LASDHQ

Multiagency OIS Taskforce 680 380 SIB Staff

Multiagency OIS Taskforce

Multiagency OIS Taskforce

June 25, 2020

A statement from Sheriff Alex Villanueva:

“As a progressive, I am constantly exploring new avenues to move us forward in policing. Recent events have led community based groups to highlight the issue of law enforcement agencies investigating their own shootings. I hear you. Other law enforcement leaders and I met early this week to discuss the creation of a Multiagency Officer Involved Shooting Taskforce. The main goal of this taskforce will be for Los Angeles County agencies to form a joint taskforce of investigators from multiple agencies to conduct investigations for use of force incidents which result in death. I have complete confidence in our homicide detectives, and the other detectives throughout our County, but we want to continue building trust, increasing transparency and making the process more reassuring for our communities. Moving forward, we are forming a steering group with stakeholders from across the county, which also includes the Office of the District Attorney and State Office of the Attorney General. In the coming weeks, we will access the resources needed to develop a definitive plan and make this concept a reality.

The community wants change and we will usher in that change, together.”

If you have concerns regarding the above, share your voice.  You may contact your Board of Supervisors at the below:
 County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors

Hilda L. Solis
Supervisor, First District
Phone: (213) 974-4111
[email protected]

Mark Ridley-Thomas
Supervisor, Second District
Phone: (213) 974-2222
[email protected]

Sheila Kuehl
Supervisor, Third District
Phone: (213) 974-3333
[email protected]

Janice Hahn
Supervisor, Fourth District
Phone: (213) 974-4444
[email protected]

Kathryn Barger – CHAIR
Supervisor, Fifth District
Phone: (213) 974-5555
[email protected]

Not sure who your Supervisor is?  Click Link to Find Out: http://bos.lacounty.gov/About-Us/Board-of-Supervisors

Detectives seek public’s help to locate Nayeli rodriguez-espain 1024 1013 SIB Staff

Detectives seek public’s help to locate Nayeli rodriguez-espain

Detectives seek public’s help to locate Nayeli rodriguez-espain

Homicide Bureau detectives and family members are seeking assistance in locating Nayeli Rodriguez, a 19-year-old missing woman. The plea for information about her current location was made during a press conference held Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at the Homicide Bureau offices in Monterey Park.

Nayeli Rodriguez, also known as Nayeli Rodriguez-Espain, was last seen at 8:30 A.M. on Thursday, May 21, 2020, in the 1100 block of East Florence Avenue, unincorporated Los Angeles County.  At that time, she wore a blue, short-sleeved t-shirt, black leggings, black tennis shoes, and had a small backpack with green decorations on it.

Before her disappearance, Nayeli anticipated returning to community college in the upcoming semester. She worked to help support her family by selling various items in shopping center parking lots throughout the South Los Angeles area. Since her disappearance, there has been no activity on her cellphone or social media platforms. Detectives searched far and wide to locate Nayeli and determined that neither her relatives who reside locally, nor relatives in México, have heard from her.

Some of Nayeli’s favorite activities are going to the beach and spending time with friends and family. Until May 21, Nayeli was in frequent communication with others close to her and was interactive on social media platforms, making her sudden silence unusual; Nayeli never went missing before and only left home for hours at a time, never days.

“I’m desperate more than ever,” pleaded Nayeli’s mother, Maria Espain, in Spanish during the conference.  “I don’t know the truth.  Help me, please, to find her, or something.  Please.”  “She was a good girl,” said Mrs. Espain.  “I’m asking the public if they have any tips or something to, please, tell us something.  I want my daughter back.”  

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website.

