Valley Deputies return from riots in Los Angeles, head to Oakland

HANFORD, Calif. (KMPH) — Deputies from Kings County, and officers from Corcoran Police, answered the call for help from the State Office of Emergency Services over the weekend, to help Los Angeles Police officers who were overwhelmed due to riots over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

And a second crew left for Oakland, after responding to a new request Monday.

Commander David Dodd says officers arrived in Southern California around 10 p.m. Saturday.

He says deputies train quarterly to prepare for crowd control situations, and they didn't know whether they'd be needed in that capacity.

"The businesses, the windows were broken out. There was trash and debris scattered on the grounds, multiple vehicles with windows busted out," Dodd says, describing what he saw as he and others arrived. "There were dumpsters on fire, you could smell the strong order of smoke, along with the chemical agents used to disperse the crowds."

The crew from Kings County was assigned to cover the 7000 block of Beverly Boulevard, just over a mile from where rioters and police clashed earlier, along Fairfax Avenue.

He says most of the chaos had calmed down and firefighters were dealing with the aftermath.

"We were brought on as a protection team for fire and ambulance crews," Dodd says. "The area was hostile to all people down there, as far as those wearing uniforms."

They remained in the area for about five hours, and were then relieved to return to the Central Valley.

"We're simply there to help," Dodd says. "We're not against people protesting. But there's a certain way to do it. And when you're out there damaging businesses, vandalizing innocent people's property, it's not the right way."

Kings County sent an additional 20 deputies to Oakland Monday morning, to help officers in the Bay Area.

Dodd says department shuffled around deputies to provide coverage, so there would be little, if any, impact to service calls.