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RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY FORUM MINUTES
Monday, July 21, 2008, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Church on the Way, Lamb’s Room Conference Center
14300 Sherman Way, Van Nuys
AGENDA
1. WELCOME / INTRODUCTIONS - Deputy Chief Kenneth O. Garner, Religious Forum Coordinator
Reverend Doctor Eugene Marzette, Religious Forum Chairperson
2. INVOCATION – Reverend Doctor Donnie Eddings, Church on the Way
3. REMARKS – First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell
4. COMMON GROUND – Reverend Doctor Eugene Marzette, Religious Forum Chairperson
5. CLERGY LEADERSHIP SEMINARS and AREA CLERGY COUNCILS –
Commander Kirk Albanese, Assistant to the Director, Office of Operations
6. OPEN DISCUSSION
7. CLOSING PRAYER – Officer Ken Crawford, Chaplain, Operation-Valley Bureau / San Fernando
Valley Faith Coalition
8. ADJOURNMENT
HANDOUTS
C-PAB Schedule Community Police Academy Schedule Area Roster
Community Relations Office Roster Clergy Council Roster Cell Phone Laws
UPCOMING EVENTS / MEETINGS
August 18, 2008, 6:00 p.m. African American Forum
Fame Renaissance Center
1968 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles
September 25, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Hispanic Forum
Saint Anne’s Conference Center
155 North Occidental Boulevard, Los Angeles
October 1, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Asian Pacific Islander Forum
Oriental Mission Church
424 North Western Avenue, Los Angeles
October 9, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Muslim Forum
Omar Ibn Khattab Foundation
1025 West Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles
November 11, 2008, 6:00 p.m. GLBT Forum
L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center
1125 North McCadden Place, Los Angeles
Staff Officers Present:
- First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell
- Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner, Commanding Officer, Operations South Bureau, Religious Forum Coordinator
- Deputy Chief Michael Downing, Commanding Officer, Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau
- Commander Kirk Albanese, Assistant to the Director, Office of Operations, Religious Forum Co-Coordinator
- Commander Harlan Ward, Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations-Valley Bureau
- Commander Jerry Szymanski, Assistant Commanding Officer Operations-Valley Bureau
Guests:
- Commissioner Alan J. Skobin, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners
- Reverend Leonard Jackson, Senior Advisor, Office of the Mayor, City of Los Angeles
- Reverend Doctor Donnie Eddings, Pastoral Staff, Church on the Way
Welcome and Introductions - Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner
Deputy Chief Garner welcomed the forum participants. Chief Garner introduced the panel of speakers, Command Officers, Area Captains and City leaders present.
Chief Garner encouraged all present to continue to stay focused on the Religious Forum Goal of reaching out to our youth. He said while the Department does not dictate how the community should reach out, encouraging school attendance and parental education are important. He noted Southeast and others Areas deal with truants and help students with their homework.
Invocation – Reverend Doctor Donnie Eddings
Reverend Doctor Donnie Eddings of Church on the Way welcomed the Department and forum participants to the Church on the Way conference area. Reverend Eddings then offered the invocation.
Remarks – First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell
First Assistant Chief McDonnell relayed Chief Bratton’s best wishes to the group and welcomed everyone. First Assistant Chief McDonnell noted the faith-based community transcends all the diverse communities in the City of Los Angeles. He said the religious community has a rich heritage in Los Angeles and continually has its finger on the pulse of the community. He thanked the members of the faith-based community for their support and participation in the forum. He reminded those present of the opportunity to further serve through the Department’s Chaplain Corps
Update on the 2008 Goals of the Department
Crime: Overall crime is down in the City. First Assistant Chief McDonnell said the combination of good officers working and the Department’s partnership with the community has helped reduce crime.
Gangs/Youth: Gang crime is down, but the perception is not of gang crime being down. Chief McDonnell said we can’t arrest our way out of this problem. It is going to take good parenting, keeping children safe as they travel to school with intervention and prevention programs. He said those present could help youth through mentoring and after school programs. The Chief referred to the handout on Youth Programs and highlighted the success of the Police Activities League (PAL). Chief McDonnell shared how youth not only participate in the sports activities, but with people who take an interest in them. He encouraged those present to keep reaching out to our youth.