Homicide Bureau detectives and family members are seeking assistance in locating Nayeli Rodriguez, a 19-year-old missing…

Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Sheriff and Undersheriff standing with boxes of masks and the TCCLA
Sheriff and Undersheriff receive Face Masks from TCClA 1024 512 SIB Staff

Sheriff and Undersheriff receive Face Masks from TCClA

Sheriff Villanueva and Undersheriff Murakami Receive Face Masks from Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Los Angeles

The Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (TACCLA) is a non-profit organization established in 1980 by a group of Taiwanese-American entrepreneurs and professionals, with a mission to provide networking opportunities for current and future generations of the Taiwanese-American community.  Their goal is to foster the professional and entrepreneurial spirit and to create business opportunities in our community.
 
On Tuesday morning, June 23, 2020, Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Undersheriff Tim Murakami met TACCLA President Kenneth Chen in front of the Hall of Justice, where they were presented with 50,000 face masks, as part of a surplus donation from the Taiwanese government.  In January 2020, the Taiwanese government organized machinery, weaving, and face mask production factories into the “National Face Masks Team” to mass produce medical-grade face masks with a complete chain of production.  After reaching national stockpile thresholds, they made surplus face masks available for international purchase, and donated over five million to the United States and more than 50 million pieces worldwide.
 
TACCLA, the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America (TCCNA), and other Taiwanese-American chambers organized the acquisition of personal protection equipment from Taiwan and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam and the United States.  Together, the Chambers succeeded in acquiring 10 million face masks with TACCLA leading fundraising by raising $800,000 from the contributions of TACCLA members, TACCLA junior chapter members, and local individuals.
 
The TACCLA “Million Face Masks for Greater Los Angeles” initiative plans to donate the masks to nursing homes through various Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City-based emergency departments, and districts within the county.  This non-profit hopes to join the Taiwanese-American community in contributing to organizations, individuals and businesses by pitching in $3 million to the Los Angeles COVID-19 crisis fund.  They also aim to contribute more broadly by donating medical supplies to local hospitals, distributing groceries to food-insecure households affected by the pandemic, and donating to various crisis funds. 
 
Especially helpful during a time of budget-consciousness, TACCLA presented the 50,000 face masks to the Sheriff and Undersheriff, with the intent to present 20,000 additional pieces to Temple Sheriff’s Station personnel. “Thank you, President Chen and TACCLA,” said Sheriff Alex Villanueva, “for your contribution to help us protect each other and everyone we encounter in the communities we serve.”
 
“As the biggest Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce in North America and one of the major chambers of commerce in Los Angeles,” said President Chen, “TACCLA is indebted to the local community, and we need to help as much as we can in times of crisis.”
 
For more information about TACCLA and their mission, visit:  www.taccla.org

Palmdale Deputies rescuing a baby.
Palmdale Sheriff’s Station Baby Rescue 1024 571 SIB Staff

Palmdale Sheriff’s Station Baby Rescue

Palmdale Station Baby Rescue

A Palmdale Sheriff’s Station deputy took swift action at a park recently, when he encountered a desperate mother and her son, who was in physical distress.  On Sunday, May 31, 2020, security camera footage captured the intense moment when two women ran frantically across a supermarket parking lot in the 3000 block of Rancho Vista Boulevard; one of them carried a limp, 11-month-old boy and stopped to administer back blows upon him.  Moments earlier, the women were  participating in a protest at the park, when the baby got sick, stopped breathing and lost consciousness.  They ran toward deputies who were across the street, monitoring the protest, to seek assistance.

Deputy Cameron Kinsey spotted the women coming his way, ran toward them, and met them in the parking lot.  An anxious mother handed her son to the deputy, who immediately recognized something was gravely wrong.  Deputy Kinsey assessed the child, administered a mouth sweep with his finger and dislodged vomit.  Video footage shows clear relief in the posture of everyone encircling when the baby began to breathe again and regained alertness.  Paramedics arrived shortly afterward and transported the toddler to the hospital for treatment.  It was later determined the little one swallowed a coin, which lodged in his throat and blocked the airway.  It was Deputy Kinsey who opened the airway with the mouth sweep procedure and turned the coin sideways, allowing air to pass through.

“None of that other stuff matters,” said Deputy Kinsey about all the other things going on around him at the time, “Just the baby.”

