In observance of #PeaceOfficersMemorialDay, we honor all peace officers across the United States who made the ultimate sacrifice, and laid down their lives while serving and protecting their communities. We also hold the families of those brave men and women in our hearts for the hardships they have faced after losing a loved one. We at @LASDHQ express our gratitude for the sacrifices made by these families.
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel have been working closely with Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) staff to support the wellbeing of Los Angeles County residents. The pandemic triggered different facets of mental health in many, like depression, fear, anxiety, frustration, and panic, and we want to let you know we are here to help. We are here for you.
With mental illness also a crisis in our population, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has a long-standing tradition of groundbreaking programs to approach it. In November,1993, ours was the first law enforcement agency to collaborate with LACDMH and formed a full-time Mental Evaluation Team (MET). Since the inception of its first five teams, the MET concept of co-response has grown into a 27-team configuration; they operate around the clock and the team is expanding every year.
Our MET teams provide crisis assessment, intervention and targeted case management services. They diffuse potentially violent situations, prepare appropriate documentation to assist in the placement of persons with mental illness in acute inpatient psychiatric facilities, and link these individuals to outpatient mental health services or appropriate community resources. The goal of this co-response model is to reduce the number of incidents in which force is used, reduce the number of hospitalizations and avoid unnecessary incarcerations of severely mentally ill citizens.
Despite the current circumstances, MET staff are delivering the same level of outstanding service, as in the past. They continue to seek and innovate creative mental health programs for the betterment of the communities we serve. In addition to responding to calls for service, they provide mental health and de-escalation training for other law enforcement agencies. They look forward to starting an intake booking diversion program, aimed at reducing our jail population, and strengthening our mental health programs for military veterans. MET staff work regularly with experts from the Veterans Administration and aided in creating a Veterans Mental Evaluation Team component (VMET) at the Long Beach Veterans Administration facility.
Los Angeles County is expanding two innovative programs: The first, to help stop those facing mental health challenges from going to jail and get them the treatment they need, instead; the second, by dispatching the Countywide Benefits Entitlement Services Team, to connect those experiencing homelessness with available services.
In 2018, the MET triage desk began helping patrol deputies in the field on a full-time basis; they held consultations and provided mental health resources to help divert patients away from incarceration when mental evaluation teams were unable to respond. The triage desk centrally dispatches and helps expedite responses of MET units, to support patrol deputies responding to mental health crises countywide.
Another responsibility of MET is acting as lead agency of the Project Lifesaver Tracker program, which involves 82 other law enforcement agencies in the Los Angeles County area. Project Lifesaver is a system in which a device similar to a wristwatch is worn by persons with disabilities, such as dementia and autism; the device can be tracked if the wearer leaves their residence, leading to a quicker location of the lost party.
Over the last few years, MET has grown rapidly and provided periodic updates to Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ Justice Deputies, the Civilian Oversight Commission, and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry.
If you are looking for mental health information or resources, visit the LASDMET Twitter page at @LASDMET and the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department website which provides materials and resources for you.
Visit the link: https://dmh.lacounty.gov/covid-19-information/
Sheriff Villanueva Announces Statistics for Crime Percentage Drops, and for Personnel and Inmates Affected by COVID-19
During one of his weekly press conferences, broadcast Monday, May 4, 2020, from the Sherman Block Building, Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced a 10% total drop in violent crimes, as compared to 2019, with -4% seen in criminal homicides and -33% in rape reporting. Property crimes also fell by 8%. The only noticeable difference, he said, is in grand theft of vehicles, likely increased because of more people staying home and fewer places to park. He recommended neighborhood awareness programs, and calling your local law enforcement agency for area checks and increased visibility.
Since Sunday, March 29, 2020, there were three COVID-19-related citations and 55 arrests.
Personnel quarantined because of COVID-19 totaled 1,185, with 818 of them sworn and 367 civilian. There were 84 sworn and 32 civilian staff who tested positive for the disease. Almost 1,000 employees returned to work, with 689 of them sworn and 310 of them civilian.
Inmates quarantined numbered 3,287, with 183 isolated since the pandemic began, 123 who tested positive, and 55 fully-recovered.
