MY PRIORITIES
These are my top priorities as your Sheriff:
1. Reduce Violent Crime
2. Improve Public Trust and Accountability
3. Modernize the Department
4. Enhance Employee Wellness
5. Address Homelessness
01
Reduce Violent Crime
Violent crime has fallen each year in the areas patrolled by LASD since I became Sheriff.
Homicides are down 14% in the past year, and 2024 saw the fewest number of homicides in the past five years. Overall violent crime is down 3% in the past year.
Property crime is also down 2% in the past year.
As Sheriff, I led the creation of a new Crime Strategy Unit, leveraging data and community involvement to reduce crime. To make the Metro system safer for passengers and employees, LASD worked with Metro to adopt new policies and surge law enforcement staffing, enforcing fare evasion and targeting narcotics, which led to fewer incidents of violent crime.
In response to the devastating wildfires, I oversaw LASD’s extensive efforts to prevent looting and establish safety and support for those in the Altadena and Malibu burn areas.
To address crime, we must hold habitual offenders accountable for their actions. And because crime knows no borders, our Department works closely with the LAPD and other local agencies to ensure that we are coordinated and successful in our work.
We must also invest in long-term solutions to reduce crime, including prevention strategies like community engagement and social services. As Long Beach Police Chief, I created a program called the Neighborhood Walks in a high-crime neighborhood. In the program, officers were tasked to build relationships and trust within the community, this resulted in a decrease in service calls and a decrease in shootings.
02
Increase Public Trust
As Sheriff, I implemented significant reforms to increase public trust and embrace community-centered policies and practices modeled by the Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
I created the Office of Constitutional Policing and established a new policy banning law enforcement gangs.
To increase transparency LASD created a new public dashboard with crime stats, and for the first time, posted data on uses of force, taser usage, stops, and personnel complaints, all on the Department's website.
LASD has also improved compliance related to the jails and Antelope Valley settlements and increased community engagement and outreach.
03
Modernize the Department
Instead of the cuts seen in previous years, the Department's budgeted positions increased, and we secured funding for multiple academy classes and long overdue upgrades to equipment and technology. Recently, the Department began testing a new advanced system to replace the current 38-year-old Computer Aided Dispatch system.
We also secured funding for 20 new inmate transport buses, as more than 70% of the Department's aging bus fleet had become inoperable due to maintenance issues.
And I appointed a civilian Chief Financial Officer to ensure the Department is operating more efficiently.
04
Employee Wellness
With 38 years of experience in law enforcement, I have seen first-hand that the personal needs of law enforcement officers and employees go ignored too often, which leads to negative consequences. This job is extremely difficult, requiring our employees to work with hostile individuals, experience tragic events, and work extended hours. And, they turn to each other for support.
As Sheriff, I am dedicated to strengthening LASD’s culture and policies to support the wellbeing and safety of the brave women and men who chose to serve their community. This includes being attentive to equipment and uniform needs, providing mental healthcare, and supporting peer counseling and mentoring programs. And, just as importantly, I am committed to reducing any stigma associated with mental health care to ensure that all deputies take full advantage of these services. Strengthening law enforcement safety and wellness are not only essential for employees, but also for public safety.
We have and will continue to ensure that mental health resources are easily accessible to employees and their families. The Department used state grant funding to add services to the Lighthouse Health & Wellness platform, which includes a website and mobile app for LASD personnel, and provides support for wellness, mental health, addiction, health assessments, and referrals for treatment and care.
05
Improve Deputy and Employee Wellness
In response to one of most important challenges facing our region, I have partnered with state and local leaders and organizations to make a difference on homelessness. I campaigned to pass Measure A, which provides affordable housing construction, homelessness prevention, and support for vulnerable renters in LA County. And I campaigned to pass Proposition 1, a statewide ballot measure that refocuses billions of dollars in existing funds to prioritize Californians with the deepest mental health needs, living in encampments, or suffering the worst substance use issues. Both ballot measures were approved by voters in 2024.
I am a strong supporter of the extraordinary work of the LASD Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) Teams, which have resolved more than 300 encampments and more than 140 RVs, and moved more than 1,000 people off the streets during my tenure as Sheriff.