What could San Francisco possibly do to make their crime problem worse? And why would they even do something to make things worse?
We don’t have the answer to the second question, but we do for the first: letting hundreds of misdemeanor suspects off the hook.
What is wrong with liberal cities?
At a glance:
- Alameda County has dismissed over 1,000 misdemeanor cases due to missed deadlines under District Attorney Pamela Price’s administration.
- The backlog began after Price took office in January 2023, and some of the cases involve serious incidents like DUIs and theft.
- Price’s office blames the previous administration for the backlog, while critics cite understaffing and mismanagement as key factors.
Hundreds of misdemeanor cases in Alameda County, California, have been dropped after prosecutors failed to review them before their statute of limitations expired. The significant backlog emerged shortly after District Attorney Pamela Price took office in January 2023, leading to more than 1,000 cases being dismissed, according to reports from the San Francisco Chronicle.
The backlog includes over 600 cases in Alameda County alone, with offenses ranging from DUI to theft. One notable case involved a driver with a 0.22 percent blood alcohol level who crashed into parked cars, while another suspect attempted to return $800 worth of merchandise he didn’t buy.
The suspects were either issued citations or arrested, with police forwarding their reports to the district attorney’s office. However, the delay in prosecutorial decisions led many cases to surpass the one-year limit, causing them to expire without charges being filed.
Pamela Price’s administration blamed the backlog on the previous district attorney, Nancy O’Malley, stating they inherited a heap of unresolved cases. O’Malley denied these claims, stating she had offered to assist Price’s team with the transition. Despite the mounting backlog, Price’s office has been unable to confirm the exact number of expired cases.
Critics have pointed to understaffing as a major issue. Melissa Dooher, a former Alameda County prosecutor, explained that cases are rarely thrown out due to missed deadlines, attributing the current crisis to a lack of manpower. She raised concerns over the potential dangers to the community, particularly in cases involving repeat DUI offenders who could re-offend without facing consequences.
Despite promises from Price to address the issue, including appointing an assistant district attorney to tackle the backlog, the problem has worsened. By September 2024, the number of unaddressed cases had reportedly risen to 4,000.
The situation has sparked concern not only for the missed prosecutions but also for the potential impact on public safety, with several offenders walking free due to administrative oversights.
Oh, and this has happened before, too:
