2023

Consul General Of Turkey visits LASD Search and Rescue Team

There is a common saying in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD): The Bear Goes Everywhere.

When footage of the destruction from Turkey and Syria came flooding in on February 6th, Assistant Director Mike Leum and members of the LASD Search and Rescue Program knew they had to do something. 

With decades of Search and Rescue experience under their belts, and years of elite training, the team agreed that they needed to lend their services to the rescue and recovery effort taking place 7,000 miles away. 

With the help of the Honorable Sinan Kuzum, Consul General of Turkey in Los Angeles, and the approval of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Assistant Sheriff Holly Francisco, 7 members of the of the program were on a plane to Turkey within 3 days of the first earthquake.  6 of the 7 are Reserve Deputies and 1 is a civilian volunteer.   All volunteered their own time to the cause.  Expenses were covered through private donations, and Turkish Airlines generously provided the flights. 

The conditions were treacherous and the destruction hard to fathom.  Aftershocks continued throughout their stay in Turkey, and the frigid weather compounded the challenges.  For 6 days, the LASD SAR rescuers drove for 2 hours from their base in Adana to the affected zone.  They worked primarily in Antakya, in the southern province of Hatay — one of the hardest hit areas.  Over the course of the time spent there, and in partnership with Turkish rescuers, they had three live rescues.  A mother and son were rescued on February 11th and a 17 year old boy on February 14th. 

In their home units at LASD, reserve deputies and civilian volunteers lend their services without any compensation—they volunteer their expertise for the support of various Department operations within LA County.  Translating that level of commitment to a dangerous earthquake zone in a different country requires an even greater level of courage and sacrifice. 

In recognition of this level of service, following their return to Los Angeles, Consul General Kuzum kindly insisted on paying a visit to the team to thank them in person and hear first-hand accounts of their experiences in his country.  This emotional encounter took place yesterday at Sheriff’s Headquarters, with Countywide Operations Assistant Sheriff Francisco and Special Operations Division Chief Jack Ewell in attendance on behalf of Sheriff Luna. At last, after having only communicated via email and phone, the Consul General, members of his staff, and the 7 Search and Rescue members finally met in person. 

The generosity of the Turkish people was a common theme extolled by the volunteer rescuers.  Even amid an incomprehensible crisis, the rescuers shared story after story of how the locals prepared food and tea, offering what little they had to the volunteers.  The people of Turkey were in awe of the sacrifices made by American rescuers, including the LASD team.  Consul General Kuzum spoke at length of the appreciation of his people, the friendships forged out of this tragedy, and stories that will be passed on to generations of how American search and rescue teams came to his country in their time of greatest need. 

When asked to sum up his experiences, Mike, the team leader shared: “Seldom did we have a common language with the Turkish people or other international rescue teams, but we always had a common purpose of rescuing as many people as possible.” The Search and Rescue Program’s efforts proved that once again, the Bear really does go everywhere.

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was selected as a government sector placement for the current class of Coro Fellows (https://corola.org/).

As a placement location, the Department was expected to host a Coro fellowship recipient for the duration of one month and provide the designated Fellow with the opportunity to work, think critically, and interview key role players on the Department.  The goal that the Department set was to have the Coro Fellow learn about government through the unique lens of County-level law enforcement. 

The designated Coro Fellow, Luis, arrived on January 9, 2023 and hit the ground running—quite literally.  Spending his first three days on ride-alongs, jail tours, and meetings with specialized units, Luis very quickly acclimated to the 24/hour nature of the Department.  Posted to Sheriff’s Information Bureau, the public and media relations branch of the Department, Luis frequently met with Public Information Officers, toured the Department Operations Center, and sat in on many press conferences.  He composed speaking points, edited brochures for the public, and helped analyze data from recent graduations. 

Over the course of the month, Luis met Audit and Accountability Bureau, comprised of auditors who ensure that the Department meets government standards in policies and procedures.  He sat with the Bureau of Compliance, Intake Specialist Unit, to learn about the Policy of Equity and how violations by personnel are investigated and corrected.  At the Sheriff’s Communication Center, Luis listened in on calls with seasoned dispatchers.  In between his duties at Sheriff’s Information Bureau, he observed the training of Academy classes in session at STARS Center, toured the Crime Lab, flew with Aero Bureau, spent a day responding to calls with the Mental Evaluation Team, and had a conference call with the Legislative Unit while they were in Sacramento.  Luis even had the opportunity to have other Coro Fellows join him on an eye-opening tour of the Inmate Reception Center, where over 100,000 inmates are processed into and out of the jail system every year. 

An important stop during Luis’ placement was a meeting with the elite detectives of Homicide Bureau.  Tragically, two days later, the same bureau he had interviewed were called to handle the Monterey Park mass casualty incident.  As the incident unfolded and the investigation ensued, Luis saw how information from the scene was gathered and how emergent press conferences were put together—sometimes late into the night.  He observed firsthand multiple layers of government and law enforcement working together to provide accurate information to the public on very short deadlines. 

Sheriff Luna and Undersheriff Tardy both met with Luis, and enjoyed open, affable conversations with the Fellow.  Sheriff Luna’s emphasis on transparency and leadership were a terrific fit for Luis and the expectations of the Coro program.  The leadership accelerator nature of the Coro program went hand in hand with the fast-paced, ever-evolving nature of law enforcement.

Luis was the 5^th Coro Fellow hosted by LASD, and we look forward to the opportunity to host future emerging leaders!