The Los Angeles Police Department has issued a "community alert" urging residents to "cooperate and comply" with robbers.
The department's alert comes amid a rise in follow-home robberies.
"Due an increase in violent street robberies, Robbery-Homicide Division has become aware of an ongoing crime trend of follow-home robberies. Suspects have been locating victims in Los Angeles, following them, and then committing the robberies as the victim arrives home or at their business," the department said in the notification, which was posted to Twitter. "These crimes have occurred throughout the City of Los Angles as well as neighboring cities. Different suspects have been identified and arrested for these types of crimes." We are sharing this community alert in an effort to increase awareness of a series of robberies occurring in the City of Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/mE5vVfCZZo
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) November 8, 2021
The alert went on to outline seven steps on how to handle being robbed.
The recommendations included being aware of one's surroundings, recording and reporting suspicious activity, and being cautious about displaying expensive property in public — specifically listing purses, watches and jewelry.
"If you are being robbed, do not resist the robbery suspects; cooperate and comply with their demands. Be a good witness," the alert continued, advising people to call the police after they have been violated.
LAPD went on to urge people not to "chase or follow the robbery suspect out of your place of business or home. Leave the job of catching the suspects to the police."
According to a study by Pew Research, police nationwide only solved 17.2% of the property crimes that were reported in 2019.
California also has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, leaving many ill equipped to protect themselves or their homes.
Breitbart News noted that "the state limits the number of guns law-abiding citizens can buy each month, requires law-abiding citizens to show 'good cause' in order to be approved for a concealed carry permit, bans campus carry for self-defense, bans K-12 teachers from having guns for classroom defense, has a ten-day waiting period on gun purchases, has gun registration requirements for law-abiding citizens, has a red flag law, and the state also has a ban on 'high-capacity' magazines (which is currently being litigated)."
"Additionally, California has ammunition controls which include background checks for ammunition purchases and said purchases to in-state ammunition dealers who are approved by the state," the report adds.
