Just How Bad Is It- Check Out California

LARRY A. MEAD, SERGEANT
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
APRIL 5, 2007

US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE,INFORMATION SHARING
AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT

Please remember many of the Muslim leaders were educated right here in the USA, we sent and in many cases paid for their education. They know how we think, act and live. They know are weaknesses and our strengths all of which play into their plans. Why do they focus on the prisons as their key recruiting grounds? Black, radical, hopeless, hate the American system and those who want to have power are their prime candidates. The same population that we have poured trillions of USE $ into welfare entitlement programs for the past 50 years. Where are we today... still pumping a few trillion into social programs that encourage people to have children out of wedlock, not work, and in a heart beat will rob each other for drug and other needs.

Is it too late to change.. Not if we want to survive long term. There is no way the US can continue in this direction. For what ever reason we are now allowing our government to ramp up the failed programs as if something magical will happen if we double the amount we are spending on entitlement programs... They just do not work.
Our current system of handouts does not give people pride, hope or initiative. We encourage and incentive's people to sit on the butts and wait for the government check to come. Need more money have a couple more kids out of wedlock and we raise their entitlement level... more money, more food stamps, larger housing supplement..You see it just does work

While on the other side those black and white who do work hard to be stand alone are taxed more and more and begin to ask why should I work when I can get it for nothing...

Does this sound like what America was founded on. Yes there are people who need help but that is not what we are talking about here. We have allowed millions of immigrants both legal and illegal to enter the US to do jobs that have to be done.

Yes they are the lower paying job but hey that is life...Everyone can not live at the same level... Sorry that is not true they can .. but it will mean everyone lives at a very low level except for the elite who dole out the program money... We are headed in that direction today which is totally reverse of what got America to where we are.... Time to go back to the basics.

