The Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence (CCJV) was created by the Board of Supervisors to “conduct a review of the nature, depth and cause of the problem of inappropriate deputy use of force in the jails, and to recommend corrective action as necessary.” The Board also made clear that “it shall be the task of the Commission to restore public confidence in the constitutional operation of our jails.”
In furtherance of its mission, the Commission has scheduled a Community Forum Event to be held on Wednesday, May 30th at 6:00 pm. The forum will be held at the EXPO Center; 3980 South Robertson Late (formerly Menlo Ave.), Los Angeles CA 90037. (The EXPO Center should not be confused with the Supervisor’s Expo office.) This forum will provide an opportunity for members of the community to learn about the work of the CCJV and also offer perspectives that might enlighten the Commission’s work.
CCJV Chair Lourdes G. Baird, Vice Chair Cecil L. Murray, Commissioner Alexander Busansky and Executive Director Miriam Aroni Krinsky, as well as other Commission staff, will be present to discuss the Commission’s work and timeline and to listen to the perspectives of members of our community. Attendees will be given the opportunity to address the Commission in regard to concerns or recommendations they may have in regard to the Commission’s focus — alleged excessive use of force by deputies against County jail inmates.
To learn more about the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence, CCJV Commission members and staff, upcoming meetings, or CCJV’s work, go to:
Community Forum Event
Where: The EXPO Center
3980 South Robertson Lane (formerly Menlo Ave.)
Los Angeles CA, 90037
When: May 30th at 6:00 pm
Parking: Available in Lot #1 (entrance on corner of S. Robertson
Lane and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)
A water main break near the historic canal district, threatened several residential blocks with severe water damage today, before fire and water officials were able to stabilize the incident. No one was injured. Just after 1:00 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012, the Los Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to the 200 block of Carroll Canal for a reported “Flooding”. They were met by representatives from the Department of Water and Power (DWP), who were already working diligently to shut-down a broken 6 inch water main. This particular water main was less than 20 years-old, having been installed in 1993.
With rising waters now running down the middle of the street, additional resources were called to assist with first, diverting the water and then, the de-watering operations that would ultimately ensue. 55 Firefighters, under the command of Battalion Chief Michael Bowman, worked together to prevent thousands of gallons of water from damaging the 200, 300 and 400 blocks between Carroll Canal and South Venice Boulevard.
For nearly two hours, the LAFD continued de-watering operations, utilizing various technical appliances. DWP successfully shut down the main, water levels stabilized and then finally began to retreat. As a precaution, electrical power to the immediate area was also temporarily shut.
While dozens of occupancies were spared, there were two structures that unfortunately did sustain “significant damage”. Dollar loss estimates were not yet available. No injuries were reported and no residents were displaced.
The cause of the break is being actively investigated by DWP. Additionally, clean-up work continues by DWP, as do their efforts to safely restore both utilities to the affected area.
Article courtesy of Los Angeles Fire Department.
The 2012 start-of-summer Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization kicks off May 21 to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers to help save more lives by strongly enforcing seat belt laws around the clock. Seat belts are the most effective piece of life saving equipment on your car.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2010 nationally, 61 percent of the 10,647 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes overnight were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash, compared to 42 percent during the daytime hours.
“Too many drivers and passengers on the road at night are not wearing their seat belts, and it all too often ends in tragedy,” said Shaun J. Mathers, Captain of Risk Management Bureau’s Traffic Services Detail. “Our goal is to save more lives, so the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be out enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.”
Seat belt use saves thousands of lives across America each year and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is helping spread the word. NHTSA statistics show that in 2010 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide.
Yet, too many motorists may need a tough reminder. In 2010, 22,187 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in motor vehicle crashes, according to NHTSA, and 51 percent of them were NOT wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.
Younger motorists and men are particularly at risk. Data shows that among teen and young adult passenger vehicle occupants in 2010, ages 18-34, who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 62 percent were not buckled up at the time of the crash – the highest percentage of any age group. The number jumps to 66 percent when just men in this age group are included.
While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 21 through June 3, motorists should know that officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round. Total costs of a first time ticket are at least $142.
Article courtesy of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
An independent construction firm employee suffered minor burns after a one-inch gas line broke and ignited outside the track stadium at USC. Just before 8 a.m. Firefighters arrived to 3470 South McClintock Avenue, to find a continuous flame erupting from the ground, over 10 feet in the air between Katherine B. Loker Stadium and Cromwell Field on the North end of USC campus. A total of 27 firefighters, including LAFD’s Hazardous material team, quickly surrounded the area, evacuated nearby individuals as a precaution, and strategically sprayed hose-lines, creating a “water curtain” around the perpetual flame to protect the nearby brick stadium wall.
Battalion Chief Mathis instituted a Unified Command, and worked in concert with Southern California Gas repair crews, and USC Public Safety teams. Gas to the broken line, which feeds the track stadium, was successfully shut off around 9:30 a.m.
