I will be participating in the 4th Annual Friends of Santa Clarita Library Celebration of Local Authors on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at the Old Town Newhall Library ( 24500 Main St-at Main St. and Lyons Ave. in Santa Clarita, Ca.) from 10 AM-3 PM.
I will be among the 50 authors who have been selected to display their books. Moderated panel discussions will be scheduled throughout the day by genre.
I hope to see you there!
I recently posted an article addressing the recent increase in the disregard many citizens have when encountering law enforcement. My comments included the influence initial public opinion weighs on the expectations and acceptance of the final investigative results of these encounters. These perceptions also affect how law enforcement responds to civil disturbances resulting from these incidents.
The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 and the more recent civil disturbances in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, were similar in terms of the way law enforcement responded to the initial stages of related public outbursts. Whether it was the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, or the in custody injuries and death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, law enforcement did not respond properly to the disturbances resulting from these incidents.
Law enforcement has the duty, responsibility, and obligation to protect. The lack of an immediate, effective and coordinated response to these disturbances led to needless deaths, injuries, and destruction. Ironically, countless citizens and groups voiced concern and frustration with officers failing to engage with rioters and allowing looting and destruction to occur. Police were better prepared and trained than they demonstrated in each of these incidents. These difficult lessons learned should never again be repeated.
Public pressure, concern with image over safety, and the issue of political correctness should never again interfere with law enforcement performing its functions. Passive response to these initial disturbances allowed disorder to develop into major riots. Treating people with respect and allowing them to vent their frustrations is one thing, but standing by and allowing people to kill, assault, rob, steal, and destroy property should never be acceptable.
My next posting will discuss the use of body cameras in law enforcement. I will touch upon the issues of transparency, privacy, and the review of the footage by officers and the public. #1992LARiots, #civildisturbances
As a retired Lieutenant and 32-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Bill Weiss worked various patrol, custody, administrative, investigative, and special assignments. He has been an Incident Commander for several major tactical incidents. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Hello everyone! Some of you may already know about the announcement I made a few months ago regarding my new book. I recently submitted the completed manuscript to my publisher and it is currently going through the editing, design, and publication process.
The book is titled “Never Again”. It is based on a true account and a never before told insight into the hours leading up to, during, and after the Los Angeles Riots erupted on April 29, 1992. The story reveals the emergent preparations and tough decisions that a watch commander for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department faced while preparing Lennox Sheriff’s Station in South Los Angeles, to intervene during this deadly and dynamic civil disturbance.
“Never Again”, published by Morgan James Publishing in New York, will be released on November 1, 2016, and will be available at Barnes and Noble and other fine book stores, and on Amazon.com. I will be receiving some advanced copies before this date that will be available for purchase on my website, hopefully by July 1, 2016.
Please follow my future book updates and blogs, which will be addressing police and community relations and other related topics, on my website.