{"id":2393714,"date":"2025-01-22T11:42:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/la-fire-department-rolls-out-new-measure-to-aid-residents-grappling-with-looters-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:45:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:45:12","slug":"la-fire-department-rolls-out-new-measure-to-aid-residents-grappling-with-looters-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/la-fire-department-rolls-out-new-measure-to-aid-residents-grappling-with-looters-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"LA Fire Department rolls out new measure to aid residents grappling with looters &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fla-fire-department-rolls-out-new-measure-to-aid-residents-grappling-with-looters-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2393714&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department\u2062 has \u2062intensified efforts \u2062to combat looting\u2062 in the wake\u2062 of the Eaton \u2064fire, which has \u200dleft many areas, especially Altadena, vulnerable due to mandatory evacuations. A specialized Looter Suppression Team has been \u200destablished, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">working alongside additional law enforcement personnel<\/a> and helicopter patrols to \u2063ensure round-the-clock safety for residents. \u2062After \u2064the mandatory evacuations, homes became targets \u2062for looters as the fire destroyed notable property and\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-infighting-kills-texas-legislatures-chances-of-passing-big-border-bill\/\" title=\"Texas legislature&#039;s border bill fails due to Republican infighting.\">strained law enforcement resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Residents who chose to\u200b remain in\u2062 the affected areas are \u2062actively \u2062trying to defend\u2063 their homes from looters, as many have reported witnessing\u200c brazen thefts amidst the chaos. With the eaton fire resulting in considerable damage and several fatalities, locals like Ana Martinez shared their struggles, emphasizing their determination to protect their properties despite the risks. The Sheriff&#8217;s Department\u2062 aims to provide a visible law enforcement presence to deter looting and support the community during this challenging time.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">LA Fire Department rolls out new measure to aid residents grappling with looters<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1943506\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/los-angeles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Los Angeles<\/a> County Sheriff&rsquo;s Department announced it is escalating efforts to target <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">looting<\/a> after California wildfires left areas vulnerable to criminal activity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The department has formed a specialized Looter Suppression Team to crack down on looters raiding private property in Altadena, which lies within the Eaton fire burn zone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The team will operate in conjunction with additional deputy personnel and helicopter patrols to provide around-the-clock protection to residents dealing with looters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Together, these efforts ensure continuous 24-hour patrolling to provide a consistent and visible law enforcement presence, particularly in neighborhoods still dealing with utility outages and heightened security risks,&rdquo; the sheriff&rsquo;s department said in a press release.<\/p>\n<p>Neighborhoods in Altadena, a suburb of Los Angeles, were left unsecured after the Eaton fire forced mandatory evacuations. After surviving the fire, many residents faced the secondary threat of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ron-desantis-delivers-blunt-message-for-those-thinking-about-looting-in-wake-of-hurricane\/\" title=\"Ron DeSantis Delivers Blunt Message For Those Thinking About Looting In Wake Of Hurricane\">looters taking advantage<\/a> of police departments that have been stretched to the limit, chaotic conditions, and abandoned property.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Residences destroyed by the Eaton fire in a neighborhood in Altadena, California, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Eaton fire is still not 100% contained after breaking out on Jan. 7. Seventeen people have been killed, more than 1,000 structures have been damaged, and 9,418 structures have been destroyed due to the disaster.<\/p>\n<p>Altadena was swiftly issued evacuation orders as the Eaton fire raged, with the measure affecting thousands of residents. However, many of them chose to ignore the orders to guard their homes and neighborhoods against looters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Police are doing the best they can. They&rsquo;re seeing looters walking down the street with large TVs just taking advantage of what little this town has left,&rdquo; Haley Winslow, a reporter with local news station KCAL, said of authorities in Altadena.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ana Martinez, one of the residents who refused to leave the Eaton burn zone, said her family is so busy trying to protect their home they have trouble finding time to eat.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The looters just &hellip; they&rsquo;re nonstop. They keep on asking us, &lsquo;Why don&rsquo;t you just go?&rsquo; Because it seems like, last night we had one, they come onto the property, they come into the home,&rdquo; she told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sanfrancisco\/news\/altadena-residents-defend-homes-looters-harsh-eaton-fire-zone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">CBS News<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Video released by the Los Angeles County District Attorney&#8217;s office shows a looting incident at a home in Altadena amid the wildfires.