Lost Hills 'Fully Staffed And Deployed' Ahead Of Verdict

MALIBU, CA —The verdict for Derek Chauvin has been reached, and as of 1 pm Tuesday will be announced any minute now. Anticipating protests like those in June, the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station released the following statement:

"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and your Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station would like to assure our communities we are fully staffed and deployed throughout the cities of Malibu, Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. While everyone's right to free speech and expression should be respected and upheld, incidents of looting, theft, property damage or violence will not be tolerated. Please know that your deputies' first priority is your safety and the protection of your property. Any suspicious activity should be immediately reported to Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station at (818) 878-1808."
The Sheriff's Department Operations Center (DOC) Emergency Operations Bureau (EOB) will be activated once the jury goes into deliberation in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd. The DOC will be open 24/7, once activated to maintain situational awareness of all incidents in the area and to manage Mutual Aid requests.”

LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and LAPD Chief Michel Moore have been vocal in urging people to protest peacefully following the verdict. They both took part in an online community town hall discussion Monday about public safety.

"I think early intervention and high visible presence is a way to go and we will be doing that and we will be working hand-in-hand with all of our municipal partners throughout the county," Villanueva said. "And, of course, what we are asking people is that regardless of what the outcome may be, it's not going to be a cause for people to resort to violence or damage other peoples' property, destroy businesses, destroy jobs. That's not going to further anyone's cause of justice -- you are actually creating more injustices."

See here for more information on how cities around the Southland are bracing for the verdict.

— Michael Wittner, Paige Austin, and City News Service contributed to this report