“These are some of the most dangerous situations that first-responders can encounter,” District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. “We have found that when officers or first responders are trained, officer-involved shootings go down and use of force incidents go down.”

The training targets patrol officers from more than 40 local police agencies throughout Los Angeles County.  By year's end, approximately 400 officers will have been trained on additional tactics and tools to calmly and safely take a person in a mental health crisis into custody when needed.

The District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Institute is providing 16-hour trainings twice a month throughout the county. The class uses role-playing to demonstrate de-escalation techniques, teaches officers about different symptoms of mental illness and introduces them to individuals and family members, who describe living with mental illness. 

Luz Maria Torres was driving on Sierra Highway in Newhall in November 2014 when she saw a man talking to a frightened 13-year-old girl.  She then saw the man grab the girl’s arm.

In an instant, Torres made a U-turn and honked her horn, helping the girl get away.  Torres called 911 and followed the man until sheriff’s deputies arrived and took him into custody.

“The girl is fortunate.  Her family is fortunate.  We all are fortunate that Ms. Torres was there and took action,” Deputy District Attorney Darci Purvis said. “She could have kept driving, but she was compelled to help and stop a crime from becoming something much worse.”  The man was convicted of attempted kidnapping to commit rape and sentenced to seven years in prison.

District Attorney Jackie Lacey honored Torres and four other Courageous Citizens on April 6 at the Rotary Club of Pasadena.

Another honoree, Rochelle Floyd, a supervising nurse, saved the life of a colleague, who was stabbed multiple times on Easter Sunday 2014 at Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar.  The attacker was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison for attempted murder.

District Attorney Lacey also recognized Scott Angel Aquino, Richard Mason Jr. and Eddie Harris, who stopped the sexual assault of a woman in Alhambra on March 3, 2015, and captured her assailant.  The suspect was convicted of assault with intent to commit a sex crime and sentenced to six years in prison.

To read more about the Courageous Citizen Awards, visit: http://da.lacounty.gov/community/courageous-citizens.

The District Attorney’s Office brings in hundreds of law students each year to assist prosecutors and learn more about the criminal justice system.  The office also recruits non-lawyer volunteers to provide services to victims of violent crime.

On April 4, two stand-outs – Marcela Mercado Gonzalez and Crystal Sanchez – were recognized at Los Angeles County’s 34th Annual Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Gonzalez, a certified law clerk in her second year at the Pepperdine University School of Law, is proactive and tenacious.  She has a passion for social justice and enjoys her volunteer work because “prosecutors can use discretion to clearly view the evidence and then charge what is fair and just." 

Sanchez, a college student and single mother, has volunteered more than 530 hours during the past three years to the office’s Bureau of Victim Services. “It is such a humbling experience to be a part of doing something wonderful and passionate that serves our communities,” Sanchez said. “What I found most meaningful was helping families get back on track and being a part of their journey.”