April Community Beat Newsletter

A Message from Police Chief Robert Luna:

As we continue to adjust to the changes in our community and our country in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, I would like to take a moment to recognize each and every one of you who are making a difference in the lives of others. Our police officers, firefighters, health care workers and other essential workers are dedicated to delivering important services around the clock to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community, and we have amazing community members who are donating their time and talents to make masks, deliver food, or just check in on friends and neighbors in need. We are so fortunate to live in a city filled with people who truly care.

I also want to thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to abide by the Safer at Home health order that was put into place to protect our community. We understand that this has disrupted daily life for all of us, but I am so proud of how responsive our community has been and how everyone is working together to help prevent the spread of this virus. Your cooperation and support are truly saving lives.

I am pleased to report that overall crime is down 4% citywide, as compared to the same time period last year. Our officers continue to respond to calls for service and our modified patrol procedures are continuing to help protect both community members and our employees. As you are following the Safer at Home health order, we encourage you to stay vigilant and report all suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1, or our non-emergency line at (562) 435-6711.

Please continue to engage with our department and the City through our social media accounts, and follow our City’s ongoing COVID-19 response efforts at www.longbeach.gov/COVID19 . We appreciate your cooperation in following the important health order requirements and supporting our efforts to ensure a safe and healthy Long Beach.

Scroll down for more from the LBPD.

LBPD RESPONSE TO COVID-19

For the latest on COVID-19, visit the City of Long Beach website at: longbeach.gov/COVID19

Enforcement

The LBPD continues to encourage voluntary compliance of the City Health Officer's current health orders.

All efforts will be made to gain voluntary compliance. If individuals or businesses fail to comply, administrative penalties and/or a misdemeanor citation may be issued.

Online Reporting

In an ongoing effort to limit person to person interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, we remind individuals to utilize the Online Reporting System to file police reports for non-violent crimes online, rather than filing them in person.

For more information and to submit a crime report online, click here .

KEEPING UP WITH THE LBPD

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, on April 29 - also known as Denim Day 2020 - we encouraged everyone to join us in wearing jeans to support victims of sexual assault and shine a light on all forms of sexual violence. Detectives from our Special Victims Section (pictured below) stood in solidarity, wearing their jeans, as a reminder that today and everyday our department remains committed to supporting and protecting victims of sexual assault.

Denim Day stems from the Italian Supreme Court overturning a rape conviction in 1998, arguing that the victim's jeans were so tight that the only way the attacker could have removed them is if the victim assisted, therefore making the act consensual. Wearing denim on Denim Day is a symbol for the misconceptions of sexual harassment, abuse, assault and rape. To learn more about the history of Denim Day, click here .

LBPD resources for sexual assault victims are available here .

Celebrating Our Community

This month, the LBPD was flooded with requests to help celebrate the birthdays and special occasions for members of our community who had to alter their celebration plans in order to remain safer at home.

While we couldn't accommodate all requests, we had the opportunity to help make several celebrations special, including the birthdays of 11-year-old Sonny (below) and 4-year-old Nury (right). We also partnered with Long Beach Fire to participate in a patrol parade to support 8-year-old Ellie who is currently battling Leukemia for the second time.

On the Patrol Beat

While working as part of a violent crimes task force, LBPD Gangs & Narcotics detectives seized four firearms as a result of two separate investigations.

The violent crimes task force is one of many ongoing Police Department efforts implemented to curb violent crime in the city. See post.

As the weather continues to heat up, we remind residents and visitors of Long Beach that our local beaches remain closed, pursuant to the current City Health Orders .

LBPD patrol resources will have an increased visible presence in and around parks and beach areas to ensure people remain in compliance with health order.

SENIOR POLICE PARTNERS PARTICIPATE IN "FRIENDLY CALLER" PROGRAM

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the City's current Safer at Home health order, the LBPD Senior Police Partner (SPP) Wellness Checks have temporarily switched from in-person to over the phone.

Our SPPs have partnered with The Heart of Ida organization to participate in their “Friendly Caller” program, where SPPs call participating older community members to provide information, resources and a friendly "hello" over the phone.

There are currently 12 SPPs acting as "Friendly Callers" and 26 residents participating in the program, which began on March 31, 2020. Current participant ages range from 54 to 103, and the SPPs hope to serve up to 130 seniors.

The majority of participants live alone. Since the program began just last month, our SPPs have already:

made multiple calls to each participant
mailed masks to those requesting them
assisted with food delivery assistance
assisted with a fall victim and coming up with a plan for her dog
assisted with a Temporary Restraining issue

Our SPPs envision turning some, if not all of these newfound connections into face-to-face wellness checks once normal operations resume.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a participant, call (562) 570-3548 or click here .

DONATIONS FROM OUR COMMUNITY

We are so appreciative of all the support we have received from our community this month. From personal protective equipment to donated meals, here are just a few acts of kindness LBPD has received this month:

UPS

UPS donated 10,000 N95 masks to the Long Beach Police Foundation for use by both LBPD and Long Beach Fire Department.

Vietnamese American United Buddhist Congregation

Members of the Long Beach Vietnamese American United Buddhist Congregation generously donated 500 cotton masks, 3,000 gloves and 100 containers of hand soap.

Temple Family & The Grand

The Long Beach-based Temple Family, with the cooking assistance of The Grand, donated over 1,000 meals to all LBPD personnel! Over the course of one week, both sworn and civilian employees received a tasty meal from The Grand culinary team as a token of appreciation. See post.

Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach

Our friends at the Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach surprised our North Division officers with 10 lbs of See's Candy.

Let's just say our officers enjoyed the SWEET surprise!

NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK

In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicato rs Week , we recognized the hardworking public safety dispatchers from the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications who play an integral role in our department operations by facilitating calls for service for our patrol officers. We are always grateful for them and the services they provide for our department and our community . See post.