To view this story and watch the press conference on our website, click: https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment/videos/232234161388254/
Sheriff Villanueva Announces LASD Budget Underfunded by $400 Million
During one of his weekly press conferences, broadcast Monday, May 4, 2020, from the Sherman Block Building, Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced the Board of Supervisors’ release of a portion of frozen service and supply funds, and discussed the impact their recommended 2020-2021 budget would have on our agency and the services we provide. The $3.9 billion it costs to provide law enforcement services, subtracted from the recommended budget of $3.5 billion, would leave a staggering $400 million gap.
The Sheriff outlined what underfunding would mean for the Department and its financial impact:
· Reduction of academy classes from 12 to eight, to offer an approximate $21.9 million savings per year;
· Patrol Division cuts. With 191 positions already going unfunded, 137 of them would be integrated into funded line positions in two phases; first with 35, second with 102, to provide a yearly saving of around $22.8 million;
· Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) cuts. Instead of the intended increase of team members to 40 positions, the currently unfunded ten positions would be slashed to six bodies, which are funded through AB-109. This offers a yearly cost savings of $1.4 million;
· Altadena Sheriff’s Station would be closed, garnering an annual $6.3 million savings;
· Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Station would be closed, garnering an annual $5.9 million savings;
· Elimination of other unfunded full-time patrol positions, including:
o Youth Activities League (YAL)
o School resource deputy
o Vital Intervention and Directional Alternatives (VIDA)
o Nuisance abatement
o Community Relations Team
o Search and rescue coordinator
· Parks Bureau would be eliminated. Slashing law enforcement services presently dedicated to providing a safe and drug free environment at all Los Angeles County parks, golf courses and special venues will offer a $32.5 million savings. The areas would become the responsibility of the patrol station in which they lie;
· Community Partnership Bureau (COPS) would be eliminated. COPS teams provide supplemental services to residences in our unincorporated areas, specifically addressing the unique and individual needs of each area by identifying crime trends, and quality of life and crime trends. Cutting this bureau would offer a $30 million savings;
· Curtailment of Detective Division positions. Personnel who investigate some of the most heinous crimes, identify dangerous trends, and create new and updated ways of protection against them would be reassigned to fill a funded vacancy elsewhere in our Department. The savings are clearly substantial:
o Special Victims Bureau, $23.5 million
§ Human trafficking
§ Child abuse
§ Sexual assaults
o Operation Safe Streets (Gang Investigations Bureau), $38.8 million
o Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, $13.4 million
o Major Crimes Bureau, $22.1 million
While some of these positions are not directly patrol-related, they are part of programs proven to make the communities we serve safer, improve quality of life county-wide, help us sustain life, keep us in direct contact with the public, and help us meet their needs. With a shortage of monies, however, personnel currently assigned to the aforementioned positions will be reassigned, to fill line patrol vacancies and meet basic staffing needs.
With an already-existing vacancy of 712 sworn positions, a budget reduction would reduce academy classes and shrink our agency by an average of 160 deputies per year. “These are not negotiable positions,” said the Sheriff. “These are the line jobs on the Department. These are your deputies working patrol, the deputies working in custody, the detectives out there in the field doing investigations. These are not positions we can just wish away because they’re inconvenient.”
Deficits exist because of large mandatory costs, such as trial court security ($77 million), worker’s compensation ($72.3 million), retirement payouts ($22.7 million), federal lawsuit compliance ($34.9 million), SB-1421 compliance ($3.8 million), and custody mandates ($49.6 million), as well as additional costs for essentials such as helicopter fleet maintenance ($23 million) and mobile radio replacement ($27.4 million).
Sheriff Villanueva covered a variety of topics, with a heavy emphasis on the effects of what a reduced budget will bring. We can tighten our belt and creatively shuffle personnel to alleviate the sting of a fiscal deficit, but ultimately, it is the public who would be impacted by a compromised allowance. And there is no benefit in that.
Residents of LA County, you now have a silent way to reach out for help! If you need law enforcement, the fire department or medical professionals, using your mobile phone, you now can send text messages to 9 1 1.
When you text to 9 1 1, your emergency text message will be routed to the local 9 1 1 call center who will coordinate an emergency response to your location.
If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation where you are unable to make 9 1 1 calls or dialing on your phone may put your life in danger, this service will assist you and provides a silent alternative. This service was also created to assist those who have a hearing and speech impairment.