Counter Terrorism: First Assistant Chief McDonnell acknowledged Deputy Chief Michael Downing, Commanding Officer, Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau. He said the Department has become a leader in the nation in dealing with terrorism.
First Assistant Chief McDonnell shared the Department will open the Topanga Station, the Olympic Station and the new downtown Police Administration Building in 2009. He also said, by the end of 2010, the new police headquarters building and all stations will have been rebuilt or updated. He concluded his comments by encouraging those present to continue to reach out to others.
Common Ground – Reverend Doctor Eugene Marzette
Reverend Marzette encouraged the forum participants that as people with perceived differences come together, there can be contention or realization that they have much in common. Demonstrating his point by showing how the thumb looks different from the other fingers it is a source of support to the function of the fingers. He encouraged all the clergy present to realize the opportunity they have in working with the Department in the area of youth and clergy councils. He shared several incidents where the Southwest clergy was called upon by the Area Captain to assist in quelling rumors and bringing about a peaceful solution to a possible volatile situation. He ended his remarks saying the faith-based community is an untapped powerful resource.
Clergy Leadership Summit and Area Clergy Councils – Commander Kirk Albanese
Commander Albanese gave a summary of the recent Clergy Leadership Summit for Operations- Central Bureau and Operations-South Bureau. The summit was held on June 28th, at the Ahmanson Recruit Training Center. Commander Albanese shared how Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Chief William Bratton and Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger were among those present at the Summit. There were approximately 200 members of the faith-based community present. During the Summit, issues relating to gangs were identified. Department gang experts and several other City entities shared information. The ministers were left with multiple action items and resources.
Commander Albanese exhorted the benefits and value of participation in the Department’s Area Police-Clergy Councils. He noted the clergy’s knowledge and experience are invaluable tools in the partnership between the Department and the faith-based community. In response to an inquiry on clergy council membership, approximately half of those in attendance indicated they were members of their Area clergy councils.
Open Discussion – Commander Kirk Albanese
The open discussion time included the following questions, answers and comments:
Forum participants voiced their concerns and comments on issues including: parental involvement in their children’s lives, the perception of South Los Angeles in the media, the availability of child training materials from the Church of Scientology, availability of information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Children’s Day, November 23rd in Woodley Park 818-644-8085, and the desire for the clergy to be used by the Department in the event of an emergency or disaster situation.
A testimony was offered by a gentleman who said he had been a part of Southwest Area’s DAPs and Explorer Programs as a youth. He shared Officer Sadler had been a positive influence on his life. He then said he is currently a minister and giving back to the community.
In response to a question on illegal aliens committing crimes in relation to Special Order No. 40, November 27, 1997, Commander Albanese noted there is nothing in Special Order No. 40, to keep an officer from arresting someone selling narcotics.
A forum participant asked what the definition of a successful clergy council was. Commander Albanese noted the importance of the faith-based community working with their Area Commanding Officer. Deputy Chief Garner shared the value of the clergy council working with their Area Commanding Officers to get the truth out to the community when a major incident occurs.
In response to a question on the value of the Department’s boot camps, Captain James Miller, Commanding Officer of Van Nuys shared a success story of an eleven-year old boy who said he stopped swearing and hitting his mother after he completed boot camp. Most of the boot camps have expanded and work with the Los Angeles Unified School District to add an educational component to the program. In addition, Deputy Chief Garner emphasized the importance of the parenting component and showing the children and youth involved how someone cares about them.
Deputy Chief Garner shared there would be upcoming events for the clergy councils to participate in. Also, Commissioner Skobin shared how the Department realizes we have had some clergy events on Saturday and in the future will have some events when members of the Jewish faith can participate.
Adjournment
Officer Ken Crawford, Department Chaplain, offered the closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned at approximately 2000 hrs.
Action Items
None
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