CALIFORNIA — Local and federal law enforcement officials held a press conference today, June 29, to address the ongoing SAFE L.A. Task Force investigations.
The special program was announced on June 5 in a news release. LAPD Chief of Police Michel Moore directed the Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD) and Commercial Crimes Division (CCD) to create the task force on June 2.
“The intended purpose of the SAFE LA Task Force is to conduct criminal investigations for significant crimes during the civil unrest in Los Angeles which started on May 29, 2020,” the release said.
The police department is partnering with the FBI in the program. The Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Santa Monica Police Department, and the Beverly Hills Police Department have also joined the task force.
Voviette Morgan, Special Agent of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, represented the agency at the June 29 press conference.
“The FBI is committed to supporting our local law enforcement partners with maintaining public safety in the communities in which we serve,” Morgan said. “We are focused on identifying and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity.”
Officials displayed six images of individuals appearing in surveillance footage around locations where looting and criminal activity took place, according to LAPD Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher. Those images are also found on the SAFE L.A. website, and a tip line has been provided at (213) 486-6840.
“We have individuals we know are identified, and we are continuing investigations on them,” Pitcher said. “We have many we do not know who they are at this time. We are seeking the public help through the tip line and the website.”
