That’s the conclusion of a new report from the city’s Department of Transportation, according to a pre-publication draft reviewed by Libor Jany for The Los Angeles Times.
The report, which strongly recommends that the city become “less reliant on law enforcement” for traffic stops, makes a series of recommendations in addition to employing unarmed civilians, including building ‘self-enforcing infrastructure,’ such as narrower streets, dedicated bike lanes and more clearly marked pedestrian crosswalks [all of which] naturally slow the flow of traffic and discourage drivers from speeding or breaking other road laws.”
Among the biggest fans of these ideas?
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore, who told the newspaper that “the department is very much interested in” alternatives to armed traffic enforcement and that if the Los Angeles Department of Transportation “were to pick that work up, I think we’d welcome it.”
Related: Philadelphia recently swore in their first class of public safety enforcement officers, “125 civilians who will take over jobs that had been exclusively done by police officers” and “will handle everything from directing traffic to writing tickets and ordering abandoned vehicles removed from city streets,” Tom MacDonald reported for Philly’s NPR affiliate WHYY. Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke explained why these new unarmed civilian workers are needed:
“[Police officers] didn’t go to the police academy to write tickets for abandoned cars. So having these [unarmed civilian] individuals replace those individuals so they can go out and do the job that we need them to do most, given the levels and the spikes in violence in the city of Philadelphia, is something that we’re extremely excited about.”