LA County District Attorney reportedly makes cuts to vital gang and narcotics units

Gascón will downsize the County DA Office's Hardcore Gangs unit as the DA works to take a more progressive approach to policing Los Angeles.

Fox11 Los Angeles reports that Gascón even wants to go so far as to change the name of the Major Narcotics Unit because his administration "doesn't like it."

The unit, which currently has 700 active cases and is responsible for dealing with the most brutal and elaborate gang-related crimes in the nation, "was pretty much decimated," according to an interview with a prosecutor.

Local activist groups, such as Black Lives Matter, have long "called for the disbandment of the Hardcore Gang Unit," claiming that it was "abusive" and "ineffective."

Vice president of the union representing prosecutors in the L.A. County D.A.'s office, Eric Siddall, was not surprised by Gascón's decision.

"He made political promises to certain fringe groups and it's payback, so yeah it makes sense in terms of that," Siddall said. "Legally and in terms of public safety issue, no, it makes no sense."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that is "can only serve to add gasoline to a raging fire of gang violence that threatens the safety of all." They claimed that Gascón's reform is "beginning to look more and more like a suicide pact."

A recall effort is underway for the DA, which will required 10 percent of LA county to sign a petition to enable that vote. Gascón, who took office in January, has already drawn the ire of neighboring DAs. The District Attorney for San Diego County has sent newly-elected LA County DA George Gascón a scathing letter criticizing his progressive policies as not "in the interest of justice." This after Gascón was lenient on prosecution of a cop killer.