Chapter 189: Chapter 189 public opinion
"Despite facing many difficulties, we ultimately eradicated these heinous gangsters."
At this point, Director Ed raised his voice and said loudly:
"The L.A Police Department is committed to upholding law and order in the city and ensuring the security of its citizens. We are not afraid of sacrifice and we will overcomes all difficulties. to completely eliminated this gang of evil gangsters."
It must be said that Chief Ed's ability is average, but his acting skills and shamelessness are indeed impeccable. If he enters Hollywood, he will probably win the Best Supporting Actor Award.
Ed continued, unabashedly praising himself.
Chief Ed pointed to the tarp covered items and said, "These are tonight's seizures."
He dramatically pulled off the tarp.
The reporters saw a large pile of firearms, likely numbering over a hundred, and bags of white powder, clearly drugs.
Cameras flashed incessantly.
Reporters took numerous photos of the firearms and drugs.
Chief Ed stood nearby, his body straight and his face exuding authority, posing as a model police officer.
After the photos were taken, Chief Ed continued with a smile, "These seizures are just a part of it. Let me share some statistics. Tonight, we eliminated over eighty armed gangsters, captured over two hundred, seized over five hundred firearms, and confiscated more than fifty kilograms of drugs."
"Here, I want to emphasize the praise of HD Security. In this operation, HD Security has made a huge contribution. They have always been at the forefront, engaging in direct fire with those gang drug dealers, and demonstrating strong combat effectiveness. I am very glad that I signed an agreement with HD Security. They have indeed played a huge role in maintaining public security in Los Angeles."
"Here I would like to announce some figures. Since the establishment of the HD Security Patrol, the city's crime rate has dropped by 56%, nighttime stalking and robbery cases have dropped by 68%, burglary cases have dropped by 51%, and other cases have also dropped significantly."
"Some people opposed the government hiring security patrols at first, thinking it was a waste of taxpayers money. Do you still think this is a waste of money? Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles City Government are ready to invest this money if it will guarantee public safety."
Ed spent the latter part of his speech praising HD Security.
Signing the contract with HD Security was his decision, and now it was proving effective, giving him credit.
A reporter asked, "Chief Ed, we received reports of several robbery incidents in Los Angeles tonight. Can you explain that?"
"Indeed, there were a few robbery incidents tonight, but they have been dealt with. Some robbers were killed, and others were arrested. It's now safe, and the public can rest assured that the Los Angeles Police Department has the capability to protect them."
"Chief Ed, there are rumors that tonight's events were a gang war, which led to such intense gunfire. Is that true?"
Ed's face turned stern. "I can assure you, that is a rumor. Tonight, there was no gang war. It was a police operation against drug dealers."
"The press conference ends here. It's now 4 a.m., and I believe you all have articles to write for the morning papers."
"But let me remind all reporters, the Los Angeles Police Department has resolved tonight's incident. When reporting, avoid speculative content and stick to the official information to prevent misinformation and accountability issues."
Ed concluded with a warning.
The press conference ended.
Although the reporters still had questions, they had no evidence. They had to report according to the police department's official information, which was already sensational enough.
The next day.
The headlines of all major Los Angeles newspapers were about last night's events.
"Los Angeles Police Department Busts Massive Drug Deal: Intense Shootout with Drug Dealers, 80 armed Gangsters Killed, Over 200 Arrested, and More Than 50 Kilograms of Drugs Seized."
"North Shore Gang Eliminated in One Sweep: Los Angeles Police Department and HD Security Conduct Severe Crackdown, Making Los Angeles Safer."
The North Shore Gang wasn't well liked in Los Angeles.
They were notorious for their crimes, far worse than the Austrians Gang and Bill's Gang.
Now that the North Shore Gang was wiped out, people were overjoyed.
Many citizens discussed, "Our police Chief is impressive. Brave and wise, he managed to eliminate the North Shore Gang. He's a competent Chief."
"I hope he gets re-elected."
"HD Security is indeed excellent. We often see their patrol cars on the streets. Recently, the crime rate in Los Angeles has significantly dropped. I think the money spent on them is worth it."
Chief Ed received a call from the mayor. The mayor praised Ed a lot and praised him for his good handling of the matter.
The mayor smiled and said, "Ed, no matter what the truth is, as long as the public is satisfied, our work is successful."
...
Morning.
Hardy had a dozen newspapers spread out on his desk. He had someone buy every newspaper available today and meticulously went through each one.
The newspapers almost all reported in the direction he had wanted.
Hardy understood the importance of public opinion very well. Sometimes a single statement could determine the rise or fall of something. With the correct guidance now, what was originally a gang war has turned into a police crackdown on drug dealers.
The public wouldn't panic.
Politicians wouldn't worry about being held accountable.
No one would plead for the North Shore Gang, and he was the biggest beneficiary.
Bill walked in looking a bit fatigued. The guy had been busy all night without sleep, but his face was full of excitement.
"Boss, the statistics are out. The North Shore Gang's 12 properties are now all in our hands, including their headquarters."
"We found $1.28 million in cash, a large number of supplies, over thirty racehorses, and more than a hundred racing dogs. All of these are quite valuable."
Hardy thought for a moment, "No rush to manage them yet, we'll talk about it in a while. In a month, people will completely forget about the North Shore Gang. During this time, start cleaning up the territory. The Irish have many partners. Once the territory is completely stabilized, then we can roll out the operations."