Community Security Service Commends LAPD For Arrest in Jewish Community Shootings

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*UPDATE (2/17): According to reports, the suspect has a history of antisemitic animus and the case is being investigated as a hate crime.

New York, NY, February 17, 2023 … The Community Security Service (CSS) today commended the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for the arrest of a perpetrator who allegedly carried out two shooting attacks against members of the Jewish community in the West LA area. According to reports, the two shootings on February 15 and 16 took place just one day apart in the same neighborhood.

           Evan R. Bernstein, CSS CEO and National Director, issued the following statement:

“Although questions remain about motive, the fact that two visibly identifiable Jewish individuals were allegedly shot in the same vicinity by the same shooter over consecutive days raises legitimate concerns about the nature of the attacks. From a security perspective, we are deeply concerned over the timing and locations of the two incidents taking place as a possible desire to inflict harm on the Jewish community.

Throughout the course of the LAPD’s search and ongoing investigation, we deeply appreciated not only their vigilance, but also the fast allocation of resources to provide a strong presence in the immediate area where members of the community are feeling vulnerable – particularly as Jewish communities across the country are experiencing a rise in antisemitism.

The Los Angeles Jewish community should be reassured that the CSS Western States office is closely monitoring and working with its trained security volunteer leadership and teams on the ground, local law enforcement, and national Jewish communal security partners, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. We stand ready to continue ensuring the utmost safety and physical security of Jewish institutions nationwide.”

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About Community Security Service (CSS):

CSS is the leading Jewish volunteer security organization in the United States with offices in New York, Stamford, Miami and Los Angeles. Founded in 2007, CSS was the first organization to bring to the United States a mindset long held by Jewish communities around the world that Jews must be empowered to protect themselves. CSS is focused on training volunteer teams in basic security procedures to help protect their institutions and events across the country. Through programs developed by foremost industry security experts, and tailored to various levels of interest and ability, volunteers learn to identify suspicious activity and prevent and respond to potential threatening situations. To date, CSS has created a national network of over 2500 active trained volunteers, which help to protect hundreds of synagogues and events each year across America. CSS has formal national partnership agreements with the ADL Center on Extremism and The Secure Community Network (SCN). Visit www.thecss.org.