Nearly five months after wildfires tore through Los Angeles, killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of homes, the city of Malibu has hired private security to protect burned lots and vacant homes after the disaster.
The city council voted last week to contract with a private security firm to provide 24/7 armed patrols in areas affected by the recent fires as a section of the Pacific Coast Highway reopens for the first time since the fire.
The security patrols will work alongside the Los Angeles sheriff’s office “to ensure continuous public safety coverage during a critical recovery phase”, the city said in a statement. “Fire-damaged areas face heightened risks of burglary, vandalism, and theft – particularly of construction materials – as many properties remain vacant during rebuilding.”
Under the $260,000 contract that began 23 May, four patrol units will deploy in the area for 30 days. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles sheriff’s department plans to intensify “looter suppression efforts”, the city’s statement said.
Looting has been a near constant concern for residents since the January blazes devastated the region, leaving 30 people dead, destroying nearly 17,000 structures from Altadena in the east to Pacific Palisades in the west, and costing billions of dollars. Dozens of people were arrested in evacuation zones during the fires.
The additional security in Malibu began as the Pacific Coast Highway reopened ahead of Memorial Day weekend in what officials described as an important milestone in the area’s recovery from the worst fires in its history.
Recovery efforts in the city have been moving quickly as the governor has moved to speed up rebuilding and reduce permitting requirements. Workers have cleared hazardous materials from more than 9,000 properties in “record time”, the governor’s office said in a statement.
For months, the Pacific Coast Highway was open only to residents and emergency workers. Officials promised a “robust security presence” would continue after the highway reopened and LA’s mayor, Karen Bass, ordered police to maintain increased patrolling in the Pacific Palisades, as well as checkpoints staffed 24 hours a day.
