After a U.S. military drone carried out a missile attack on a powerful Iranian commander, Gen. Qassim Suleimani, municipalities across the country began to encourage community members to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the proper authorities.
Among those major municipalities that issued notices to the public was Los Angeles County and Sheriff Alex Villanueva after Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said Friday the Islamic republic would seek “crushing revenge.”
In his press release issued Friday, Villanueva spoke to the diversity of Los Angeles County as well as the county units that are working with local, state and federal partners.
“Nearly every nationality in the world can be found in the county of Los Angeles,” Villanueva said in his statement. “Keeping all residents and visitors safe is always a top priority. We at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are aware of the unfolding events in the Middle East.”
“At this time there are no specific credible threats to the Los Angeles area,” he said. “Your Sheriff’s Department has thousands of uniformed deputies on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, protecting the communities we serve throughout the county. We are ready to respond to any threat.”
Villanueva then asked for the people of L.A. County to “remain vigilant and report any information about incidents to your local law enforcement.”
Lt. John Lecrivain, acting leader of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, said he and his deputies support Villanueva’s statement to the public, and specifically stated that there have been no threats to the Santa Clarita area.
“However, deputies will remain vigilant in their efforts to protect all members of the community,” said Lecrivain. “Echoing the words of Sheriff Alex Villanueva, we would like to remind the public to remain vigilant and report any information about potential incidents to our sheriff’s station.”
“As always, if you see something of an emergent nature, please call 9-1-1,” Villanueva’s statement concluded.
During a televised press conference held in Washington, D.C., Friday, President Trump defended his decision to greenlight the mission to kill Suleimani, but said he did not have intentions to go to war with Iran.
“We took action last night to stop a war,” Trump said. “We did not take action to start a war.”
Those wishing to make anonymous tips can call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Mobile App” or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
