channel1la.com
8/22/2022
We can do much better.
As Police Chief of Long Beach for the last seven years, and a 36-year veteran of the Long Beach Police Department, I am ready to take on the challenge of leading the Sheriff’s Department.
Growing up in a Latino, working class, immigrant family in an unincorporated East Los Angeles neighborhood, patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department, opened my eyes to examples of both good and bad policing. My family and I experienced inequity based on the color of our skin and the language we spoke, which caused me to become a life-long advocate for justice. My personal experiences shaped my views on relationship-based policing in under-served communities of color.
I have led the Department towards community-centered police policies and practices modeled by the Task Force on 21st Century Policing established by President Obama. In particular, I implemented the City’s Neighborhood Walks program and have prioritized relationship-building and crime prevention. The Long Beach community has come together in support of these new policies and I look forward to being able to share them with the rest of the County.
I am the only candidate in this race who comes from outside the Sheriff’s Department. It’s time that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department became a place that’s viewed as the premier law enforcement establishment in the County. My bottom line: as Sheriff, our service always needs to be respectful, empathetic, and constitutional.
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