Advertisement

L.A. police are grappling with a new challenge: fire duty

LAPD officers stationed at the Skull Rock Trailhead in an area that is under investigation for the Palisades fire
LAPD officers on Monday keep the public and media out of the Skull Rock area, which is under investigation as a potential starting point for the Palisades fire.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Since the outbreak of the Palisades fire, LAPD officers accustomed to chasing 911 calls and patrolling city streets have suddenly found themselves thrust into an unfamiliar yet pivotal role: part aid worker, part night sentry, part wingman for firefighters battling one of the most devastating blazes in the region’s history.

Across the country, police have for decades been pressed into crisis response duty during wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. Some experts predict law enforcement will increasingly be confronted with new climate-related challenges, which LAPD officers have been learning about firsthand over the last week.

The LAPD has been grappling with how and when to enforce evacuation orders, and how to do their regular work investigating crimes while short-staffed.

Advertisement

With around 750 officers deployed to the fire area, the crisis has strained a force already well below what leaders say are optimum staffing levels due to long-standing issues with turnover and recruitment.

Each of the LAPD’s 21 patrol divisions has been expected to send extra bodies — patrol officers, supervisors and detectives — to the fire front lines. As a result, most low-level calls such as burglaries or other incidents where a suspect has already fled are not receiving immediate attention.

LAPD officials have come under pressure to focus on opportunistic thieves suspected of using the chaos to burglarize the homes of people who fled the fires.

Advertisement

Coverage of the fires ravaging Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, including stories about the devastation, issues firefighters faced and the weather.

Earlier this week, prosecutors charged nine people with looting in areas devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires, including a trio suspected of stealing $200,000 worth of valuables from a home in Mandeville Canyon. Separately, another man was accused of intentionally lighting a blaze in an Azusa park.

Officers in Pacific Palisades enforcing the evacuation zone perimeter have faced blistering criticism from frustrated residents who were eager to return to their homes. Local City Council offices and social media have been flooded with complaints about inaccurate information and inconsistent enforcement by police.

At one of the now-daily briefings by officials Tuesday, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the department was continuing to step up its patrols in the area to ward off would-be burglars. He also asked for patience and “continued cooperation” from people displaced by the fire.

Advertisement

“We understand the frustration and your desires to see your homes firsthand but until Cal Fire tells us the impacted areas are safe for repopulation, we can’t allow you to return,” McDonnell said.

The department has received reinforcements from the LAX and port police departments and about 200 National Guard troops, he said. Authorities arrested 14 people for various crimes, including curfew violations, impersonating a firefighter, DUI and burglary, the chief said. Police also investigated 34 missing persons reports: 20 of the individuals were found alive, while several others were among the casualties of the Palisades fire.

Firefighters had contained about 19% of the blaze, which has burned 23,713 acres and destroyed nearly 1,300 structures. Officials have confirmed that at least nine people are dead from the fire.

LAPD officers were among those affected. According to a department-wide memo circulated last week, 19 officers’ homes were destroyed and an additional 11 sustained fire damage.

The department is a part of a just-announced state and federal task force to combat wildfire-related crimes, including home break-ins, arson and flying drones over restricted airspace. Such initiatives and disaster-related policing activities are likely to become more routine, according to new findings from researchers who study the effects of climate change.

Since Hurricane Katrina, when the city of New Orleans was forced to pay out millions of dollars in settlements after several officers were convicted for their roles in the killings of unarmed civilians in the chaotic days after the storm, U.S. police agencies have begun more proactive training for disaster scenarios, experts said.

Advertisement

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, said law enforcement agencies across the country are taking notice of the LAPD’s performance in recent days.

“Whether you believe it’s climate change or not, Los Angeles will be a wake-up call for everybody,” he said.

The current state of social media has made the online experience of the L.A. wildfires even more stressful than previous disasters.

In a 2023 paper published in the journal Policing, a pair of researchers from the Netherlands concluded that rising global temperatures and extreme weather have already dramatically impacted policing and will continue to do so, likely in unexpected ways.

One of the authors, Anna Matczak, a criminologist and senior lecturer at the Hague University of Applied Sciences, said more climate events “will significantly impact and change the crime and harm landscape on every possible level,” which could mean everything from higher rates of domestic violence to thefts of valuable resources and disaster supplies.

“You have ordinary crimes but also suddenly on top of that you have crimes that you call survival crimes because people are deprived of basic needs,” Matczak said.

Some police departments across the world have started developing climate specific strategies, analyzing weather data to try to predict where and when crime hot spots will emerge, according to associate professor Sylvia Bergh, the paper’s other author.

Advertisement

LAPD Deputy Police Chief Donald “Donnie” Graham said that even if some critics don’t want to admit it, police already have a vital role in the city’s response to disasters.

“It’s police officers who are out there preventing the illegal entry to the areas to keep people from getting preyed upon in their darkest hours,” he said as he drove to the city’s emergency response center.

He defended how officers have operated during the recent fires, noting that false alarms about evacuations and other conflicting information circulating online have made everyone’s jobs harder.

“Chaos is chaos,” Graham said.

One Santa Monica resident whose home was burglarized early Wednesday hoped that the presence of an Apple AirTag amid her pilfered items could help investigators track down their whereabouts. But authorities have told the woman, an attorney whose name is Vicki, that they “just don’t have enough resources.”

The woman, who asked that her last name not be disclosed over safety concerns, said that her family’s home fell just outside the mandatory evacuation zone that was established in Santa Monica on Tuesday as the Palisades fire blazed southward. She and her family decided to leave, departing the property in two cars and heading for safer environs. By 11 p.m. or so, the house was empty.

Around 2:30 a.m., a man broke into the property, said Vicki, who shared surveillance video of the episode with The Times. In it, the burglar, who wore a dark hoodie and backpack, appears to kick in the wooden front door before making off with valuable items, including designer shoes and a collection of Taiwanese whiskey.

Advertisement

“They tossed our house — completely,” she said.

When the burglar left the house after 3 a.m., he made off with a duffel bag that had an Apple AirTag in it. Vicki said she and her husband got in touch with the Santa Monica Police Department and then the LAPD, which began investigating the matter once it was clear the AirTag was pinging in the city of Los Angeles.

The LAPD traced the AirTag to an apartment building in Central L.A., Vicki said, but “couldn’t pinpoint” its location and didn’t enter the premises. Later, the AirTag moved to another property nearby, where it remained for several days.

Vicki said when she followed up with police in Santa Monica, she was told that the department didn’t have enough resources to pursue it, owing to the fire. She knows the fire is everyone’s primary concern, but she’s worried time is running out to solve the crime.

Coverage of the Eaton and Palisades fires, including stories about the unprecedented losses, issues firefighters faced and the winds.

“If you could find them, you could solve a burglary,” she said.

An LAPD spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the case.

Santa Monica police spokesperson Lt. Erika Aklufi said in a statement that, “under ordinary circumstances,” detectives work to track down stolen property located by owners with AirTags and other devices, but those leads can’t always pinpoint a location or be sufficient evidence to make an arrest.

“We are still heavily involved in a highly extraordinary emergency during which time nothing has been status quo,” Aklufi said in a statement, noting that “every officer, including those assigned to investigations, was required to set aside their normal duties to staff operations in the Santa Monica evacuation zones.”

Dealing with the fires remains top priority, the statement said, but Vicki’s AirTag case remains open.

Advertisement

“This investigation is not over,” the Santa Monica police said. “And as we move forward and closer to normalcy, our investigations division will continue to work with LAPD on appropriate follow-up as time and resources allow.”

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

Advertisement
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top