<\/p>\n<p>Nine people have been charged with looting in connection with the fires, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>Follow live updates: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tpj5y5KNSo\">https:\/\/t.co\/Tpj5y5KNSo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bWlREeYW6j\">pic.twitter.com\/bWlREeYW6j<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ABC News (@ABC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABC\/status\/1879132605322330373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Altadena resident Nick Norman described &ldquo;organized and brazen&rdquo; looters videotaping his smoldering neighborhood as though casing homes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I stayed behind because there are looters,&rdquo; Norman told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncronline.org\/earthbeat\/faith\/catholic-family-altadena-holds-flames-looters-courage-and-prayer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>EarthBeat<\/em><\/a>. &ldquo;I did the American thing. I got out my shotgun and sat on the porch. And did patrols about every 90 minutes&rdquo; with fellow neighbors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Would-be looters showed up, but &ldquo;they saw me, and then they left,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Altadena police arrested two looters on Jan. 16, one of whom was caught stealing an Emmy award.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By Jan. 15, about 50 suspects had been arrested after looting in wildfire evacuation zones across Los Angeles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman previously <a href=\"https:\/\/da.lacounty.gov\/media\/news\/district-attorney-announces-charges-pacific-palisades-and-altadena-looting-and-azusa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced <\/a>that nine suspects were charged with residential burglary in the Palisades and Eaton fire evacuation zones. One of them, Martrell Peoples, was suspected of helping to steal &#8203;&#8203;$200,000 worth of property while on state prison parole. He was allegedly aided by Damari Bell, who was on felony probation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Roughly 400 National Guard troops arrived in the Los Angeles area Friday, Jan. 10, to help clamp down on looters. Yet some residents criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for waiting too long to approve the increased security presence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lihui Xu, who evacuated, said by the time the troops arrived, looters had already stolen valuables from her home.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t even had time to survey all that&rsquo;s been taken from me,&rdquo; she told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/11\/us\/la-fires-evacuation-looting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>New York Times<\/em><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheCalGuard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TheCalGuard<\/a> has arrived to Los Angeles to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rittenhouse-trial-writer-for-tvs-68-whiskey-and-marvel-comics-deletes-call-to-burn-down-kenosha\/\" title=\"Rittenhouse Trial: Writer for TV&#039;s \u201868 Whiskey&#039; and Marvel Comics Deletes Call to Burn Down Kenosha\">support local law enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Taking advantage of evacuated communities is absolutely sick.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Looting will not be tolerated. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/q72oiVSrAa\">pic.twitter.com\/q72oiVSrAa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CAgovernor\/status\/1877579946496835901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Under Newsom&rsquo;s directive, CalGuard&rsquo;s presence in Los Angeles County has been boosted up to 1,680 service members. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hochman and his counterpart in Orange County, Todd Spitzer, earlier this month pushed Newsom to make sure his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/3282808\/california-democrats-criticized-for-holding-trump-proof-special-session-as-fires-rage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">special legislative session<\/a> looked at passing legislation to impose harsher penalties for looters. The proposed legislation would make looting during a local emergency a felony punishable by a prison sentence. It would also classify looting as a strike, making it harder to clear from a criminal record.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Current law falls woefully short for punishing these scavengers who are nothing more than graverobbers, stealing the last remaining possessions from those who have already lost everything, including their own lives,&rdquo; Spitzer said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1943506\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1943506\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LA Sheriff\u2019s Department forms Looter Suppression Team to combat looting in wildfire-affected Altadena<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2393715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/altadena.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[48998,48174,11933,48997,32076],"class_list":["post-2393714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-aid-residents","tag-la-fire-department","tag-looters","tag-new-measure","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/altadena.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2393714"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2393721,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393714\/revisions\/2393721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2393715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2393714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2393714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2393714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}