Jack Weiss on Public Safety

By Jack Weiss

Jack Weiss has made protecting the public his life's work. As City Attorney he will focus on making Los Angeles a safer place to raise a family.

Jack is a former federal prosecutor who put sophisticated white collar criminals, gang members, corrupt public officials, and civil rights violators in prison. While serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles, Jack prosecuted a federal law enforcement officer who masterminded a violent bank robbery conducted by local gang members; stock swindlers who cheated the public and violated federal securities regulations; a foreign aristocrat who kept her workers in conditions of virtual slavery; and the leader of an outlaw motorcycle gang for federal weapons crimes. He led the investigation of a California Superior Court Judge who pled guilty to federal corruption charges.

Fighting Gangs is Jack's Top Priority

Partnering with LAPD Chief William Bratton, Jack has been leading the City's fight against gun and gang violence and will make stopping gangs his number one priority as City Attorney.

As Chairman of the City Council's Public Safety Committee, Jack helped hire a thousand new cops to step up anti-gang enforcement and passed new laws to take guns and ammunition off our streets.

As City Attorney, Jack will use gang injunctions and partnerships with local and federal law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal gangs. He will protect our schools and our kids from the predators in their neighborhoods. He and his partner agencies will create a legal web around our City's gang members + a zero-tolerance policy that will make our streets safer.

Getting Guns Off Our Streets

Jack is a recognized leader in the fight against gun violence. He wrote some of our nation's smartest and toughest new laws to make our neighborhoods safer from firearms and ammunition.

The NRA is trying to repeal Jack Weiss' gun laws. As City Attorney, Jack will never back down to pressure or lawsuits by the NRA. He will aggressively prosecute gun crimes and fight every lawsuit the NRA files against the City, sending a message to criminals and the gun lobby that gun crime will not be tolerated in Los Angeles.

Targeting Identity Theft

Identity theft and cyber crimes are a major problem in our City and across the country. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.

Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. Jack will make sure that high-tech crimes committed by cyber criminals are swiftly prosecuted. Under Jack's leadership the City Attorney's Office will sue companies that jeopardize your privacy, provide neighborhood prosecutors with identity theft survival kits, and fight child pornography and cyber-bullying.

Expanding DNA Testing to Convict Sexual Predators

Jack Weiss led the effort to get the Los Angeles Police Department the DNA technology it needs to catch and prosecute rapists. This work has taken rapists off our streets and put them behind bars, earning Jack awards from anti-rape groups for protecting women from violence. As City Attorney, Jack will continue to protect women and kids from sexual predators.

Jack Weiss received the Humanitarian Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women for his efforts to test rape kits. The Los Angeles County Sexual Assault Coordinating Council has also honored Jack for his work to stop sexual assaults.

Under Jack's leadership, the City Attorney's Office will ensure that every rape kit in the City's custody is tested in real-time and that our new crime lab is fully staffed so that rapists are brought to justice quickly and future rapes are prevented.

More Cops on Our Streets

Jack has helped to lead the successful fight against crime in Los Angeles. As chair of the Public Safety Committee, he's helped hire a thousand new police officers. That's why he's been endorsed by the Los Angeles Police Command Officers' Association, the men and women we trust to keep us safe.

As the City's top prosecutor, he'll continue to make sure that our Police and Fire Departments have the resources and training they need to protect us.

Terrorism and Emergency Preparedness

Jack Weiss is our City's recognized leader in disaster and terrorism preparedness. His 50-page 2002 report, "Preparing Los Angeles for Terrorism A Ten-Point Plan," laid the groundwork for improved terrorism preparedness in Los Angeles and was among the most thorough assessments in the nation. That's why he's been endorsed by the United Firefighters of Los Angeles and the Chief Officers' Association of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the first responders whose work saves lives in our City every day.

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) selected Jack as the "New Democrat of the Week" to recognize his leadership on local security, and named him one the "100 New Democrats to Watch" in recognition of his leadership in homeland security. Jack is a frequent speaker on homeland security, and his commentaries have appeared in The New York Times and other national publications.

As City Attorney, Jack will continue his close partnerships with our region's first responders and counter-terrorism leaders to ensure that Los Angeles is ready for the threats of the 21st Century.