Los Angeles police say they're ending escorts to burned neighborhoods in the interest of public safety

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell on Sunday discussed the department's decision to stop escorting fire victims into burned and evacuated neighborhoods. 

"We tried to be as compassionate as we could be by putting together escorts that provided limited access for people to get into the area, very deliberately, and be able to retrieve medication or pets in some cases," McDonell said during a press conference.

While initially successful, McDonell says that the numbers of residents requesting to return to their homes became overwhelming for officers. He also noted that some people became frustrated with the long wait times which added to the stress. 

In recent days, with fire intensity somewhat reaching a lull in parts of the Palisades Fire burn scar, long lines of cars awaiting police escort to their homes could be seen on roads leading to impacted neighborhoods. 

"Today we need to suspend that practice, effective immediately," he said. 

On Sunday, teams began working with cadaver dogs to search neighborhoods. 

"That will result in crime scene preservation efforts and the recovery of remains," McDonnell clarified.

He also noted that strong winds returning to the area would create an issue for people's safety, especially in an environment as unstable as where they were headed. 

The National Weather Service on Saturday issued a new round of high wind and red flag warnings for the region with another round of Santa Ana winds expected.