Union Pacific Weighs Avoiding Los Angeles as Cargo Theft Rises
Photographer: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP
By
Brendan Murray
January 17, 2022, 6:00 AM CST
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Union Pacific is considering changes to rail operations including avoiding Los Angeles County as a rise of cargo theft in the area hurts business.
It’s not exactly clear how the Omaha, Nebraska-based company would carry out such a threat and use alternatives to the nation’s largest gateway for imported goods. But what’s obvious is the railroad’s frustration with the lack of deterrents for
committing crimes like trespassing and theft along the current route.
Widely tweeted
footage by a CBS journalist last week showed the extent of the security breaches, with hundreds of opened packages looted from rail-borne shipping containers strewn around the tracks.
The problems have escalated for months as imports surge through the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and freight sits idle for weeks before heading north or eastward on trucks and trains. Theft is adding to the multitude of
logistical headaches that have slowed the movement of goods to American store shelves and factory warehouses to such a degree that the White House
felt pressure to get involved.
UP is calling on local law-enforcement officials to prosecute more aggressively.
‘Organized’ Crime
“Customers like UPS and FedEx that utilize our essential rail service during peak holiday season are now seeking to divert rail business away to other areas in the hope of avoiding the organized and opportunistic criminal theft that has impacted their own business and customers,” UP public affairs director Adrian Guerrero wrote in a Dec. 20 letter to the Los Angeles district attorney.
The letter added that “like our customers, UP is now contemplating serious changes to our operating plans to avoid Los Angeles County.” A spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Sunday that the company is still considering such options.
In the three months leading up to the
holiday shopping season, UP said an average of more than 90 containers were compromised per day and more than 100 arrests were made. “Of all those arrests, however, UP has not been contacted for any court proceedings,” the letter stated.
The railroad has increased the number of agents, drones, fencing and trespass detection systems. “We need the L.A. District Attorney’s help to ensure there are consequences for those who prevent us from safely moving customer goods,” UP said in the statement.
—Brendan Murray in London
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You had to expect this was coming. UP will not bow down to leftists who are doing a fine job of destroying supply chains.
Notice that UP has not been contacted for any of the hundreds of arrests that have been made.
Democrats in California are a big threat to our security and survival. We need to make them gone.
