budget for police. Chesa Boudin’s “definitely doesn’t make it easier” to fight crime.
Don Lemon, the host, asked: “Mayor Breed advocated for cuts in police budgets following George Floyd. A progressive prosecutor ran on promises not to prosecute prostitution, drug abuse, or dealing. These are the things that keep you from, as your mayor says, cutting out the B.S. That’s destroying the city.”
Scott replied that these things certainly don’t make it easier. Look, Scott, when it comes to cutting our budget, our budget, I’ve been here since 2006 and we fight for it every year. That’s not a new thing. The mayor’s declaration that cuts will be made this year to help the African American community was a reflection of the time. We have the same discussions every year but on a different topic. In terms of prosecutions and all that, it is the same thing as the police department, our officers, and our department.
Scott said they need to be consistent with what we do. People are asking for assistance. People don’t want to see such behavior in their communities. We should do our job well, give the prosecutors the best care possible and continue to do so consistently. We can’t be worried about things that are out of our control, and we don’t have any excuses. It’s up to us to do our jobs well and remain focused on what is important.
