LA train robberies: Worker says Union Pacific is putting 'profits over safety'

A Union Pacific worker says the railroad company is “putting profits over safety manpower labor” and “pointing fingers” after footage of looted containers in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles went viral earlier this month.

UP argued that Democratic LA District Attorney George Gascón's crime policies were to blame for increasing train robberies, specifically mentioning his Special Directive 20-07. In a December 2021 letter to Gascón, UP stated that the directive allows many misdemeanor cases to be declined or dismissed prior to arraignment unless "factors for considerations" exist. 

"Policy is probably one factor. …You want to handle a criminal accordingly, but don't just sit there and point fingers," a UP worker who spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing his job said. "You've got less special agents patrolling, securing rail lines and terminals. … So you've got crime of opportunity, just like anywhere else."

"Union Pacific literally defunded the police," he said, adding that the company has "put profits and shareholders' best interests over security and safety."