Valley's new top cop John Sherman set to tackle rising crime - LA Daily News

PANORAMA CITY >> The Los Angeles Police Department’s new chief in the San Fernando Valley knows he’s got his work cut out for him.

Deputy Chief John A. Sherman, commanding officer of LAPD’s Operations-Valley Bureau, took the helm last month after predecessor Robert Green was tapped to lead the department’s new Transit Services Bureau.

With rising crime in the city and the Valley, Sherman said he’s determined to use all available tools to get the community involved to fight crime while deploying the Valley Bureau’s 2,000 police officers most effectively.

• RELATED PHOTOS:John Sherman, LAPD’s New Chief in the Valley

“I’m an enthusiastic kind of guy,” said Sherman, who was raised in Reseda, from his office at the Operations-Valley Bureau in Panorama City on Tuesday. “I hope to bring that enthusiasm and energy to the Valley and help keep our officers going in the right direction and mobilize our community even further.”

The Valley saw some 39,000 crimes last year, up from about 32,000 crimes in 2014 following years of declines, according to police data.

Part of Sherman’s challenge is getting the public to lock car doors, not leave keys or other valuables inside their vehicles, and encouraging residents to talk to their neighbors, he said.

“Our biggest numbers are property crimes,” he explained. “Our Achilles heel is when people break into cars, steal cars or break into homes.”

Violent crime is down in the Valley about 8 percent so far this year, Sherman said, but property crimes are up about 7 percent. Today, there are more ways for the public to become involved to safeguard their neighborhoods, including Facebook groups as well as social networks like Nextdoor where neighbors can exchange information and tips, he said.

The seven Los Angeles police stations in the Valley also are using predictive policing to help put officers in areas where there is a high probability that property crimes will occur next, said Sherman, with his new assistant commanding officer Jorge R. Rodriguez by his side.

Sherman joined the LAPD in 1985 as a patrol officer in the Rampart Area before moving to the Devonshire and Hollywood areas. He worked his way up to captain, serving as the commanding officer of the Devonshire Operations Support Division and Devonshire Patrol Division, commanding officer of the West Valley Area and commanding officer of the Topanga Area.

First Assistant Chief Michel Moore, director of LAPD’s Office of Operations, described Sherman as a “strong and compassionate leader” with extensive experience across ranks. Sherman recently served as the assistant to the director in his office and was closely involved in the department’s strategic action plan for the next five years.

“John is experienced as an executive but also as a tradesman and also understanding strategies and tactics that can prove effective” in fighting crime, Moore said.

For Sherman, who is married to wife Tracey and has three grown children and three grandchildren, policing is a family affair. One of Sherman’s daughters is an officer assigned to LAPD’s Training Division and helps train new recruits. His father, Glen Sherman, retired from the LAPD as a lieutenant at the Devonshire Division in 1980 before serving as a police chief in Colorado for 14 years.

Because police today work in a “very difficult environment,” Sherman said he aims to “encourage the heart” of his officers.

“We are thrown in the midst of all sorts of challenges, in the midst of a national discussion about immigration, national discussions about force and national policing,” he said. “We’re scrutinized like we’ve never been before.”

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