Public Safety

CIRCLE stands for Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement, and it serves as an alternative response to nonviolent incidents, including those involving people experiencing homelessness. If someone needs a wellbeing check or is causing a nonviolent disturbance, the CIRCLE Team can arrive quickly and help manage the situation.

The CIRCLE team is also able to help create more inviting spaces for all by maintaining common spaces and sidewalks clear of debris, and assisting with light trash pick-up –– including needle pick-up and disposal. CIRCLE team members will also work to interrupt negative behavior in the coverage areas including public urination/defecation, littering, and general noise disturbances.

In October 2022, Council adopted a motion introduced by Councilmember Raman to develop a multi-year plan to fully shift responsibility for nonviolent calls to unarmed civilians rather than armed officers, and to implement alternative models and methods for traffic safety enforcement that do not rely on armed law enforcement. This legislation builds on significant efforts taken by the City of Los Angeles to transition away from armed responses in situations where an armed officer is non-essential, seeking to coordinate and expand the various pilots already underway and in development within the City. 

In 2020, Angelenos gave this city a mandate to develop an alternate approach to public safety. While the City has made important progress with a few key pilot programs, a multi-year plan for how these programs will move beyond the pilot phase has yet to be developed. With this legislation, we are establishing a timeline for how and when these changes will be implemented in our communities. This is the next and necessary step on the path to achieving a truly restructured approach to public safety.

STATUS: Implementation of this policy is underway. This motion was amended, voted on and adopted by the Los Angeles City Council on June 6, 2023.

The steep rise in hate crimes in LA demands informed policy decisions and broad mitigation strategies. In her first year in office, Councilmember Raman introduced a motion to improve the City’s framework for hate incident and hate crime reporting and data collection.

In June of 2022, Council approved a series of recommendations for the City to expand and improve hate incident reporting through 311, better streamline data coming from different reporting pathways around these kinds of incidents, and implement solutions that address current barriers to hate crime reporting. These recommendations will help us to craft culturally informed responses, including expanding investments in hate crime responses that go beyond law enforcement alone.

Council District 4 is uniquely vulnerable to the increasing dangers created by climate change, with neighborhoods spanning from the flats to the hillsides and the valleys. Our office has worked closely with LAFD, MySafeLA our neighborhood organizations organizing extensive outreach and education to ensure our communities are prepared – including knocking on hundreds of doors to distribute emergency kits, informing neighborhood groups on how to get Fire Safe Council and Ready Your LA Neighborhood certified, and organizing emergency preparedness workshops and trainings. 

We’ve also put together a list of resources to help ensure you and your neighbors are prepared if and when a disaster takes place. Planning for emergencies and disasters is an important part of taking care of yourself and those around you, especially our more vulnerable community members. 

Click HERE to see a comprehensive list of resources!