One adult male, a construction worker who reportedly broke the line, was treated at the scene for minor burns but was not transported to a hospital.
The LAFD along with the Southern California Gas Company remind you that whether you’re planning to build a major development or just landscaping your yard, protect your safety and the safety of those around you by calling Underground Service Alert at 8-1-1, at least two business days prior to excavating.
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Fire Department
“The matter is urgent,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.The Board of Supervisors today imposed greater oversight on the County Probation Department, which has been struggling to provide services to the inmates recently released from state facilities who now must rely on local agencies for help. Last October, the state shifted responsibility for certain inmates to the counties. Since then, the state has released to local supervision more than 5,000 offenders who were convicted of non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual crimes. The Probation Department, which is charged with providing released inmates with rehabilitative services such as mental health and substance abuse counseling, housing and job training, has had little success in fulfilling that obligation. Since February, the department has referred only 60% of former inmates to services, of which only 15% actually have received treatment.
The Supervisors today called for more accountability from the department. Acting on a motion sponsored by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, the Board unanimously called for staff to develop a feasibility plan to ascertain how best to expeditiously increase the number of released prisoners who receive rehabilitative services.
To ensure that this target is reached, as part of the motion, staff is directed to examine clear performance goals for both referring departments and agencies, locate referring County service providers, and ensure participation of community- and faith-based organizations.
Officials from the Probation Department told the Supervisors that significant progress already has been made. For example, 48% of those who need mental health services are now receiving treatment. Implementing AB 109, the state’s realignment program, has been a challenge, said Cal Remington, the department’s chief deputy, but Probation increasingly is mandating that the former inmates comply with orders to receive therapeutic and other services.
“Early on we found that many of these coming out with problems did not have a condition that allowed us to, in essence, mandatorily refer them,” Remington said. Now, he said, the department is implementing the use of low-level violations and sanctions on a case-by-case basis.
Representatives from several community-based organizations spoke in favor of the motion; however, some urged the County to resist creating a structure of mandates and resulting violations that could lead to the re-incarceration of returning prisoners.
“We think it’s a positive step,” said Kim McGill of the Youth Justice Coalition. She added that those returning often are hindered in their efforts to comply. The lack of a valid or government-issued identification card, without which they often cannot access educational, housing and health care services, presents an enormous hurdle for many attempting to comply with Probation’s orders.
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas emphasized that having the department clearly spell out its guidelines is essential for a successful reentry scenario.
“The matter is urgent,” the Supervisor said. “If we do not see substantially more people receiving the treatment and services they need, no one will be well served; public safety will be undermined and the cycle of recidivism will continue unabated.
It is imperative, the Supervisor continued, that the County not duplicate the State’s abysmal recidivism rate; about 65% of former inmates return to prison within three years.
The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors took strong action to bring greater oversight and accountability to the Sheriff’s Department, unanimously voting to establish a seven-member citizens’ commission to investigate allegations of abuse and corruption. The commission would be tasked with reviewing the nature, depth and cause of inappropriate uses of force by deputies in the County jails and to return to the Board with recommendations for reforms. The motion for a commission, sponsored jointly by Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Mark Ridley-Thomas, charges the new commission with presenting its findings within 120 days of its first meeting.
In second unanimous vote, the Board also approved on a motion by Supervisor Gloria Molina, to implement existing recommendations by Special Counsel Merrick Bobb and the Office of Independent Review. The recommendations include but are not limited to: the installation of surveillance cameras at the Men’s Central Jail, the Inmate Reception center and the Twin Towers, elimination of steel-toed shoes, a revision of department policy to forbid striking inmates on the head and regular rotation of jail deputies between floors at the Men’s Central Jail and to other facilities at no less than six-month intervals. The Board also approved an amendment by Supervisor Ridley-Thomas to require the Chief Executive Office, the Internal Services Department and County Counsel to work with the Sheriff to facilitate implementation of the existing recommendations.
“These two motions are complementary,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. “They are not in conflict and nor are they contradictory. Supervisor Molina’s motion calls for important and necessary steps to be made immediately, but the commission has a broader charge.
“It will not only examine past practices, it will offer the Board a roadmap to use as we move forward with reforms,” the Supervisor said.
Tuesday’s action by the board comes after report released last week by the Sheriff’s Department Office of Independent Review found that a code of silence among deputies has shielded abusive jailers and that those who break that code are subject to harassment by colleagues. The report found that eight deputies failed to report mistreatment of an inmate that was recorded on video. In another case, a deputy who reported wrongdoing received threatening phone calls, the report said.
It is always a tragedy when someone in our community is killed. It is even more tragic when the victim is a young person of only 16 years of age and the victim of a senseless shooting.
Thomas Riley, age 16, was such a victim. Thomas was shot and killed in front of an apartment complex in the 1700 block of West 105th Street, in Los Angeles, near the intersection of 105th and Western Ave.
