In advance of the upcoming elections for Sheriff of Los Angeles County, I have addressed this request to incumbent Sheriff, James McDonnell, and contending candidates, Commander Robert Lindseyand Lieutenant Alex Villanueva. The replies of the two contenders is posted below. The incumbent has not yet sent in a reply.
*******************************************Please provide us with a statement as to how you propose to tackle the specific concerns of the Jewish community in Los Angeles county in general, and West Hollywood in particular.
This is the reason for my query:
Our congregation, historic Hollywood Temple Beth El, shares its facility with two other Jewish institutions—the Iranian American Jewish Federation and Touro College. Furthermore, there are two other synagogues in West Hollywood: Kol Ami and Russian Chabad. All our institutions depend on the Sheriff’s Station in West Hollywood for
our security.We have heightened concerns, as Jewish institutions are most prominently targeted by haters out of all other religious institutions. FBI statistics have reported Jews as the target of 54% of hate crimes reported, out of all religious groups, even though we are but 2% of the US population. Their statistics show that perpetrators are of all stripes and backgrounds, not just the “usual suspects” of “Neo-Nazis” or KKK.
We all await your response.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Norbert Weinberg
Hollywood Temple Beth El
1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd,
West Hollywood, CA 90046
**********************************************************************************Statement of Lieutenant Alex Villanueva:
Rabbi Weinberg, thank you for communicating with me regarding this matter of utmost concern to all, in particular those of the Jewish faith. There is so much that needs to be done in order to better serve our communities of faith, and it starts with the resources we currently have in place at West Hollywood station and all patrol stations for that matter. Plainly stated, we don't have enough deputies on the streets, and the few we do have are working under a cloud of uncertainty due to Sheriff McDonnell's mismanagement. In order to be successful in the war against terrorism we have to enlist the support of the entire community to work hand in hand with law enforcement, but we are not living up to our end of the bargain. I plan on doubling the amount of time each deputy spends in patrol in a specific community, with the mandate to establish long term relationships with the residents and institutions that reside there. I also plan on working to increase our staffing level to get back the 1,500 deputies we've lost due to a lackluster recruitment effort and a toxic organizational culture that forces early retirements.
A fully staffed and motivated station, working in conjunction with communities of faith and the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center (LAJRIC), will serve as the first line of defense against acts of terror. Educating community members to report suspicious activity (if you see something say something!) to the JRIC hotline is an important step. Having properly trained and experienced investigators working in a collaborative environment with other local and federal investigators, sharing tips, leads, and trends, is also part of the overall effort at keeping our community safe.
The most basic think I can do as sheriff to make our community safe is to start valuing the hard work our deputies do in the field, instead of taking them for granted. The LASD culture ascribes a low value to serving the community in patrol, and it is considered a dead-end job for career advancement. I intend to change that to become the single most important thing a deputy can do for a healthy career: serve the community. My platform of Reform, Rebuild, and Restore was developed specifically to create a new LASD, lean, effective, and motivated to serve every community within our jurisdiction. I look forward to serving you as sheriff and building a strong partnership with the Jewish community for a safer Los Angeles County.
Thank you for reaching out to my campaign. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly at (562) 754-1242 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Alex Villanueva
*******************************************************************************************
Response of Commander Robert Lindsey
April 26th 2018
Dear Rabbi Weinberg and the Congregants of Temple Beth El,
As the 70th anniversary of the nation of Israel is being
heralded across the globe, we celebrate along with you, your loved ones and
millions across the globe. However, no matter how proud and joyfully we rejoice
this historic moment as ordained success, we sadly know such milestones attract
hatred from those who seek to destroy the great faith of the Jewish people.
As anti-Semitism is by far the oldest and most established
threat to the Jewish people across the world, I remain in a state of alarm by
the resolve of your enemies. From Palestine to the neighborhoods of Los Angeles
County hides an evil presence whose obsession with the destruction of the
Jewish community cannot be underestimated. This ancient and not-so ancient
animus cannot be allowed to exist and must be efficiently shaped to extinction.
As your sheriff, I will seek a path to social justice and
peace for your communities. I will fight on your behalf and ensure to the best
of my ability that peace and security follows each member of your faith. I
understand that talk is cheap, but I promise that the evil which stalks the
Jewish community in the county of Los Angeles will be dealt a severe blow when
I am elected sheriff.
First and foremost, I understand that no matter how many law
enforcement tools are available to me, their effectiveness is limited and
temporary without a true partnership with the Jewish community. Therefore I
promise to begin the effort by establishing a Community Advisory Committee
comprised of Jewish community stakeholders who will have direct access to my
office, the Office of the Sheriff. These advisory committees will meet with me
quarterly to help guide policy, establish proper training for my personnel, and
hear the experiences and concerns of Rabbis, doctors, business owners and all
good citizens of the Jewish faith.