A Palmdale Sheriff's Station deputy took swift action at a park recently, when he encountered a desperate mother and her…

Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Graphic of Sheriff Villanueva next to Hall Of Justice
SB 1421 Compliance 1024 249 SIB Staff

SB 1421 Compliance

SB 1421 Compliance

Under my leadership, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is more transparent than ever before. With greater transparency comes greater accountability. One area this has been demonstrated is our cooperation with the Citizen Oversight Commission (COC) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

In anticipation of the colossal amount of requests for records prior to the bills enactment on January 1, 2019, we requested funding from the Board of Supervisors for additional personnel and computer software to address the added workload created by the SB 1421 mandate. To date, our requests have been ignored.

In November 2019, I reorganized the Audit and Accountability Bureau (AAB), on a temporary basis, in order to dedicate resources to the SB 1421 project. We also implemented a tracking system specifically for COC and OIG requests, to ensure a timely response.

In the calendar year of 2019, the Department responded to 43 known requests from the COC and OIG. From January 1, 2020 to May 1, 2020, the Department has responded to 59 of the 62 requests made by the COC and OIG.

Since November 2019, AAB has received a total of 2,848 requests for review. As of June 11, 2020, AAB has responded to 75% of the requests.

The true goals and values of government can be found in how the budget is allocated. If something is deemed important, the Board of Supervisors has the responsibility and obligation to fully fund it. Due to our limited staffing and our lack of SB 1421 specified funding, the fulfillment of SB 1421 compliance has been difficult. We will continue to do the best we can with what we have in place.

Please visit LASD.org to explore my transparency promise.

If you have concerns regarding the above, share your voice.  You may contact your Board of Supervisors at the below:
 County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors

Hilda L. Solis
Supervisor, First District
Phone: (213) 974-4111
[email protected]

Mark Ridley-Thomas
Supervisor, Second District
Phone: (213) 974-2222
[email protected]

Sheila Kuehl
Supervisor, Third District
Phone: (213) 974-3333
[email protected]

Janice Hahn
Supervisor, Fourth District
Phone: (213) 974-4444
[email protected]

Kathryn Barger – CHAIR
Supervisor, Fifth District
Phone: (213) 974-5555
[email protected]

Not sure who your Supervisor is?  Click Link to Find Out: http://bos.lacounty.gov/About-Us/Board-of-Supervisors

CURFEW ORDER AND PUBLIC TRUST June 3, 2020 680 380 SIB Staff

CURFEW ORDER AND PUBLIC TRUST June 3, 2020

CURFEW ORDER AND PUBLIC TRUST – June 3, 2020

The residents of Los Angeles County are unified in support of the family of George Floyd, and against criminal actions by law enforcement.  We stand together in this endeavor.  Unfortunately, small groups of individuals seeking to incite violence and looting have disrupted some of the peaceful protests with criminal behavior.  These actions forced the need for a curfew throughout Los Angeles County in order to protect life, protect property, and restore order.

Over the past 24 hours, protesters have not allowed criminal behavior to overshadow their message, and law enforcement has been able to isolate and apprehend many individuals involved in criminal behavior.

Consistent with the First Amendment Rights of all citizens, the Sheriff’s Department will be enforcing the curfew order from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. 

While law-enforcement has fully mobilized to protect the community, trust is a two-way street.  In doing so, I am signaling my trust in the public, so we can all work together in partnership during these troubling times.

Sheriff addresses Social Media videos 680 380 SIB Staff

Sheriff addresses Social Media videos

SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS – June 3, 2020

I am aware of two videos circulating on social media involving my deputies. As with all use of force incidents, these cases will be thoroughly investigated, and we will also examine the tactics, policies & procedures.

As I have stated before, this is another example of why we so desperately need the Board of Supervisors to fully fund the LASD body-worn camera project.  The public deserves full transparency.

