L.A. County Will Call National Guard and Implement Curfews to Combat Looting

By the Mausoleum in Altadena (Photo – Melissa Michelson)

To protect residents who have been displaced by wildfires, Board of Supervisors Chair Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced on Thursday, Jan. 9, that they requested the support of the California National Guard and will be implementing curfew hours to keep looters at bay.

By News Desk

“Residents who’ve evacuated have faced unimaginable devastation, displacement, and loss,” Chair Kathryn Barger said. “We must stand up against opportunistic people who want to prey on these victims. Los Angeles County will not stand by and allow an already traumatic experience to be further compounded.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Department had arrested 20 people for looting. The Sheriff said local law enforcement has been working around the clock to protect residents’ property and the 400 National Guard members who will be deployed will expand the efforts already underway.

The National Guard is expected to deploy as early as Thursday evening and will be helping local law enforcement with traffic control and critical infrastructure protection.

“This effort will allow law enforcement to free up our resources and move personnel to other critical areas throughout the County, becoming a force multiplier,” Sheriff Robert G. Luna said. “This will help send a stronger message to keep people out of the impacted areas so we don’t continuously victimize those who’ve lost their homes.”

The curfew will apply to the two current fire evacuation areas and will be in place from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am for areas under mandatory evacuation orders.

The Sheriff’s Department will coordinate deployment for any additional requests throughout the County.

The Sheriff’s Department is working in collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department, Pasadena Police Department, and Santa Monica Police Department on looting suppression efforts. Police departments in Azusa, Arcadia, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica expressed requests for the County to access National Guard support.