December 23, 2008

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays.  I am Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph of LAPD Central Community Police Station.  Although crime is down due to the continued efforts of the Safer Cities Initiative, there are still many marginalized classes of individuals who are vulnerable to the harshness of Skid Row.  Mixed in with these vulnerable groups is the criminal element such as 400 registered sex offenders (and climbing), as well as sex offenders who have not been caught yet committing crimes of a sexual nature.

Over the years, one of the groups I have identified that is more vulnerable to sex crimes and domestic violence are the women of Skid Row.  Many of them have expressed to me that they have been victimized sexually, but never reported the crime due to misinformation they received from various sources about reporting crimes to the police.  

As you know one of my biggest missions in blogging my opinions, is to dispel myths and radically extreme negative perceptions of law enforcements.  One of the biggest myths preventing women from reporting crimes of rape or domestic violence to police is they can't because they might be engaged in criminal activity, addicted to drugs, or are suffering from mental illness.  They believe that they may be criminalized or re-victimized by the police for reporting sexual crimes.  This is an absolute and complete falsehood.

I want to make it abundantly clear to the women of Skid Row and beyond, no matter what your social status, criminal activity past or present, or degree of mental illness, you have a fundamental right to report crimes committed against you by sexual predators without fear of being arrested for doing so.  I need you to know that we as law enforcement officers are not here to judge you, we are here to serve and to protect you whether you believe we care or not.

So if you are engaged in prostitution, and are raped, you can come to us.  If you are engaged in narcotics activity and are sexually assaulted, you can report it.  If you suffer from mental illness, you can come to us for assistance.  If you have minor warrants, you can still report crimes committed against you or other women in skid row.

I clearly understand that reporting these crimes can be a long tedious process.  Sometimes in reporting crimes committed against you, you may feel as if you are reliving the experience all over again. Yet you must understand that reporting these crimes will help us take these criminals off the streets so they cannot hurt you or anyone else in the skid row area.

One month ago, I launched an education seminar dubbed “Ladies Night” designed to inform women in skid Row about laws designed with them in mind.  I also provide realistic self-defense training designed to create distance from attackers, draw attention to the crime committed against them, provide an avenue of escape, and to buy time until the police can assist them.  I am more than willing to engage in this seminar with any group that requests it.  I will cover topics, such as Rape, Domestic Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and other common crimes that women in high crime areas are routinely exposed to.

In closing, please remember that a law enforcement agency is only as successful in crime reduction as the support they receive from the community they serve.  For the support thus far, I thank the Skid Row community.  Yet I strongly believe we can do more to work together in 2009 to drive down crime and create a safe environment conducive to change in your lives.  God Bless you all, and Happy Holidays.

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If there is any interest in the “Ladies Night” seminar, you can contact me at:

SLO Deon Joseph
Central Division Community Police Station
(213) 793-0740
32511@lapd.lacity.org