I will establish a department training curriculum that will
be guided by your community. It is imperative that all employees of the
sheriff’s department understand the origins and history of the 70-year-old
Jewish State, how it relates to the Jewish-American experience and why your
community suffers a disproportionate degree of hate crimes.
It is of utmost fundamental necessity that we view hate
crimes against the Jewish community as uniquely motivated acts of animus based
on ignorance or fear. These are not ‘simply’ crimes of violence and should not
be treated as such. This is why I vow to establish and retain a working
cooperation between the sheriff’s department and the United States Department
of Justice. Through this cooperation between my department and elements of the
United States Attorney, we will look past prosecuting hate crimes on a state
level and seek Federal prosecutions to send a message to all; hate will not
live in our community. When elected sheriff, my department will instill a zero
tolerance policy of such crimes motivated by hate and will push hard for swift,
aggressive and harsh punishment to deter future crimes. As you know, the
Federal sentencing guidelines can be extreme and will send a message that can
dramatically deter future crime.
Furthermore it is my vision to stop these crimes before they
can even happen. With 8,000 sworn members of the department we are ready to
dedicate the necessary resources, implement education and give our men and
women the tools to predict, intervene and overcome this continuing threat.
These things I commit to you if elected sheriff.
Under the current sheriff, the sheriff’s
department has not only diminished its protection of the Jewish community, it
is not even a priority. The current sheriff has made deep cuts to deep
intelligence gathering
decimated the sophistication of his preventative analysis
teams and has eliminated the participation of the Muslim community who for
years assisted the department in the fight against ideological hatred. This is
frightening.
Events across the nation and across the globe greatly
punctuate the amplified danger to your constituency, your worshippers and your
dedicated, peace-loving people. As Los Angeles County proudly remains on the
world stage for its richness in culture and diversity, we simultaneously
understand these American values attract those who hate.
Of particular concern to me is the West Hollywood community
which is a society rich with Jewish heritage. As such, there are multiple
places of congregation meant to commingle, study, and worship. Landmarks such as
Temple Beth El, or at Kol Ami and Chabad are meant to exist in the highest
American traditions where freedom of faith is guaranteed. Tragically in today’s
society, we must be vigilant and protect these holy sites. I wish for the
future where simply practicing one’s Jewish faith is a day without fear, the
displaying a Yarmulke does not attract condescension and a feeling of peace will
prevail among all people. But today we have work to do toward that goal. With
the ntensification of hatred toward those who simply wish to live in peace
among others, this is our time for action.
As Sheriff, I intend to deepen security measures and
generate hate crime operations to reduce the vulnerability of likely targets.
As in Israel, I will contain the threat using preemptive operational tactics
akin to Unit 217, (frequently called Duvdevan) to the greatest extent allowed
under United States law. I intend to reintroduce resources to your local
community that were eliminated under the current sheriff. This will include
under-cover activity, the use of confidential informants, the implementation of
electronic and live intelligence and the power of community involvement. This
will allow the close observation of multiple high risk threats from White
supremacy to radical Islamic groups. More overt deterrence is universally
required, becoming more open and visible but maintaining an unpredictable
presence.
We must be dedicated to forming a coalition of preventative
protection councils which would include synagogue security and protection
elements integral to other religious facilities, cultural locations and places
of worship. These councils can cultivate best practices for building security,
alarm and camera monitoring and expertly train constituents in safety and
protocol. It will provide valuable updates to clergy in real time so your
community can be rapidly informed, better advised and more alert.
In our security lexicon, politics must never drive law
enforcement. Rather the rule-of-law and a clear understanding of the dangers
must dictate our operational stance. Our immense diversity demands a community
approach that has of late been allowed to wither on the vine.
As Sheriff, I will refocus and promulgate the department’s
community outreach to address the particular needs of each with the
understanding that one-size does not fit all. Regular interaction between the
sheriff’s department and all members of the community has been all but lost
under the current sheriff and will be reinstituted.
One of the “wonders of the world” that is the State of
Israel and her “amalgam of Jews,” is a critical part of the amalgam that is the
diversity of Los Angeles and we shall ensure the protection and preservation of
all. A sheriff’s department under my command will work handin-glove with our
national and world-wide partners in counter-terrorism to ensure that locally,
our Jewish neighbors singular security needs will be pro-actively met and
surpassed.
As the Hebrew saying roughly states: “we are all responsible
for each other.” On this you can depend and trust in the future.
In Friendship,
Robert Lindsey
Contact phone: 800-969-4817
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