LAPD Chief Beck to Host Muslim Community Forum
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The chief of the Los Angeles Police Department Thursday was set to meet with Muslim community leaders.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other high-ranking LAPD officials will take part in the forum, which, as Beck told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, gives the Muslim community and the public at large a chance to hear from police on current events.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck
"There's very topical issues going on in the Middle East that we wanna talk about, and we want to make sure that tensions in other parts of the world don't spill over into Los Angeles," Beck said.
There are currently no known direct or credible terrorist threats against the city, Beck added.
The forum continues a tradition that stretches back to Beck's predecessor, Bill Bratton, who made fostering close ties between various ethnic and religious groups throughout Los Angeles a top priority during his administration.
According to Beck, LAPD outreach efforts to the Muslim community as well as the African-American, Hispanic, and LGBT communities are critical to local crime-fighting efforts.
"It's really important that folks feel that they have a say about their policing, that they buy into law enforcement, and that we build trust with all communities," Beck said.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Masjid Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation located at 1025 W. Exposition Boulevard.