Graphic of Sheriff Villanueva next to Hall Of Justice
Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s Message to the Troops 1024 249 SIB Staff

Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s Message to the Troops

Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s Message to the Troops

This is Sheriff Villanueva. We have a responsibility to ensure the safety of all residents and businesses in Los Angeles County. As incidents of looting are reported anywhere in our county, we will respond and assist local police departments. We will also take proactive action and deploy anywhere in the county where violence is taking afoot, protect lawfully assembled protesters, and use your discretion in enforcing the law where needed.

Be safe out there, Car-1 signing off.

Sheriff Composing a message to the troops on a computer
Sheriff composing a message to the troops from the ops center.
LASD Sheriff's Department Logo
Los Angeles County Imposes Third Night of Curfew 600 128 SIB Staff

Los Angeles County Imposes Third Night of Curfew

Please visit this link for new curfew – Curfew Order – June 3, 2020

Los Angeles County Imposes Third Night of Curfew

Los Angeles County will be under a countywide curfew that runs from 6 p.m. today, June 2, 2020, through 6 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

The curfew does not apply to individuals voting in Special Elections occurring today in the City of Commerce and in El Rancho Unified School District in Pico Rivera. In both elections, all voters were mailed ballots and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has one mobile vote center in each jurisdiction that has been open daily since Saturday and will be open today until 8 p.m. Poll workers are also exempt from the order.

This is the third night of a countywide curfew ordered to protect public safety. 

The County curfew applies to every municipality in Los Angeles County, but cities can implement stricter curfews based on their local needs. Please check with your local city to determine if they have implemented stricter curfews.

In addition to voters and poll workers being exempt, the countywide curfew does not apply to the following: peace officers; firefighters; National Guard or other military personnel deployed to the area; emergency medical services personnel; individuals traveling to and from work; individuals working on a public work of improvement construction project; credentialed media representatives involved in news gathering; people experiencing homelessness and without access to a viable shelter; and individuals seeking medical treatment.

The following cities have already implemented stricter curfews:

Visit lacounty.gov/emergency for the most up-to-date information.

https://lacounty.gov/emergency/
LASD Sheriff's Department Logo
Sheriff extends County-wide curfew for LA County 600 128 SIB Staff

Sheriff extends County-wide curfew for LA County

Please visit this link for new curfew – Curfew Order – June 3, 2020

Sheriff Villanueva Extends County-Wide Curfew for Los Angeles County

At the direction of Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the county-wide curfew was renewed.  Effective at 6:00 P.M. on Monday, June 1, 2020, through 6:00 A.M. on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, all incorporated and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County shall adhere to staying off public streets, avenues, boulevards, places, walkways, alleys, parks or any public areas or unimproved private realty within Los Angeles County, between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. the following day.  The county may renew, amend or extend this order, in accordance with California Government Code section 8634 and County Code section 2.68.150.

This order does not apply to peace officers, fire fighters, and National Guard or other military personnel deployed to the area, individuals traveling to and from work, people experiencing homelessness and without access to a viable shelter, and individuals seeking medical treatment.  On Monday, June 1, 2020, the order was amended to include credentialed members of the media involved in media gathering.

In the event the county curfew is more stringent than a resident’s local curfew order, the county curfew will supersede it.  In other words, if a resident’s local curfew order is 8:00 P.M., the 6:00 P.M. county curfew supersedes it; if the local order is 4:00 P.M., the local order still stands. 

Any violation of the order is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or by imprisonment for a period not to exceed six months, or both, as provided by LACC section 2.68.320 or any applicable state or municipal law.

Because of the dangers which often occur under cover of darkness and the difficulty to preserve public safety during these hours, a curfew was ordered, as allowed by Government Code Section 8634, and signed by Chair Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

The order was transmitted not only through media and social media platforms, but through a wireless alert system called Wireless Emergency Alerts, also known as WEA.  In the event of a public safety emergency, authorized government authorities can broadcast pertinent information directly to the public through their wireless carriers. 

For more information about WEA, visit the Federal Communications Commission website at:  https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea

Executive Order of the Chair of The County of Los Angels Board of Supervisors – PDF