During a live virtual Board of Supervisors’ (BOS) meeting held on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, Sheriff Alex Villanueva addressed the BOS motion regarding the partial release of $143.7M in appropriated funds that had been frozen by the Board on October 1st, 2019. After the motion was introduced, Supervisors Kuehl and Solis amended it to include a bombshell, which was the surprise announcement of a promotional freeze for all positions within the Sheriff’s department, including critical front line supervision.
The Sheriff introduced a descriptive graph that illustrated the deliberate defunding of the Sheriff’s Department budget over the course of the last five years, as it compares to the overall county budget. Since 2000, the LASD budget has grown on average 0.86% every five years, an almost flat growth rate that does not cover rising labor and operating costs. Over the last five years, the LASD budget has shrunk in relations to the overall county budget by 1.41%, leaving public safety structurally underfunded.
The Sheriff cited several complex areas which were underfunded: Trial Court Security Funding – $76M, Workers’ Compensation – $33.4M, Retirement Payouts – $28.8M, Retiree Health – $16.2M, Court Liability Judgments – $10.8M, in addition to Federal Lawsuit Compliance, maintenance costs to work in Aging Facilities, Unscheduled Overtime (Tick Fire, Calabasas Helicopter Crash, Saugus High School Shooting, and the COVID-19 pandemic). The Sheriff went on to explain, “In spite of these unforeseen expenditures, it is anticipated that LASD will reduce overtime expenditures by $10.8 Million this fiscal year.”
Lastly, Sheriff Villanueva explained the harmful effects of stopping all promotions and reducing Academy classes by two thirds. With 356 sergeant vacancies and 34 lieutenant vacancies, this represents critical front line supervision of law enforcement activities, where the county faces the greatest liability and a critical point of concern noted in the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence (CCJV). Sworn vacancies, which now total over 700, are the driving force behind overtime expenditures, and the monies invested in Academy classes now will result in a reduction of over $400M in overtime expenditures over the next five years.
The sheriff is disappointed that the Board is playing politics with public safety and falsely portraying the financial status of the LASD for political gain.
In case you did not know, you can file a police report through our website. The Sheriff’s Online Report Tracking System (SORTS) allows you to file a specific type of crime or incident report.
Once your report is reviewed and accepted, you will receive a free copy of the approved report via email for your records. All cases filed within this system will be reviewed.
If you are a victim of any of these incidents, you can file a police report using SORTS:
Department policy will dictate the level of investigation needed for the incident you report to us. A Deputy Sheriff may need to follow-up by email, telephone, or in person, if the incident requires further investigation.
If you need to file a police report, click on the link File a Report to start the process today.
Since the beginning of March 2020, child exploitation CyberTips reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) have increased nationwide. NCMEC reports they have experienced a 106% increase in CyberTipline reports, from 983,734 reports in March 2019 to 2,027,520 in March 2020.
Although this significant increase can be attributed in part to a few viral videos being shared and reported in March, this does bring up an opportunity to talk to your children about internet safety, and proper reporting of these crimes if seen.
As part of Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department receives CyberTips from NCMEC and investigates them, along with the Los Angeles Police Department and our multiple local and federal law enforcement partners. If you are on the internet and see a child being exploited online, please don’t share the video out of outrage, report it to your local law enforcement agency, or NCMEC by visiting https://report.cybertip.org/.
With recent school closures due to #COVID19, many children are using the internet from home and have recently created email accounts or social media profiles to communicate with their friends or to complete school work and education programs. If not properly supervised, this leaves children vulnerable to social engineering scams, and potentially being conned into revealing sensitive information about themselves and family, or even sharing compromising photographs of themselves.
We at the LASD are encouraging parents of children of any age to discuss internet safety with your child. Any time is the right time to make sure your children are safe. Below are some recommended tips you can follow to protect your child from becoming a victim.
-TALK about Internet safety with children of ALL ages before they engage in online activity. Keep in mind there are several ways other than the family computer for children to access the internet, such as smartphones, tablets, and gaming systems.
-Review & approve games and apps before they are downloaded… especially applications that require access to your photos, videos, voice, and have messaging capabilities.
