UCLA police chief accused of ‘security lapses’ before attack on pro-Palestinian encampment: Los Angeles Times
Will Conybeare
The chief of the University of California, Los Angeles Police Department is facing criticism for a “string of serious security lapses” before the pro-Palestinian encampment on the school’s campus was attacked by a mob last Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Times reported.
According to the Times, campus leadership had directed UCLA Police Department Chief John Thomas to provide a safety plan for the campus community days before the attack, but he did not do so.
“The chief was told to spare no expense to bring in other UC police officers, offer overtime and hire as many private security officers needed to keep the peace,” three unidentified sources told the L.A. Times. “But Thomas did not provide a plan to senior UCLA leadership – even after he was again asked to provide one after skirmishes broke out between Israel supporters and pro-Palestinian advocates at dueling rallies.”
Israeli Protesters Laid Siege On The UCLA Gaza Support Camp For Over 4 Hours. The Israeli Protesters Used Make Shift Weapons, Chemical Weapons And Fireworks To Assault The Camp All Night Long, in Los Angeles, on May 1, 2024.(Photo by Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Israeli Protesters Laid Siege On The UCLA Gaza Support Camp For Over 4 Hours. The Israeli Protesters Used Make Shift Weapons, Chemical Weapons And Fireworks To Assault The Camp All Night Long, in Los Angeles, on May 1, 2024.(Photo by Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Counter protesters attack a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as clashes erupt, in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. Clashes broke out on May 1, 2024 around pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the University of California, Los Angeles, as universities around the United States struggle to contain similar protests on dozens of campuses. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP) (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)
Counter protesters attack a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as clashes erupt, in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. Clashes broke out on May 1, 2024 around pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the University of California, Los Angeles, as universities around the United States struggle to contain similar protests on dozens of campuses. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP) (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli Protesters Laid Siege On The UCLA Gaza Support Camp For Over 4 Hours. The Israeli Protesters Used Make Shift Weapons, Chemical Weapons And Fireworks To Assault The Camp All Night Long, in Los Angeles, on May 1, 2024.(Photo by Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Israeli Protesters Laid Siege On The UCLA Gaza Support Camp For Over 4 Hours. The Israeli Protesters Used Make Shift Weapons, Chemical Weapons And Fireworks To Assault The Camp All Night Long, in Los Angeles, on May 1, 2024.(Photo by Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Israeli Protesters Laid Siege On The UCLA Gaza Support Camp For Over 4 Hours. The Israeli Protesters Used Make Shift Weapons, Chemical Weapons And Fireworks To Assault The Camp All Night Long, in Los Angeles, on May 1, 2024.(Photo by Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Chief Thomas had previously told UCLA officials that he could mobilize law enforcement “in minutes,” however it took three hours to “actually bring in enough officers” to get the situation under control, the sources added.
University of California systemwide President Michael Drake has opened an investigation into how UCLA handled the violence that unfolded at the encampment on Tuesday night.
Drake’s letter to UC’s board of regents requested a “detailed accounting…about what transpired” and ordered an independent review of UCLA’s “planning, actions and response by law enforcement,” the L.A. Times reported.