LARRY A. MEAD, SERGEANT
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
APRIL 5, 2007
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE,
INFORMATION SHARING
AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT
“HOMEGROWN TERRORISM”
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE,
INFORMATION SHARING
AND
TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT
“HOMEGROWN TERRORISM”
TESTIMONY OF
LARRY A MEAD, SERGEANT
2
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Madam Chairman, ranking member and members of the committee, thank
you for the opportunity to speak to you on the issue of “Prison
Radicalization.”
The subject of “Prison Radicalization” reaches far beyond the walls of the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), county
jails and juvenile facilities throughout the State of California. It has local,
national and international implications. The effort to impact “homegrown”
terrorism in prisons, jails and society is a monumental task which requires
the cooperation of local, state and federal agencies and the community at
large. My testimony will focus on the local gang culture and it’s effects on
the Los Angeles County Jail regarding radicalization and our Department’s
cooperation with federal, state and local agencies to share information
thereby preventing, disrupting or mitigating a terrorist attack.
Within our custody operations division, our gang intelligence unit,
Operation Safe Jails (OSJ), which originated in 1985, analyzes gang
3
trends, conduct gang interviews, classifies and maintains gang files in an
ongoing effort to prevent attacks on both staff and our inmate population.
Over the years OSJ has evolved into an extremely critical asset for unit
commanders and executives throughout the Department. OSJ’s primary
responsibility is gang intelligence. In addition, the unit assists local, state
and federal agencies with ongoing investigations. In an effort to improve
communications, a sergeant attends briefings and meetings with the Los
Angeles area Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Terrorism Early Warning
group (TEW), the Joint Regional Information Center (JRIC), the California
Department of Corrections Gang Task Force and other regional gang
meetings. These relationships have resulted in high quality products that
are provided to decision makers covering a variety of terror-related
subjects.
With an average daily population of 19,000 plus inmates, the Los Angeles
County jail system is seen as a possible location where prison
radicalization can sew it roots. Since late 1995, several OSJ gang
intelligence deputies were designated Terrorism Liaison Officers (TLO’s)
who report on radical activities to the Department’s Terrorism Early
Warning group. This has expanded to other local state and federal
4
agencies. Their activities were heightened by the July, 2005, discovery of
the radical prison group, Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Sheeh (JIS) or the
“Authentic Assembly of Islam,” at Folsom State Prison, near Sacramento,
California. Since then, analysis shows that radicalization and recruitment
in U.S. prisons is still an ongoing concern. Prison radicalization primarily
occurs through anti-U.S. sermons provided by contract, volunteer’s, staff
imams, radicalized inmates who gain religious influence, or extremist
media. Ideologies that radicalized inmates appear most often to embrace,
include or are influenced by the Salafi form of Sunni Islam (including
revisionist versions commonly known as “prison Islam”) and an extremist
view of Shia Islam similar to that of the government of Iran and Lebanese
Hizballah.
JAIL RADICALIZATION INITIATIVES IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
⋅ Two deputies working full time on the radicalization issue within the
Los Angeles County Jail System
⋅ LASD participates on the Jail Radicalization Working group with FBI,
LAPD, CDC
⋅ Ongoing integration effort with Jail Investigations Unit, Operation
Safe Jails, Classification Unit and the Joint Regional Intelligence
Center
⋅ Ongoing interaction with religious leaders (more than 100) who
conduct services at all Los Angeles County jail facilities
⋅ Continued outreach for better communication between local, state
and federal custodial facilities regarding the transfer and travel of
“problem inmates”
5
⋅ Participation with George Washington University on the study of
issues related to radicalization
Religious Leader Verification Process
Application
Copy of Ordination
Support Letter from sponsoring church
Background by Inmate Services Unit
Orientation program
Random monitoring by Inmate Services Unit
Random monitoring by Chapel Deputies
Sheriff Baca’s Statement:
The effort to impact radicalization and “homegrown” terrorism in
mainstream society is an inherently difficult task, especially without the
cooperation and partnership of the local Muslim community. Muslim-
American organizations have been working on various ways of supporting
and participating in the security needs of America, as well as people of all
nations. Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department, has taken the lead to formalize this endeavor by forming a
national organization known as the Muslim-American Homeland Security
Congress (MAHSC). This is a non-political, non-governmental, nonreligious,
and non-profit organization. Through partnerships, cooperation
and assistance with national and local elected officials, law enforcement,
civic and inter-faith groups, the Muslim-American Homeland Security
6
Congress will educate, reach out to the disenfranchised, and communicate
to all Americans the goals and purpose of the organization.
MISSION
The Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress shall foster education
& understanding, organization & empowerment, along with Communication
& Cooperation with the American public to protect and defend the United
States of America and all people through the prevention of terrorism and
any acts of prejudice.
Operation Safe Jails gang intelligence deputies are continuously monitoring
our inmate population for radical activity. The Imams who conduct religious
service go through a thorough background check and their teachings are
not associated with the radicalized form of Islam. Inmates who attempt to
spread radical Islam are monitored and reported to the appropriate
agencies. We have identified several inmates who had radical
correspondence, drawings of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center,
e-mail addresses to radical websites, and in one disturbing instance, we
interviewed a foreign national who provided information regarding a safe
house radical mosque where large sums of U.S. Currency is counted and
forwarded to a Middle Eastern country for dissemination. There is no doubt
that “Prison Radicalization,” is an ongoing problem. We all need to
continue our focus on this growing phenomena and add additional
resources to combat this growing trend or run the risk of another similar
situation such as the JIS incident which occurred at Folsom State Prison in
July, 2005.
SUPPLEMENT



“HOMEGROWN TERRORISM” COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, INFORMATION SHARING AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT
“HOMEGROWN TERRORISM”

TESTIMONY OF LARRY A MEAD, SERGEANT LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

Madam Chairman, ranking member and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you on the issue of “Prison Radicalization.”

The subject of “Prison Radicalization” reaches far beyond the walls of the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), county
jails and juvenile facilities throughout the State of California. It has local,
national and international implications. The effort to impact “homegrown”
terrorism in prisons, jails and society is a monumental task which requires
the cooperation of local, state and federal agencies and the community at
large.
My testimony will focus on the local gang culture and it’s effects on
the Los Angeles County Jail regarding radicalization and our Department’s
cooperation with federal, state and local agencies to share information
thereby preventing, disrupting or mitigating a terrorist attack.

Within our custody operations division, our gang intelligence unit,
Operation Safe Jails (OSJ), which originated in 1985, analyzes gang3
trends, conduct gang interviews, classifies and maintains gang files in an
ongoing effort to prevent attacks on both staff and our inmate population.