-Make sure privacy settings are set to the strictest level possible for online gaming systems and electronic devices. You can use parental controls or manually scan your child’s device as needed.
-Monitor your children’s use of the internet; keep electronic devices in an open, common room of the house. Contact your Internet Service Provider to learn how to enable parental controls or use downloadable software or apps.
-Check your children’s social media profiles and see what personal information they are sharing publicly. Make sure they are not posting their age, address, phone numbers, or any other personal information.
-Explain to your children that images AKA selfies posted online will remain permanently on the internet and never share an image they don’t want the whole world to see.
-Make sure children know that anyone who asks a child to engage in sexually explicit activity online should be reported to a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult and law enforcement.
-Remember that victims should not be afraid to tell law enforcement if they are being sexually exploited. It is not a crime for a child to send sexually explicit images to someone if they are compelled or coerced to do so.
For additional information, visit the links listed below to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website, which has published several educational tools to help educate parents and children against child predators. Go to the “Education” drop-down menu to access training videos regarding online enticement, smartphones, and social media.
CyberTips can be reported to NCMEC at: https://report.cybertip.org/
Educational Materials are available at:
In honor of National Volunteer Week, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recognizes and appreciates all our volunteers for their many hours of service. The Department and the County of Los Angeles, thank you all for your efforts and services, especially during this COVID-19 Pandemic. The LASD Volunteer motto is “Serve Others, Do Good.”
Our LASD Volunteers assist full duty deputy personnel by serving their communities during major or critical incidents as well as day to day activities. From civilian volunteers to reserve deputy sheriffs, the Reserve Forces Detail’s Volunteer Services Unit is comprised of competent and trained volunteers who wish to fulfill their dream of becoming a peace officer or be a part of the law enforcement family.
Operationally, the Volunteer Services Unit supports Reserve Deputies, Civilian Volunteers, Civilian Emergency Response Team (CERT), the LASD Search & Rescue Teams, the Mounted Posse/Mounted Search & Rescue teams, and Volunteer Search Dogs.
As community members, our volunteers live in the areas they serve. They assist our communities, increase public relations, and help provide a better understanding of the Department. Truly, LASD volunteers who serve the public are, without a doubt, priceless.
These dedicated men and women donate anywhere between 80,000 to 100,000 hours of their time per quarter to ensure the people of Los Angeles County are safe. In 2019 alone, our 3,505 volunteers donated over 417,030 hours of service to the various communities the Department serves — a cost savings of approximately 9.4 million dollars to county residents.
If you would like to volunteer and be a part of our family, visit https://lasd.org/careers/reserves/ to learn more.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department does its part by recycling, composting food waste, and looking toward ways we can conserve natural resources. The Pitches Detention Center has been recycling cardboard for the last 20 years. Eight years ago, the Department established a recycling center on-site that increased the jail’s waste diversion rate to approximately 2 million pounds a year. This recycling center sorts plastic, paper, mattress foam, and various other materials, ensuring that most of this waste is reused, and does not end up in a landfill.
To expand the recycling program’s impact on waste throughout the Department, cardboard balers were installed at Twin Towers Correctional Facility and Men’s Central Jail Last year. These machines help the LASD divert 24 tons of cardboard, monthly, to recycling centers. A cardboard baler will soon be installed at Century Regional Detention Facility to ensure we continue to recycle what we can.
Most of the food waste and compostable material generated by the jail facilities also goes to good use. Food waste is currently being diverted from Twin Towers Correctional Facility and transported to Pitchess Detention Center for composting. For about five years now, this composted material has given the LASD the ability to divert approximately 4 tons a week from the landfill to our inmate vocational gardening and farming programs.
As we look to the future, the LASD continues its innovative programs to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Our Sustainability Team is looking at ways we can utilize solar technology to power our custody and patrol facilities. There are plans to install water reclamation systems in our north county jail system, saving approximately 15 million gallons of water a year.
While you are at home during COVID-19, you, too, could help keep our planet clean. Develop a recycling plan and find ways to improve your waste diversion rate. You can find ways to conserve water, and if you have the room, learn how to compost.
If you want to learn how you can help, please visit any of the following county resources:
The LA County Department of Public Works
Water Conservation & Composting – https://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/sg/gen_info.cfm
Los Angeles County
Ways You Can Help the Environment
