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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Los Angeles County Grand Jury
• 2016-2017
Make Invsetments that Transform Lives
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 5 findings
F1
Homelessness is an issue affecting virtually every community within the County. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with homelessness. In reality every homeless person has a unique story and set of circumstances associated with their situation. Police departments are aware of this situation and some have dedicated teams devoted to assisting the homeless population.
F2
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is a joint powers authority of the City and the County of Los Angeles created to address the problems of homelessness in the County. On February 2, 2016, the County Board of Supervisors approved LAHSA’s County Homeless Initiative’s set of 47 comprehensive strategies to combat homelessness. These include First Responders Training (Strategy E.4) for law enforcement, fire departments, and paramedics throughout the County.
F3
Some local police departments have specialized units that connect the homeless to local agencies offering supportive services. Examples include: Long Beach Police Department’s Quality of Life Unit; Pasadena Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Psychiatric Evaluation team; and Santa Monica Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program.
F4
Police officers are showing compassion for homeless people. They are coordinating with local social service providers and accommodating homeless people who create nuisance crimes in order to get cleaned up and receive a meal. As an example, during a detention visit to one police station, jurors were told of a particular homeless person who would periodically urinate in the lobby in order to get checked into the station. There were officers at other police stations that also stated they had certain homeless people that would check in on a regular basis.
F5
Some city police departments may be unnecessarily weeding out ex-military personnel during the recruitment process. This is because some cities want to avoid the risk of these individuals being accused of having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and incur undue legal damages. On the other hand, the CGJ was informed by leadership within the Sheriff’s Department their staff is comprised of approximately 25% ex-military personnel. It appears the mental health screening portion of the hiring process may be arbitrarily disqualifying otherwise qualified applicants. 2016-2017 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 161 VI
Recommendations 4
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R1Page 174The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority should review the specialized care units within the Long Beach, Pasadena, and Santa Monica Police Department to identify best practices to incorporate into first responders training materials as an overall part of the County’s Continuum of Care.
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R2Page 175The Los Angeles Police Department should increase manpower in the Rampart Division. VII REQUIRED RESPONSES California Penal Code Sections 933(c) and 933.05 require a written response to all recommendations contained in this report. Such responses shall be made no later than ninety (90) days after the Civil Grand Jury publishes its report (files it with the Clerk of the Court). Responses shall be made in accord with Penal Code Sections 933.05 (a) and (b). All responses to the recommendations of the 2016-2017 Civil Grand Jury must be submitted on or before September 30, 2017, to: Presiding Judge Los Angeles County Superior Court Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center 210 West Temple Street Eleventh Floor-Room 11-506 Los Angeles, California 90012 Responses are required from: Responding Agency Recommendations Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 13.1 City of Los Angeles Police Department 13.2 2016-2017 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 161 VIII ACRONYMS BPD Burbank Police Department CCPD Culver City Police Department CGJ 2016-2017 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury LAHSA Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority MET Mental Health Evaluation Teams PD Police Department IX RIDE ALONG TEAMS
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R3Page 175Lancaster Sheriff’s Station Alice Beener Facilitator Ronnie Dann-Honor
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R4Page 175Los Angeles Police Department, Rampart Community Police Station Dorothy Brown Patrick Lyons 162 2016-2017 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT AND OUR KIDS? Gloria Garfinkel Chair Hilda Dallal Ronnie Dann-Honor