L.A. County DA Gascón Hires Cop Hating Public Defender as High-Ranking Prosecutor

The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a statement on the hiring that reads in part: "Once again, Gascón is thumbing his nose at crime victims by hiring someone who wants to abolish prisons, defund public safety, and who has expressed outright hatred toward police officers. ...do we really need criminal defense attorneys on both sides of the aisle?"

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is under scrutiny after he hired a public defender who helped with his campaign to a high-ranking prosecutor position in his administration.

That public defender has in the past posted anti-police comments on social media and now, the police and prosecutor unions are crying foul.

Last summer, FOX 11 reported on a series of controversial social media posts from Tiffiny Blacknell. During the George Floyd unrest across Los Angeles, Blacknell called LAPD barbarians in a tweet and described them as an occupying army with the hashtag #DefundPolice

She also posted that prison is obsolete and called for prisons to be abolished.

Gascón is bringing Blacknell over from the public defender's office and hiring her as a Grade 4 Deputy DA, which is the second-highest grade a prosecutor can achieve. On top of that, the salary of that position can be up to $15,000 a month.

Grade 4 Deputy DAs handle many of the highest profile cases prosecuted by the DA's office.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a statement on the hiring that reads in part: "Once again, Gascón is thumbing his nose at crime victims by hiring someone who wants to abolish prisons, defund public safety, and who has expressed outright hatred toward police officers. With murders and shootings at a 10-year high, do we really need criminal defense attorneys on both sides of the aisle?"

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