ALARCON CALLS FOR 'WORSHIP WATCH' PLAN COUNCILMAN: PROGRAM WOULD PAIR CITY, RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO PREVENT ATTACKS.Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer With attacks on religious institutions increasing, a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. city official called on Friday for creating a "worship watch" program in which the city would try to bring together religious leaders to discuss ways to protect themselves. "When there is an attack on a religious institution, it's an attack on all of us," Councilman Richard Alarcon said of his proposal to have the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . work with the
religious community to develop the program over the next month.
Alarcon said a study by the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission found that there are about 600 different faiths practiced in Los Angeles, making it the most religiously diverse city in the nation. "What I hope is that this will bring together the leaders from mosques, churches, temples and synagogues to work on ways to increase safety and reduce crime," Alarcon said. "I think it's also a great opportunity for the churches and synagogues to develop closer relations with the community where they operate." Alarcon said the program would be modeled after one in North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. that uses the Neighborhood Watch program as a template. And the need for such a program is growing, he said, citing three recent arson attacks in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. that prompted the city to join with federal authorities in offering a $75,000 reward. The attacks were on the the Church of the Nazarene Church of the Nazarene (năz'ərēn`), U.S. Protestant denomination established in 1908 through the union of the Church of the Nazarene, based in California; the Association of Pentecostal Churches, a New England group; and the Holiness in Panorama City, the Arleta Assembly of God Church and the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Center in West Hills. Alarcon said he hopes to see religious leaders develop a common strategy and for the LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. to provide protection training. Among areas to be discussed are what can be done with building design to prevent attacks, increasing awareness of threats, and how to respond to crimes. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday at the Marvin Braude Constituent Center in Van Nuys with Alarcon, the Valley Interfaith Council, the Human Relations Commission and the Los Angeles Police Department to discuss the proposal. rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com 213-978-0390 |
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