Ed. Note: The following is a news release courtesy of Congressman Steve Knight.

 Santa Clarita congressman Steve Knight met with local law enforcement departments recently to learn more about the policies enforced in the Santa Clarita Valley.

 

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The meeting marks the first phase of Rep. Knight’s involvement in the Congressional Law Enforcement Task Force, which was formed in July to gather information about best practices in police departments across the country.

Rep. Knight began the meeting by sharing his experience in policing: an 18 year career with the Los Angeles Police Department, including some time on the elite Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) unit, while concurrently on the Palmdale City Council. He went on to say that he has no intention of forcing departments to adopt specific policies, but instead that he intends to learn about the approaches that work for them and their communities and share their input with other departments across the U.S.

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“Something I’ve learned in my years involved with law enforcement is that no two departments are identical, and that top-down approaches can be counter –productive,” stated Rep. Knight. “That is why the goal here is to share best practices so that police departments can be as effective as possible in their communities.”

After introductions, the group spent about an hour sharing information with each other and the Congressman about their departments’ successful practices and strategies as well as the setbacks and challenges they currently face. All law enforcement divisions in the Antelope, Santa Clarita, and Simi Valleys were represented, including the California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles County Sheriff Department, Simi Valley Police Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Rep. Knight plans to share the information gathered during the meeting with the Congressional Task Force when they hold a hearing in Washington, D.C. in the fall.