Los Angeles’ newly appointed tough-on-crime District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, announced that his office will “immediately” start to consider the death penalty, though only “in the rarest of cases,” following an extensive review process.

Though California has a statewide suspension on capital punishment, it is still legally permissible, allowing prosecutors to pursue death row sentences.

“I am firmly dedicated to an exhaustive and meticulous assessment of every special circumstance murder case prosecuted in Los Angeles County,” Hochman stated on Tuesday. “This will involve consulting with the murder victim’s survivors and considering all mitigating and aggravating factors to ensure the punishment recommended by the Office is just, fair, suitable, and appropriate.”

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer and District Attorney George Gascon. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Although the murder of a law enforcement officer can be eligible for capital punishment under California law, Gascon had banned line prosecutors from seeking special circumstance allegations, including for gun enhancements and targeting on-duty officers.

Then he shocked the slain deputy’s family by publicly announcing he would not seek the death penalty for suspect Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 29, because it “doesn’t serve as a deterrent,” according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Kevin Salazar is seen being taken into custody outside of a home in Palmdale, California on suspicion of killing a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy.  (KEYNEWS.TV)

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks executions around the U.S., COVID-19 killed more death row inmates than the state has executed over the past three decades.

California, which hasn’t executed a condemned inmate since 2006, has the largest death row population in the country, according to the nonprofit.