Over the years OSJ has evolved into an extremely critical asset for unit
commanders and executives throughout the Department. OSJ’s primary
responsibility is gang intelligence.

In addition, the unit assists local, state
and federal agencies with ongoing investigations. In an effort to improve
communications, a sergeant attends briefings and meetings with the Los
Angeles area Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Terrorism Early Warning
group (TEW), the Joint Regional Information Center (JRIC), the California
Department of Corrections Gang Task Force and other regional gang
meetings. These relationships have resulted in high quality products that
are provided to decision makers covering a variety of terror-related
subjects.

With an average daily population of 19,000 plus inmates, the Los Angeles
County jail system is seen as a possible location where prison
radicalization can sew it roots. Since late 1995, several OSJ gang
intelligence deputies were designated Terrorism Liaison Officers (TLO’s)
who report on radical activities to the Department’s Terrorism Early
Warning group. This has expanded to other local state and federal agencies.

Their activities were heightened by the July, 2005, discovery of
the radical prison group, Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Sheeh (JIS) or the
“Authentic Assembly of Islam,” at Folsom State Prison, near Sacramento,
California. Since then, analysis shows that radicalization and recruitment
in U.S. prisons is still an ongoing concern. Prison radicalization primarily
occurs through anti-U.S. sermons provided by contract, volunteer’s, staff
imams, radicalized inmates who gain religious influence, or extremist
media.

Ideologies that radicalized inmates appear most often to embrace,
include or are influenced by the Salafi form of Sunni Islam (including
revisionist versions commonly known as “prison Islam”) and an extremist
view of Shia Islam similar to that of the government of Iran and Lebanese
Hizballah.

JAIL RADICALIZATION INITIATIVES IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
⋅ Two deputies working full time on the radicalization issue within the
Los Angeles County Jail System

⋅ LASD participates on the Jail Radicalization Working group with FBI,
LAPD, CDC

⋅ Ongoing integration effort with Jail Investigations Unit, Operation
Safe Jails, Classification Unit and the Joint Regional Intelligence
Center

⋅ Ongoing interaction with religious leaders (more than 100) who
conduct services at all Los Angeles County jail facilities

⋅ Continued outreach for better communication between local, state
and federal custodial facilities regarding the transfer and travel of
“problem inmates”

⋅ Participation with George Washington University on the study of
issues related to radicalization Religious Leader Verification Process
Application Copy of Ordination Support Letter from sponsoring church
Background by Inmate Services Unit Orientation program Random monitoring by Inmate Services Unit Random monitoring by Chapel Deputies

Sheriff Baca’s Statement:
The effort to impact radicalization and “homegrown” terrorism in
mainstream society is an inherently difficult task, especially without the
cooperation and partnership of the local Muslim community.

Muslim-American organizations have been working on various ways of supporting
and participating in the security needs of America, as well as people of all
nations. Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department, has taken the lead to formalize this endeavor by forming a
national organization known as the Muslim-American Homeland Security
Congress (MAHSC).

This is a non-political, non-governmental, nonreligious,and non-profit organization. Through partnerships, cooperation and assistance with national and local elected officials, law enforcement, civic and inter-faith groups, the Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress will educate, reach out to the disenfranchised, and communicate to all Americans the goals and purpose of the organization.

MISSION

The Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress shall foster education
& understanding, organization & empowerment, along with Communication
& Cooperation with the American public to protect and defend the United
States of America and all people through the prevention of terrorism and
any acts of prejudice.

Operation Safe Jails gang intelligence deputies are continuously monitoring
our inmate population for radical activity. The Imams who conduct religious
service go through a thorough background check and their teachings are
not associated with the radicalized form of Islam. Inmates who attempt to
spread radical Islam are monitored and reported to the appropriate
agencies.
We have identified several inmates who had radical
correspondence, drawings of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center,
e-mail addresses to radical websites, and in one disturbing instance, we
interviewed a foreign national who provided information regarding a safe
house radical mosque where large sums of U.S. Currency is counted and
forwarded to a Middle Eastern country for dissemination.

There is no doubt that “Prison Radicalization,” is an ongoing problem. We all need to
continue our focus on this growing phenomena and add additional resources to combat this growing trend or run the risk of another similar situation such as the JIS incident which occurred at Folsom State Prison in July, 2005.