Multiple stories in recent days of trains being looted, leaving trash and debris all over the tracks.
LA Times: ‘It’s ugly out there’: Rail thefts leave tracks littered with pilfered packages
LA Times: ‘It’s ugly out there’: Rail thefts leave tracks littered with pilfered packages
Thieves are pilfering railroad cars in a crime that harks back to the days of horseback-riding bandits, but is fueled by a host of modern realities, including the rise of e-commerce and Southern California’s role as a hub for the movement of goods.CNN: Thieves in LA are looting freight trains filled with packages from UPS, FedEx and Amazon
The images have generated national attention and revealed tension among rail operators, government officials and authorities over what can be done to reduce the thefts.
Union Pacific, one of the country's largest railroad companies, says it may avoid operating in Los Angeles County following the spike in thefts, which it blames on lax prosecution of crimes. The containers and trains are locked, but can be broken into.
Union Pacific said last month in a letter to the Los Angeles District Attorney that it saw a 160% year-over-year increase in theft in LA county. The company claims that a December 2020 special directive issued by District Attorney George Gascón that changed how low-level offenses are prosecuted has contributed to the uptick.