With the United States engaged in a war with Iran, law enforcement officials throughout California are stepping up security measures around public gatherings, places of worship and other potential targets. Security is expected to be extremely tight for the March 15 Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. The area around the theater, which sits along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has seen barricades and fencing installed as in previous years, but when the Oscars ceremony takes place, the presence of Los Angeles Police Department personnel and federal agents participating in a multi-agency operation will be visible.
There is no specific threat against the event or Los Angeles, but federal officials have issued warnings about the transmission of a sequence of numbers in Farsi, the language spoken in Iran, that could be a signal to operatives, according to published reports.
Reports also emerged this week that the FBI recently warned police departments in California that Iran could retaliate for the American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast.
A source with knowledge of the memo said the warning was issued based on intelligence received by the U.S. Coast Guard, but that it has not been deemed credible “at this time,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on March 11 at a news conference that he’s aware of the apparent threat of Iranian drone strikes on California. He said when the war started, he activated the state emergency operations center.
In a March 12 statement to the Courier, Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Mark G. Stainbrook said, “The Beverly Hills Police Department is closely monitoring developments nationally and internationally and remains in constant communication with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. We will use every available resource and partnership to protect our community. Anyone who attempts to carry out a crime in Beverly Hills will be swiftly identified, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
This week, the Los Angeles Police Department also indicated that it is monitoring all developments.
“We want to reassure every Angeleno that we continue to coordinate with all of our federal, state, and local partners for intelligence and information sharing during the ongoing Middle East conflict,” the LAPD told City News Service.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it also remains on heightened alert as authorities monitor developments related to the conflict in the Middle East.
The department said public safety remains its top priority and officials are watching for a range of potential threats, including lone-actor attacks, sleeper cells and cyber-related risks.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and in recognition of current religious observances, the department has continued increased patrols around places of worship, cultural institutions, and other prominent locations throughout the county,” the department said.
At the Academy Awards, enhanced security measures will include vehicle screenings, the deployment of bomb-sniffing dogs, pre-deployed SWAT teams, undercover local officers and federal agents and snipers on rooftops.
A one-mile security perimeter will be in place around the theater.
“The FBI routinely works with our local law enforcement partners responsible for security at special events in and around Los Angeles, including the Academy Awards, in order to share intelligence and provide resources where needed,” Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman at the bureau’s Los Angeles field office, told City News Service on March 11.
City News Service
