FIRST ON FOX: Democratic Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon announced “restructuring” plans for the way his office will handle crimes involving special victims, including children, the elders, domestic violence cases and sex crimes Thursday – a day after a year-old memo leaked calling for more staff.
Gascon’s office described the change as an “expansion” of the Family Violence and Sex Crimes Divisions based at headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles. Multiple deputy district attorneys raised alarms Thursday, however, telling Fox News Digital that it amounts to the removal of Vertical Impact Program and Prosecution (VIP) units stationed at branch offices around the county.
The announcement comes a day after the year-old memo, written by the chairperson of a VIP policies and procedures subcommittee in Gascon’s own office, warned of “countywide VIP staffing issues and concerns” and called for more VIP prosecutors.
The Washington Free Beacon published the memo.
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“Let’s just delete the concept of VIP, and then no one can say it’s understaffed,” one source with knowledge of the shift told Fox News Digital.
Under the new system, which goes into effect on March 17, supervisory decisions will be centralized at Gascon’s headquarters – rather than smaller offices connected to courthouses around the sprawling county.
Fox News Digital is told that prosecutors in the VIP units have not yet been given specifics about what their roles will be after that date.
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“We need to organize our office to impose accountability on those who commit serious crimes, including those with influence and power, provide robust resources to victims of serious crime, and support initiatives that prevent crime before it happens,” Gascon said in a statement. “Restructuring will help…
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