California Crime Wave Fueled by ‘Well-Intentioned but Misguided’ Policies: District Attorney

“If you tell people you are not going to hold them accountable for their actions, there’s a consequence for that,” the prosecutor of 30 years said.

El Dorado Count District Attorney Vern Pierson talks to members of the press in Placerville, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2014. The Sacramento Bee, Randall Benton/AP Photo

California’s current crime wave is fueled by “well-intentioned but misguided” policies aimed at reforming the criminal justice system and can only be remedied when people start voting for change, a district attorney told EpochTV’s “California Insider” program.

Vern Pierson, district attorney of El Dorado County in Northern California, said state laws, such as Propositions 47 and 57, and some local directives that undermine law enforcement and prosecution, allow many criminal activities to go undeterred.