Thomas Riley was hanging out in front of the apartment complex with friends when they were approached by two male blacks who asked “Where you from?” Such a question should not be a death sentence. Before anyone from the group could answer that they were not affiliated with a gang, one of the males pulled a handgun from his waistband and began firing at them. Thomas Riley was shot five times. Thomas was transported to Harbor – UCLA Medical Center. Thomas died as a result of his gunshot wounds.
Thomas Riley was an upstanding young man of good moral character. Riley was not affiliated with gang members, nor had he ever been in any legal trouble. At the time of his untimely death, he was doing one of his favorite things — working with his friends on his mini-bike. The shock and senseless murder of Riley has left his family devastated.
On August 16, 2011, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, at my request, approved a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Thomas’ murder.
CBS Outdoor Systems at the urging of Thomas’ father Mr. Anthony Riley, has graciously made available and assisted in printing four billboards requesting the public’s assistance in obtaining any information that may assist with the investigation.
To this date, the billboards have been placed throughout the community near the murder scene. The locations of the billboards are:
With your help, our community will remain safe and justice will be served.
(Sheriff’s Press Release is available by clicking here.)
| Murder of Thomas Riley |
| Description and Date of Crime: Fatal Shooting of Thomas Riley – 02/27/2011 |
| Location: 1700 block of West 105th St, Los Angeles |
| Reward Amount: $10,000 |
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles has established a reward in the amount of $10,000 in exchange for information leading to the apprehension and/or conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of 16-year-old Thomas Riley, who was shot and killed on February 27, 2011, in front of a residence located on the 1700 block of West 105th Street in unincorporated Los Angeles. Any person having any information related to this crime is requested to call Detectives McElderry or Acebedo at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 and refer to Report No. 011-81937-0372-011.The terms of the reward provide that:
Any claims for the reward funds should be filed with the Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors, 500 West Temple Street, Room 383 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Los Angeles, California 90012, Attention: Thomas Riley Reward Fund. For further information, please call (213) 974-1579.
Si no entiende esta noticia o si necesita más informacion, favor de llamar a este numero (213) 974-1579.
Information Courtesy of http://www.laco-rewards.org/thomasriley.htm. Please check this site for updates.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors established the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence (CCJV) to investigate the allegations of jail violence. The investigation will include deputy on inmate and inmate on inmate violence. More importantly, CCJV was asked to investigate the conditions which have given rise to these dangerous conditions, including antiquated facilities, overcrowded conditions, and inadequate supervision and disciplinary processes. The CCJV will also review the disconnect between the various agencies that monitor the jails, their recommendations, and the seeming lack of progress in determining the cause of the violence in county jail facilities.
The CCJV has seven members: Hon. Lourdes G. Baird (Ret.), Chair; Rev. Cecil L. Murray, Vice Chair, Hon Robert Bonner (Ret.); Alexander Busansky; Chief Jim McDonnell; Hon Carlos R. Moreno (Ret.) and Hon. Dickran Tevrizlan, Jr. (Ret.).
The CCJV staff includes Miriam Aroni Krinsky, the Executive Director, and Richard E. Drooyan, the General Counsel.
The CCJV has launched its public website (http://ccjv.lacounty.gov). You can click to find the schedule of Commission meetings, biographies on the commission members and staff, and a timeline for the Commissions work.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas today announced the appointment of civil rights stalwart Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray to the County’s newly formed Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence. The commission, established last month with a joint motion by Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Mark Ridley-Thomas, is charged with investigating allegations of abuse at the Men’s Central Jail and returning to the Board of Supervisors with recommendations for reform. “After the 1992 riots, Reverend Murray, then pastor of First AME Church in South Los Angeles, became the pre-eminent moral force in the local and national conversation about the relationship of minority communities to the law enforcement structure. It is this voice, along with Pastor Murray’s wisdom and experience that he will bring to the commission. My colleagues on the Board have appointed people with laudable experience in the legal system,” the Supervisor said, “and those perspectives will be of great service as we move forward to reform the jail system. To be successful, however, I believe the commission must engage the broader public – not just the law enforcement community – in a moral conversation, and few are as well suited to do this task as Cecil L. Murray.”
During his 27 years as FAME’s pastor, Murray transformed a small congregation of 250 into an 18,000-person church. With multi-million dollar community and economic development programs, Murray brought jobs, housing, and corporate investment into South Los Angeles.
After retiring from FAME in 2004, Murray joined the faculty of USC where he is currently the John R. Tansey Chair of Christian Ethics in the School of Religion.
Murray did his undergraduate studies at Florida A&M University and after graduation, he joined the United States Air Force. Murray served in the Korean War as a jet radar intercept officer and as a navigator in the Air Transport Command. He retired after 10 years and was decorated with a Soldier’s Medal of Valor. After leaving the Air force, Murray earned a doctorate from the Claremont School of Theology. Although he is now retired from the pastorate, he remains an elder statesman among religious leaders across the nation.
